Hangman, Daniel Cole

I’m very thankful for receiving this proof. I thoroughly enjoyed Ragdoll, and was thrilled to receive this copy.

First of all, I’d like to pay homage to the last page in this book. What a twist! Complete shocker and something that I did not see coming. Looking at the novel overall, this one is harrowing. And I mean really harrowing. I thought Ragdoll was enough, but this goes much, much deeper. It is an enthralling read – real edge-of-the-bed (in my case) stuff.

I was really pleased to see the return of Emily Baxter in Hangman, and I feel that through this second book, the reader has got to know her a lot better, and a bit more intimately. I also welcome the return of Edmunds – possibly my favourite character from the previous book.

What I found most impressive about this outing, was the fact that it not only continues the macabre theme from book one, but it went further to disarm the reader – there are unexpected occurrences – Cole has really got the gift of surprising the reader. I can sometimes tell what is going to happen in a book, which doesn’t always spoil it, but with both Ragdoll and Hangman, I have been completely taken aback by events. This is the sign of a writer who knows their craft, and can manipulate the plot’s twists to shock the reader. An excellent read.

Hangman will be published by Trapeze in March 2018