Customer Reviews

Hangman

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Hangman" is the eighth novel written under the pseudonym of Michael Slade. Jay Clarke, a regular member of the Slade team, is joined in this novel by his daughter Rebecca. Together, they have crafted another imaginative and gruesome tale of murder and suspense for this series.

Shifting back and forth from Seattle to Vancouver the book covers the gory trail of a serial killer, who hangs victims and cuts off increasing numbers of their limbs (in any order). At each crime scene the detectives, Maddy Thorne of the Seattle PD and Zinc Chandler of the RCMP, find a game of hangman drawn in the victim's blood. Supporting players include Jeffrey Kline - an ambitious Vancouver lawyer, Ethan Shaw - his partner, Alexis Hunt - crime writer and Zinc's long time lover, as well as countless others. These are drawn with gripping detail and a sure hand by the Slade team.

Nothing is what it seems in a Michael Slade novel. "Hangman" is no exception. Expect baroque, twisting plots and convolute interplay between the characters. Personalities are discarded like masks at a Halloween party where the entertainment is unpredictable pastiches of horrific violence and brutality. Another reviewer once wrote that reading a Slade novel is like "literary bungee jumping with Agatha Christie's bastard son." This was not an overstatement.

Another big ingredient in "Hangman" and other Slade novels is and immense amount of historical detail. Expect to learn a great deal about the history of hanging, miscarried justice, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a backdrop to the main action of the story. You will leave this book with such odd tidbits as the origin of the phrases "toeing the line," and "red herring." Occasionally the Clarkes get a bit carried away by their researches, but for the most part they enhance the reading experience.

The main theme of both the murders and the book itself is the ways in which the legal system can be twisted for self-serving aims. Jay Clarke, as a trial lawyer with considerable experience, fills the book with tales of justice gone awry that are every bit as chilling as the murders themselves. In the end we are drawn into the inevitable question, "who guards the guards." Expect to be astounded not just by the fictions that make this an outstanding suspense novel, but by the facts that were the inspiration for its creation.

This was the usual tremendous Slade storyline and writing, even though I guess the team changed a bit(or was his daughter always the second member). The story grips the reader from the first sentence right to the end, and the historical detail always adds alot to these books. Additionally, the writing style itself is so much better than the usual horror novelists(including, for example, King and Koontz in my view). The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars, though, was that I think 2 things that happened in this book were, as plot devices, just plain inappropriate. I won't say what they are, because that would be a spoiler, but I think both could have been changed and the book still would have been great. Also, I have to say I like DeClerq and Craven better than Zinc, so their absence in this novel didn't help it in my eyes. Nonetheless, it's still an excellent book.

Michael Slade is a genre unto himself. He writes historical horror. His novels are so detailed in history that each book is a lesson in geography, criminology and jurisprudence. In the past Slade has focussed on one of these themes and explores them to no end. This time out HANGMAN unifies them all into his best novel to date. HANGMAN is a story that researches the history of the Hangman. From the past to modern times, what I learned was as fascinating as the fictional accounts were bloody.

HANGMAN starts out with a convicted child abuser being hanged as his sentence. While this court-sanctioned penalty is carried out, another hanging is occurring and on the wall, in the victim's own blood, is an invitation for the police to play a game of hangman. These opening scenes are so vivid, I thought I was watching a movie, the descriptions were so realistic.

Another hanging occurs shortly thereafter and are linked to be the work of the same killer but in two countries; the US and Canada. Who has jurisdiction? Will both country's top cops work together or split the case? These are fascinating questions and Slade answers them deftly and with accurate historical information.

Not to be lost is Slade's most courtroom-savvy novel. What transpires in the courts and the lives of the lawyers are as intriguing as the killer and its motives. Slade gives us everything we could ever want for in a horror/thriller/courtroom drama all wrapped into one. The Special X division has never had a case like this and you have never read a more satisfying book as this. Slade is the best kept secret and is destined for huge success. And he deserves it if he keeps putting out stunners like HANGMAN.

Someone had gotten into the hang of grotesque murder - execution style across Seattle and Vancouver. It's a grisly hangman game played in a reverse way, where victims are disembowelled and mutilated as the Special X force of the police comprising of The MOUNTIES and Seattle Cops unravel the riddle. Inspector Zinc Chandler and cop Maddie Thorne race against the time to uncover the mystery and links it to the hanging of Peter Bryce Haddon, a child abuser who claims he is innocent. They discover that the victims are intrinsically related to the jury who finds Haddon guilty - yet time races against them when red herrings are thrown. Even more so when they find the murderer is so close to them.....

As a first time reader of Michael Slade's X psychotic thrillers, I am impressed and even fascinated by the macabre horror jay Clarke and his daughter Rebecca conjured out. HANGMAN for all its childish antics to earn humour, is meticulously detailed and well-researched. The killings narrated in such visceral prose leaves a shudder and the courtroom drama is propulsive action. It is gripping and satirical. Slade combines a high octane who-dun-it mystery with vivid details of hanging style, research on Munch's The Scream and slyly scorns the law with its loopholes. It raises questions on justice, the balance of morals, ethics with law in stories. The protagonists Zinc and Maddie are flawed and beliveable; and the twist and turns are unpredictible.

HANGMAN is an enriching read. It thrills and taunts with terror, and the courtroom scenes are written with gusto given the experience of Jay Clarke as a professional lawyer. It has a style that is unique - a hybrid of true realism and fiction. Despite some parts of the story overstuffed with quotations and the plot haphazardly runs amok, it is a clever read. It lets you get the hang of playing along with the game, then seizes you with pulsating horror and wicked humour.

I have been following the folks at Special X since the Headhunter case. When Zinc Chandler came aboard to take on the Ghoul, I found a man of action that lived near the edge of the abyss. Slowly, Zinc has been taken apart piece by piece by the Psychos he has hunted. Now, once again, a piece of him has been removed. After reading these cases for so long, you feel it when one of the team falls. Will this be the end of Zinc? I doubt it; he seems to have more lives than a cat. Will he ever be the same? Never. This case flows as smooth as a waxed noose tightening around the neck. I flew through the clues in the file and although I guessed the identity of the Hangman, I didn't really know the answer to the final riddle of why. This ranks among the best of the Special X cases. I would hate to put them in order of preffrence, but this one is up there on the ladder with noose in place. Oh, and the answer from above--- G R E A T.

I've read every Michael Slade novel starting with Headhunter and I've always felt there's been a law of diminishing returns on his novels. I loved Headhunter; I really like Ghoul, Cutthroat, and Ripper; I was only mildly impressed with Primal Scream & Evil Eye; and I honestly almost completely gave up on Slade after the miserably bad Burnt Bones.

I'm happy to report (at least to this reader) that Slade is back in fine form. I actually though Hangman was his best novel since possibly Headhunter. It utilizes all the author's best trademarks like attention to history and research, gory murders, a very surprising ending, the demise of a major character, etc... I'm eagerly looking forward to the next.

I have always loved the Hangman game. It has passed many enjoyable hours with many treasured friends over many years! Michael Slade has taken this relatively harmless game and turned into a gut-wrenching signature of a very nasty killer. The Hangman is playing the game in reverse. Start out with a whole body and then remove a part at a time. Start with the leg, then you get the picture, right? Slade, now writing with his daughter Rebecca, just keeps getting better. HINT HINT To above title... Even though our usual hero, Robert DeClerq, is missing from this story except for a brief cameo, the book has the estimable Zinc Chandler pairing with a Seattle detective, Maddy Thorne, to catch the notorious hangman. A pivotal character is the narrator, Jeff Klein, a lawyer out to make his name on a big case, and what could be bigger than the Hangman. Add his partner, Ethan, his brother Justin Winfield, the luscious Alex Smith (girlfriend to Zinc), and a bunch of other secondary characters, and you have a remarkably infectious whodunit. As always, Slade researches and researches, and gives us a ton of information on executioners, particularly hangmen, of the past. Even though the Hangman's game is fairly easy to guess, it doesn't deter from the identity of the hangman and other people's involvement. A great addition to the Special X series, and one you won't want to put down till you finish. Oh, and here's some clues for the identity of the Hangman: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ __

Good guessing!

I have been reading Slade since day one. From my view he never released another book that was even close to Headhunter. This is a solid who-dunnit mystery with the typical Slade gore. I couldn't put the book down. I am still trying to tie everything together as to whether the "real" killer passes the logic test. In short, this is the best Slade book i have read since headhunter.

Like on of the other posters I am confused about why he went from three lawyers writing the book to just one lawyer and his daughter.

I started reading this book knowing nearly nothing about law, and the way our "system" works. This book makes you think, with it's random writing style, and complex court scenes. Slade kept me guessing, while refreshing me with several different characters stories. Bravo to this accomplished murder mystery.

A hard-core Slade-ist, I finished reading 'Hangman' last night and was thoroughly pleased! Zinc Chandler's back and in fine form. Trying to piece (Pardon the pun) together the clues surrounding the identity of 'The Hangman'. A cross border killer with a grisly mission. Won't bore, shock or tease you with the details, but cracking open this tome was akin to visiting my favorite watering hole between the lunch and after work crowds. Familiar territory and faces, yet several of my favorite characters haven't shown up yet. De Clerq and Bill Caradon, from 'Headhunter' and 'Ghoul' have cameo appearances, but Ed (Mad Dog) Rabidowski is sadly absent. Again! Though he could have used for one or two major arrests. Likewise Katt and the Ghost Keeper. The story would have better with their inclusion, considering the Slade trademark history and research of Law and Capital Punishment. Hanging, in this instance; in the US, UK, and Canada, woven throughout the tale. Better than 'Burnt Bones' in terms of story, plot and action. Less tense than 'Headhunter', 'Ghoul' or 'Ripper'... Rejoice anyway, Slade-ists!!! Our favorite penman of the perverse and psychotic has acquitted himself quite nicely with 'Hangman'... P.S. I figured out the answer to the game long before it was revealed.