The Hangman's Knot: A Novel [Hardcover]

David Wiltse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2002

hen mysterious miniature nooses begin to turn up across Falls City, Nebraska, Acting Deputy Sheriff Billy Tree is forced to confront the past of a small, idyllic town. A town of upstanding, hard-working people. A town where one night, half a century ago, hate-fueled mob violence exploded the notion of equal justice, culminating in the vicious lynching of a young black man. Against this backdrop, Tree must discover the meaning of one menacing strangers appearance in town, and investigate that mans conection to the woman Tree loves. As the hatred erupts around him, Tree will have to unearth the secret of a deadly conspiracy of silence to save himself and his home from its fallout.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A 50-year-old hate crime puts acting deputy sheriff Billy Tree in the sights of a man who won't stop at murder to keep his role in it a secret. Tree, the former Secret Service agent who made his debut in Wiltse's bestselling Heartland, has come home to the small Nebraska town where he was raised, a place where he's still remembered as a star athlete and revered as a hero. Nothing much ever happens in Falls City, so when a mysterious black man appears in a town where that's a rare occurrence, and then a hangman's noose and a photograph of the lynching of Lawton Collins turn up in his own mailbox, Billy goes looking for the connection. He finds it in the last places he ever expected: his own family history and the bed of the woman he loves. The Hangman's Knot is a strong, suspenseful thriller with a complex and fascinating protagonist whose auspicious return might signal a compelling new series for its accomplished author. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

Wiltse's brooding 12th novel veers between thriller set pieces and oracular social commentary. At the start of his first adventure (Heartland, 2001), battered Secret Service agent Billy Tree exiled himself to his native Nebraska, where, as deputy sheriff, he dealt with more crime than he had bargained for. Now the solemn Tree is (vainly) hoping once more to live the simple life. Naturally, there's trouble aplenty in little Falls City, though of the smalltown variety: two-timing women, busted-up cars, a dead dog and, most iniquitous by far, a lynching, long-buried but whispered about in town folklore. Murky flashbacks provide a progressively more detailed picture of the awful crime from generations ago. In the present, someone anonymously leaves Billy a small hangman's noose, repeating the gesture more than once. This and the sudden arrival of strapping black Odette Collins (a long-forgotten high school sports rival) give Billy more than pause. Ostensibly a thriller, Wiltse's novel clearly aims at something deeper, with only partial success. The dour, stubborn Billy is not the most engaging or empathetic hero. Many scenes are followed by Billy's lengthy (and unintegrated) pondering of his feelings, motives and prejudices. Aesthetics aside, such self-absorption is not the same thing as depth nor does it serve to win over the reader. Similarly, Wiltse can't resist bald lecturing when persuasive storytelling would be more effective. He does better with mood and local color, incisively capturing the rhythms and details of rural life.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (July 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312283717
• ISBN-13: 978-0312283711
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,901,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't go wrong with Wiltse, August 12, 2002

By 

JM (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hangman's Knot: A Novel (Hardcover)

Since abandoning his terrific John Becker series Wiltse has created another winning protagonist with Billy Tree. Hangman's Knot, the second in this series, has it all. On one level it is a mystery with historical roots, written seamlessly with thorough characterizations and a tight plotline. On another level it is a gentle but firm examination of buried prejudice in a time when everyone realizes none should continue to exist. Billy Tree is a comfortable protagonist - despite his frequent bouts with his own angst. This book doesn't pull any punches as it stays true to its theme. There are no cop outs here. Just a solid story well worth any reader's time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Book by Wiltse, July 29, 2002

By 

E. Arthur (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hangman's Knot: A Novel (Hardcover)

The Hangman's Knot by David Wiltse is the exactly what I expected. Wiltse just writes one terrific book after another and this is certainly no exception. I was able to see life through Billy Tree's eyes again, and I've missed the view since reading Heartland. In The Hangman's Knot we learn a great deal about how Billy's personality was created with flashbacks into his childhood. I found these glimpses revealed many clues as to how he thinks and made me adore the character even more.

Billy receives a hangman's knot and the adventure begins. It all seems to go back to a lynching held in a nearby town many years ago. The writer's portrayal of current and past bigotry in a small town was told easily as he held the suspense level to a maximum. The story could stand alone, but when you add the beautiful prose and great characterizations, you change what could be a good book to a great one.

If you enjoy terrific writing and a wonderful story, I highly recommend you read The Hangman's Knot. If you've not read Heartland, I urge you to read it as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Odd, disjointed mystery novel, August 31, 2003

By 

David W. Nicholas (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hangman's Knot: A Novel (Paperback)

Billy Tree is the hero of Heartland, from a couple of years ago. He's a small-town boy who joined the Secret Service, and became a hero for his actions in a shootout with a lunatic. Unknown to virtually everyone, he completely lost control of himself in the shootout and basically now is a complete coward. He's terrified of guns and confrontations, and will do anything to avoid them, so he's decided to pass his time working as a deputy sheriff in his small hometown. In this second book he goes a long way to avoid things he didn't need to, and gets himself in way over his head when things don't go the way he thinks they will.

This book is mostly about a lynching that happened over 50 years before the time the book took place, and the repercussions that result from it, through the years. It involves one whopper of a coincidence, and a lot of misconceptions, mistaken identities, and confused motives. At the end of the book you're still not entirely certain what happened, and it's apparent that the main characters aren't sure either. While the book does have an interesting plot, and some action that keeps it moving, it also can be just annoying. There's a scene where one character repeatedly refers to the "weapon" because saying anything else would give away to the reader something the author wishes to conceal, for instance. Anyway, I enjoyed the book, but not that much, and I think I'd be wary of recommending it.