The Hangman is the third title in Mary Burton’s Forgotten Files series of romantic suspense novels, in which the protagonists find themselves investigating ‘cold cases’, unsolved crimes dating back many years, which hold a particular significance for them. The principals in each story are different, so although some characters from the previous books appear in secondary roles, there’s no need to have read them to enjoy this one, which works perfectly well as a standalone. I have yet to read the first book, The Shark, but I thoroughly enjoyed book two, The Dollmaker, and was very impressed with the author’s ability to weave together a number of seemingly unrelated plot-threads and then to bring them together into a cleverly devised, complex whole.

We met Agent Julia Vargas of the Virginia State Police briefly in that book, and it was immediately clear that she’s one tough cookie. Her dad, Jim Vargas, was also a cop, and was a somewhat controversial figure; his undercover work brought down a number of dangerous criminals over the years, but the need to constantly be someone else took its toll on his personal life, and he committed suicide twenty-five years earlier, when Julia was just a child. Julia followed in his footsteps, becoming a cop, working undercover to bust criminal gangs and drug rings, but her most recent assignment went pear-shaped towards the end, and she suffered a vicious assault at the hands of the leader of the drug cartel she had infiltrated. Following a lengthy convalescence, Julia now works homicide alongside her partner, Dakota Sharp (hero of The Dollmaker), and has decided, during her vacation, to re-open her father’s last, unsolved case, that of the Hangman, who murdered two women back in the early 1990s, the moniker relating to the way the murders were committed and the bodies left hanging as though on display for all to see. In fact, there were those who actually suspected Jim Vargas of being the Hangman because the victims were known to him – and Julia wants to see if she can find anything in the old files that will help her to completely clear her father’s name. Or prove his guilt. She just wants the truth.

Detective Tobias Novak of the Richmond police isn’t overly happy about being dragged from the warmth of his bed –and the woman in it – to attend the scene of a fire in an old, downtown home. The body of a young woman has been found in the basement; the degree of decomposition indicates that it has been there for quite some time and the marks and injuries on what is left of the corpse indicate that this was death by homicide. Looking through the victim’s personal effects at the scene Novak is shocked to discover a photograph of Jim Vargas and his daughter (aged seven, he discovers later) in the woman’s purse. He puts in a call to Julia Vargas – the woman with whom he’d been in that warm bed – to ask her to come to the crime scene, and when she arrives, shows her the photo. Julia has absolutely no knowledge of how it could have got there, and doesn’t know the dead woman, but the discovery of her body, bearing all the hallmarks of The Hangman’s unique style, could be just the thing to kick-start her own investigations into the other unsolved killings and her father’s suicide.

Julia enlists the help of Shield Security, the high-tech security firm who had assisted Dakota Sharp in his investigations into the Dollmaker killings and part of whose remit is to assist law enforcement officers dig into cold cases using technology not previously available to uncover new evidence and unearth new leads. But when another young woman is murdered – seemingly by the Hangman – the stakes are raised. Is this the work of a copycat, or has the Hangman come out of retirement? And upping the ante still more is the fact that Julia knew the victim from her last undercover operation. The Hangman is sending Julia a message loud and clear – and she and Novak know it’s only a matter of time before the killer tries to make good on his threat.

The mystery is cleverly plotted and skilfully delivered as Julia gradually pieces together a picture of the father she had never really known while at the same time discovering the truth of his connections to the decades-ago victims of the Hangman’s crimes. Like her dad, Julia is very self-sufficient and careful not to let anyone get too close, keeping her emotions under wraps and details about herself and her life close to her chest. Her relationship with Novak began only recently when they hooked up after an event, and she’s keen to keep things between them strictly no-strings while it’s clear that he wants more. I enjoyed watching their relationship progress, with Novak’s calm steadiness acting as the perfect foil to Julia’s more impulsive temperament, and eventually providing her with the safe place she needs to finally be able to drop her guard and let him in.

Novak and Julia are together throughout pretty much the entire book, and although the romance is fairly low-key, there’s an ever-present sense of attraction and awareness between them throughout. The ending is nicely done and we leave the pair with an HFN that I fully expect to have turned into a longer term HEA by the time of the next book, which I’m hoping will feature Shield Security’s Garrett Andrews.

The Hangman is a well-paced mystery that kept me eagerly turning the pages into the early hours to see what would happen next. Ms. Burton’s meticulous plotting provides plenty of twists and turns, and her central characters are engaging and nicely-matched. Highly recommended for fans of the author’s and for anyone who likes a complex, solidly written mystery with a dash of romance.

Grade B+

I’ve seen Mary Burton’s Forgotten Files series advertised, but hadn’t had a chance to read any of the books before “The Hangman”…..now, I’m thinking I’ve been missing out.

“The Hangman” is a creepy, twisting thriller which will make your hairs stand on end. It took me only two days to finish.

Julia Vargas is determined to solve the case of the Hangman serial killer – in which three women were brutally murdered in the fall of 1992. Her father was working the case when he shot himself, amid a flurry of rumors that he himself was the Hangman. Meanwhile, a body is found in an abandoned building, with indications that the woman also died in the fall of 1992. She also has a photo of Julia and her father in her wallet. With help from love interest Tobias Novak, can Julia finally solve this cold case before more people die?

This book had a a lot of moving parts which kept me guessing throughout the whole book. There’s just so much going on, it’s hard to guess the ending, but it does all fit together. The ending was satisfying and pretty intense. I liked it.

The Hangman character is really creepy too, even by romantic suspense standards. There are little details which really freaked me out, TBH, which added to the atmosphere of the novel.

The characters are also pretty complex. No one is “perfect,” and everyone has some issues, which added to the storyline, particularly Julia’s father, one of the main “characters,” even though he doesn’t actually make an appearance.

My only qualm would be that with so much going on it was hard to keep some of people and events straight in my mind. But that’s why I love the Kindle “Search” feature, which lets me go back and see other character mentions so I can remember who is who.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to more in the series.

Now, I’ve got to go catch up on what I’ve missed!

This is the third book in the Forgotten Files series but it can totally stand on it's own. However, as I have read and enjoyed all the books in this series, I do recommend them. Each book features a cold case that the detectives hope to solve. In this case, Agent Julia Vargas has decided to reopen the last case her father ever worked on in the hopes of closing a piece of her past and possibly getting some answers as to whether or father was the Hangman. However, once more women start dying it is up to her and Tobias to solve both this current case and the original Hangman case.
This was a great novel of romantic suspense, actually more suspense than romance. Especially since Julia never saw herself in a relationship! With the intricate plot, I liked that I didn't know who the culprit was until almost the very end. All in all, an enjoyable read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book,good to catch up with characters. A well told thriller with a twist at the end.

Book 3 in The Forgotten Files series and the best yet. Julia is a great lead character and is on a mission to find the Hangman killer and clear her father's name. Well written with with plenty twists to keep the reader interested.. Perhaps just a little too much descriptive with the murder scenes for me! Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

This is the first book that I have read of Mary Burton's, but it definitely will not be the last. This was a great suspenseful book that did not let me go until the very last page. It ends with a bombshell ending that I didn't see coming. Definitely a riveting page-turner that is full of twists and turns. The Hangman also has very compelling and well developed characters, Officer Julia Vargas along with a strong male lead in Detective Tobias Novak. It is a stand alone read, each book has it own set of characters so you don't need to read previous books in The Forgotten Files Series to enjoy and understand them fully. I was given a copy from The Publisher through NetGalley to read and review, if I chose to do so. I was not compensated in any way for this review and did not have to give a positive review.

The Hangman is the third exciting romantic suspense book in the Forgotten Files written by author Mary Burton. This is a fantastic series. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the advance copy.

First off, let me say that I am a fan of this author's. I have actually read these books out of order. I started with book two, The Dollmaker and next this book. I do plan to go back and read the first book. So if you are one of those people wondering if you can read books out of order, you can. There are some references to prior events from the other books, but really it does not take anything away from the reading experience of this book.

Julia and Tobias made a good team. I did not think that their relationship distracted from the case. So glad for this. For me, there is nothing worse then having a relationship be the main focus in a murder mystery story. However, I did like that this story did not just happen in the present but also reached back into the past with Julia's father.

There was a slight decline in pacing in the middle but not a lot to really slow the story down. Yet, the story really picked up in the last third of the story. A good ending. I can't wait to read the next book from this author. Mary Burton showcases her talent as a top writer with the Hangman!

This most recent addition to The Forgotten Files, which can be read as a standalone, is chilling and has many twists and turns in the story. The cops, agents, detectives, forensics, medical examiners and security teams all work together in attempting to unravel who the Hangman is. Twenty years plus dormant, when there were three deaths, the Hangman has returned to wreak havoc on others. You never know who will be next. There are common elements that link the victims, too. Julia Vargas of the Virginia State Police, and Tobias Novak, a City of Richmond detective work together to find out what happened and why. The detailed intricacies of the characters are prevalent, and I couldn’t help but try and figure things out from each of their past histories. As more characterizations are discovered, there are plenty of possibilities for who the Hangman is and who else was involved with him. I was tense until the end of this well-written, detailed romantic suspense. [I received this for free and my opinion is my own.]

Written in true Mary Burton style, a gripping, twisted thriller, which will leave you aghast, and hooked at once! Totally recommended, a fantastic, thrilling read!

Action-packed, riveting and impeccably executed!

This is a well crafted, gripping thriller that takes us on a hunt to find a ruthless serial killer and reminds us that when it comes to organized crime, secrecy, trust and loyalty means everything.

The writing is fluid and seamless. The characters are intriguing, determined, scarred, strong and sexy. And the storyline is a roller coaster ride of secrets, lies, danger, red herrings, murder, sizzling chemistry, tension, and romance.

To me this series just keeps getting better and better. This book is incredibly entertaining, extremely suspenseful and I absolutely loved it and can hardly wait for the next one. If you love romantic suspense this is one series you don’t want to miss.

Thank you to Mary Burton and Joan Schulhafer Publishing for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book of Mary Burton's that I have ever read and it was fantastic! I only knew what to expect based on the description but it was that and so much more. Julia Vargas is a policewoman with a lot of family history. She is looking into a cold case that ended when her father, a policeman as well, took his own life. The supporting characters are multi faceted and Tobias Novak is the detective that want to help Julia solve this case and learn about the real woman behind the badge. The case they both thought went cold 25 years ago is starting to happen again. Who is the serial killer The Hangman and why is he starting to kill again? By the end of this book you'll get the answers that you never saw coming.

The Hangman is the third title in Mary Burton’s Forgotten Files series of romantic suspense novels, in which the protagonists find themselves investigating ‘cold cases’, unsolved crimes dating back many years, which hold a particular significance for them. The principals in each story are different, so although some characters from the previous books appear in secondary roles, there’s no need to have read them to enjoy this one, which works perfectly well as a standalone. I have yet to read the first book, The Shark, but I thoroughly enjoyed book two, The Dollmaker, and was very impressed with the author’s ability to weave together a number of seemingly unrelated plot-threads and then to bring them together into a cleverly devised, complex whole.

We met Agent Julia Vargas of the Virginia State Police briefly in that book, and it was immediately clear that she’s one tough cookie. Her dad, Jim Vargas, was also a cop, and was a somewhat controversial figure; his undercover work brought down a number of dangerous criminals over the years, but the need to constantly be someone else took its toll on his personal life, and he committed suicide twenty-five years earlier, when Julia was just a child. Julia followed in his footsteps, becoming a cop, working undercover to bust criminal gangs and drug rings, but her most recent assignment went pear-shaped towards the end, and she suffered a vicious assault at the hands of the leader of the drug cartel she had infiltrated. Following a lengthy convalescence, Julia now works homicide alongside her partner, Dakota Sharp (hero of The Dollmaker), and has decided, during her vacation, to re-open her father’s last, unsolved case, that of the Hangman, who murdered two women back in the early 1990s, the moniker relating to the way the murders were committed and the bodies left hanging as though on display for all to see. In fact, there were those who actually suspected Jim Vargas of being the Hangman because the victims were known to him – and Julia wants to see if she can find anything in the old files that will help her to completely clear her father’s name. Or prove his guilt. She just wants the truth.

Detective Tobias Novak of the Richmond police isn’t overly happy about being dragged from the warmth of his bed –and the woman in it – to attend the scene of a fire in an old, downtown home. The body of a young woman has been found in the basement; the degree of decomposition indicates that it has been there for quite some time and the marks and injuries on what is left of the corpse indicate that this was death by homicide. Looking through the victim’s personal effects at the scene Novak is shocked to discover a photograph of Jim Vargas and his daughter (aged seven, he discovers later) in the woman’s purse. He puts in a call to Julia Vargas – the woman with whom he’d been in that warm bed – to ask her to come to the crime scene, and when she arrives, shows her the photo. Julia has absolutely no knowledge of how it could have got there, and doesn’t know the dead woman, but the discovery of her body, bearing all the hallmarks of The Hangman’s unique style, could be just the thing to kick-start her own investigations into the other unsolved killings and her father’s suicide.

Julia enlists the help of Shield Security, the high-tech security firm who had assisted Dakota Sharp in his investigations into the Dollmaker killings and part of whose remit is to assist law enforcement officers dig into cold cases using technology not previously available to uncover new evidence and unearth new leads. But when another young woman is murdered – seemingly by the Hangman – the stakes are raised. Is this the work of a copycat, or has the Hangman come out of retirement? And upping the ante still more is the fact that Julia knew the victim from her last undercover operation. The Hangman is sending Julia a message loud and clear – and she and Novak know it’s only a matter of time before the killer tries to make good on his threat.

The mystery is cleverly plotted and skilfully delivered as Julia gradually pieces together a picture of the father she had never really known while at the same time discovering the truth of his connections to the decades-ago victims of the Hangman’s crimes. Like her dad, Julia is very self-sufficient and careful not to let anyone get too close, keeping her emotions under wraps and details about herself and her life close to her chest. Her relationship with Novak began only recently when they hooked up after an event, and she’s keen to keep things between them strictly no-strings while it’s clear that he wants more. I enjoyed watching their relationship progress, with Novak’s calm steadiness acting as the perfect foil to Julia’s more impulsive temperament, and eventually providing her with the safe place she needs to finally be able to drop her guard and let him in.

Novak and Julia are together throughout pretty much the entire book, and although the romance is fairly low-key, there’s an ever-present sense of attraction and awareness between them throughout. The ending is nicely done and we leave the pair with an HFN that I fully expect to have turned into a longer term HEA by the time of the next book, which I’m hoping will feature Shield Security’s Garrett Andrews.

The Hangman is a well-paced mystery that kept me eagerly turning the pages into the early hours to see what would happen next. Ms. Burton’s meticulous plotting provides plenty of twists and turns, and her central characters are engaging and nicely-matched. Highly recommended for fans of the author’s and for anyone who likes a complex, solidly written mystery with a dash of romance.

by AAR's Maggie

Julia Vargis is a cop that is trying to solve a 25 year old cold case that her father was working on when he supposedly shot and killed himself. The bones of a female are discovered in a cold cellar of an abandoned house. This women was carrying a picture of Julia and her father when she was only 7 years old. This is when Detective Novak informs Julia of this case, believing it might be connected to the Hangman case she is working on. There were rumors that Julia's father was the Hangman killer. When they find another victim their fist thoughts are that there might be a copy cat killer. However digging into the past uncovers many secrets that people have been holding on to for many years. Uncovering these secrets leads to the truth about Julia's father's death and the knowledge that Julia could be the next victim.

The Author does a great job keeping you engulfed in the story line. There were many twists and turns leading to different conclusions.

Mary Burton is one of the few authors I know who can write a really good mystery. While I love romance, nothing gets my engines revving like a really good murder mystery. Naturally, a good mystery paired with a good romance is the ultimate catnip. So when I saw Mary Burton had a romantic suspense in Netgalley, there was no question I'd be clicking that request button. And I'm so glad I did.

Before we go any further, let's summarize. We have Julia Vargas, an agent for the Virginia State Police, who has taken the time off to investigate a serial killer from twenty-five years ago - the Hangman. The same serial killer her father never caught. He had killed himself while he was working the case. And after his death, a lot of people insinuated that he had killed himself because he was the Hangman. After all, the killings stopped when he died. And then we have Detective Tobias Novak, part of the homicide squad in Richmond and Julia's lover. Before Julia could even get started on her father's case, Novak is called to a house where a body was found. The body had been stored in a room fo 25 years. And she had a picture of Julia's dad and Julia in her wallet. The lovers (or should I say fuck buddies) start working together as they later find out that there are links between the Hangman case and the newly discovered body. And then we find another dead body, killed with the Hangman's signature, and she's linked to Julia's own undercover case. And so it goes.

Now, let's get to the review part. I loved the mystery. It was solid police work, I tell you. I never got bored with this part of the story - piecing it all together, interviewing witnesses. It was like watching an episode of Cold Case, a really good one. As they went about their work, we were slowly getting a clearer picture of Julia's dad, Jim, and who he really was. And we saw that he wasn't all black and white. There were grays in there too. Now, I'm used to reading about fathers who were honorable, good, and loving. And I'm also used to reading about really shitty dads - drinking, abusive, etc. But I get that no one is truly black and white. Jim was a good man but he had his gray areas. I could relate to Julia's realization that the father you idolized wasn't always fit to stand on that pedestal. In fact, a lot of the witnesses and characters that played in that story years ago had their gray areas. Seriously, I felt like I was watching this all on TV and I was hooked. But unlike most crime show episodes, I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out who the Hangman was and why he was killing again or was it an apprentice or copycat? And when it came to the reveal, I was really surprised. Not that the villain didn't make any sense. But that it really never occurred to me. I loved it!

What about the romance then? Well, there were bits and pieces in between working the case. But not much. In fact, we don't really see them falling in love. We seem them starting to get to know each other bit by bit as they get out of the bedroom more. But not much heart-to-hearts. I wish Julia had opened up more to Novak about her experience. It would have made their romance a lot more believable. In fact, most of the progress in their relationship occurred after the mystery was solved and before the epilogue was written.

So, my verdict? A very well-written murder mystery that had its hooks sunk into me from the very start of the prologue. I could have done without the romance actually. And I didn't even miss it one bit because I was too invested in investigating the crimes. I'd say that Mary Burton definitely nailed it with this one.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is the third in the series but can be read as a stand alone since the characters have not carried over. These stories are more of a suspense with romance. The male and female characters of this book are already starting a relationship but the evidence that Tobias finds has him call Julia in to check out. The evidence includes a picture with her and her father. Because of this she starts up the investigation her father had started years ago. But now she has Tobias to help her.

Mary Burton is quickly becoming a favorite authors of mine. She does follow the same outline on a lot of her books but they are really well written that they are enjoyable.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

Mystery with a dash of Romance is the best way to describe The Forgotten Files series by Mary Burton. In this book you have a case from 25 years ago that comes alive again when Julia Vargas decides to reopen The Hangman cases in order to either clear her father, Richmond, VA detective Jim Vargas, or prove he did it. The Hangman is a solid story and a plot with plenty of twists and turns. Mary Burton knows how to deliver a mystery and how to keep the baddie hidden until the very end. Unfortunately, the romance never caught fire and that was a let down.

When Jim Vargas is honored 25 years after his death for this career his daughter, Virginia State Policewoman, Julia Vargas, decides it is time to delve into what really happened to her father. When a 25 year old body of bones is discovered with a picture of Julia and Jim Richmond homicide detective, Tobias Novak, is more than concerned. He and Julia have a no-strings relationship and he really knows very little about her or her family. This cold-case opens up all kinds of nasty secrets and the reappearance of The Hangman has everyone scrambling to determine is an old killer has started again or if it is a copycat with a new agenda.

Did not see the killer coming? Julia knows that the time is right, she needs to learn more about her father and his crimes. Can she come to terms with her father's death and understand how a good cop took his own life even when he was getting his family back? A new murder has open up a new can of worms to do with her father and her bed mate Novak is on the case and they will need to work together to find out who killed the young woman and how did her father know the dead woman? The race is on but it won't be easy as her father was a cop and everyone says that he was a good one but being undercover changed him and he did things that could hurt the family but she has to prove that he wasn't a killer and that someone else was. The puzzle just gets stranger as so many things were left out of her father's notes and it worrying that he knew all the woman that were killed when he was undercover but could he really be the killer? But Julia knows that she can't back down now even when Novak wants more from her, she can't tell him the truth as it will make her a victim but he just won't give up. We will find out that a killer never sleeps, they are just waiting in the shadows. Will Julia get to the truth even though it could destroy her and will she be able to live with the knowledge that she lost him all over again? What a great suspenseful novel, never saw the killer coming and the plot just gets better even though at times abit I was lost. Mary just keeps on surprising her readers.

Another hit! This series continues to shine. Only problem... Too long until the next one. I think a marathon reread is in order!

Mary Burton is one of those authors that makes the reader savor every word like it is a tiny morsel of the finest chocolate, and in her latest novel “The Hangman” the reader would definitely like another bite. Tobias Novak, a detective with the Richmond police department, is called out in the early hours to investigate a body that has been dead for over 20 years. Julia Vargas, an agent with the Virginia State Police, had taken a vacation in order to figure out what had happened to her police officer father over 20 years ago and when Novak calls her to the scene of the crime he is investigating, she sees a connection to her father and the case that has haunted her for a long time. Ms. Burton’s style of carefully constructing a web of intrigue will lure the reader in and keep them guessing until the very end. This book is a must read for fans of suspense and romance. I was given an advanced copy of this book, and all of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.