Non stop action from beginning to end. Police action both legal and illegal on the underside of life but a determination to catch the perpetrators. Very explicit details but an excellent storyline. The build up to the conclusion was great and then fell flat.

Once again, I am not disappointed by one of Simon’s books. This, the second in this series, is another gritty and exciting read but I would recommend you read the first otherwise I think you will feel a little lost but it’s not totally essential as there are enough recaps to help you keep up with the story.

The books does contain a lot of violence … you have been warned … however, it does deal with a particularly distasteful subject and equally distasteful people so you can’t expect it to be all warm and fluffy!

I know I have said it before but, I think, one of Simon’s strengths is the creation of believable characters that you begin to care about … DI Ray Mason is one of those however, he’s not all sweetness and light as you will see in this book and so begins the struggle in my head about whether I should be rooting for him or not! I cannot question his dedication and drive to bring miscreants to justice however, the way he does it is questionable and, if I’m honest, a little OTT.

Private Investigator and former Police Officer Tina Boyd is another returning character … she is my all-time favourite female protagonist being loyal, brave, feisty and determined and she delivers on all fronts in this book.

Overall, this book is packed with action throughout; it may not be the complex of story lines in the world but it kept me reading with enthusiasm and going back for more and I definitely look forward to the next in the series.

A big thanks to the publisher (Randomhouse UK, Cornerstone) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A great read. I've not read anything by this author before but I will be looking out for more. It grabbed me by the first sentence.

Gripping from the first to last page. You don't have to have read the previous titles to enjoy this thrilling climax! Read it , enjoy and like me wait for the next book.

The Hanged Man brings DI Mason and PI Boyd back in their search for the killers of many young women whose remains are found in a farm in Wales. Now with the National Crime Agency Mason is working again with Dan Watts, a former colleague. He is convinced that the Kalamans, a notorious and highly successful London Gang is behind the murders. They are ruthless and have many covering for them and fearless about any steps taken to protect their Empire and themselves.
This is a fast moving and brutal thriller. Mason and Boyd are willing to bend the rules whilst some would doubt whether ethics feature in their world. They see this as the only way to get to the truth. On route there are more killings with both the Gang and the police often searching for the same person. You are left in suspense throughout the novel... And the end is not, perhaps, what you might expect. Highly recommended. Do read it

Another cracking read from Simon Kernick. His books are full on action and extremely fast paced that keep you gripped. This was the second in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. I do think you need to read the first book in the series before this one otherwise you will struggle to follow all the backstory and all the different characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this book,

It wasn't my type of genre but I managed to finish it. The characters were well written.

An interesting and intriguing thriller. Complicated characters with human flaws.Deep,dark and disturbing twist at the end.

[bookcover:The Hanged Man|34322571]

Firstly let me thank Net Galley, the publishers and the author Simon Kernick for an ARC copy of this book.

The Second book in Simon's Bone Field series and one that continues to build upon not only the success of the first but continues to develop the characters so that they become more real to the reader.

As a huge fan of Simon Kernick and his powerful returning characters, this was a fantastic continuation of the first great book and the return of two great characters in Ray Mason and Tina Boyd.

DI Ray Mason is looking for Hugh Manning who is on the run with information about the ruthless killers the Kellaways and Mason must find him first, so the race is on with the help of his police partner Dan Watts.

Mason back on the case after returning from suspension. It isn't long before he connects it all up with Cem Kalaman, murderous incestuous brother and sister Alastair and Lola Sheridan and the Bone Field murders. It isn't long before Ray Mason's controversial methods get him into trouble with his bosses. Tina Boyd is now in a relationship with Mason and is also investigating the case.

As a fan of Simon's work you know you will get and do get a story full of great twists, lots of sub plots some massive shocks, great pace, heart pounding situations and some very nasty characters new and old.

An edge of the seat that is at a rollercoaster pace. As always highly recommended.

Number Three... I am ready NOW !

A good mystery that makes you guess to the end, well written and a good stocking filler.

Thrilling follow up to 'The Bone Field'. A galloping, pacy thriller that pulls you right in. A flawed hero, some very nasty bad guys and a great plot. Winner.

I received this book from Netgalley and I am so pleased as I have never come across the author Simon Kernick before. I will be looking out for him in future though.

I was not pulled in by the opening chapter which I found a little disappointing but I ploughed on and I was pretty quickly engrossed.
.
There are a range of characters, not all pleasant but all very believable, as was the story line.

The pace was fast and at times very tense, so much so I often felt I wanted to avert my eyes. It has twists and turns at every corner, some extremely shocking. A first for me was when I literally gasped out loud in one instance when new evidence was revealed.

I feel this book would have made a very good drama or indeed film although the cliffhanger ending would need a bit of enhancement.

If you like crime thriller, gritty police dramas then I totally recommend this book to you, I loved it.

Another instalment of Ray Mason and Tina Boyd, full of thrilling action. You can always rely on Simon Kernick if you need an unputdownable, heart-stopping fast-paced read. Looking forward to the next one.

The Hanged Man is the second book in Simon Kernick The Bone Field series, although this book is part of a series, this book can be read as a standalone book.

The book main protagonist of the book is DI Ray Mason, after being suspended he is now working with National Crime Agency on the Bone Field case with Dan Wells, Ray know the who is involved in the killing but he has no evidence to provide it. The people that he is after are very rich and powerful, they have being killing for years without being caught. Ray is ready to risks everything to hunt and stop these killers. Ray's break in the case come when a lead brings him to the killers Lawyer, but the lawyer is on the run. Ray and the police need to find him before his employer find and terminate him permanently.

I found Ray Mason a really interesting character, he is not a police officer that play well with the rule. He is a character that simulated polarizing opinions, I love his dedication to his job and solving the case, but I do not agree with the manner in which he does it. The book leaves on a cliff hanger regarding Ray fate, I hope another book will come out as I NEED to find out what happens next.

The story was gripping and a heart pounding thriller, A book that I never knew what was going to happen next, with character that gave a deverse look at the impact of crime on there lives.

I am surprised I have never picked up a Simon Kernick book before, but I am looking forward to reading more of his books. If you like a darker cop in your crime fiction read than I would give this book a read.

I give this book 4.8 out of 5

This is the first book I have read by this author and enjoyed the read. The story is entertaining and the baddies are bad. I did not warm to the main character and I'm not entirely sure why perhaps because it's written in the first person. Having said this I did like the other characters and found the story kept me reading although not gripped. I would certainlyly read another book by this author.

Oh, how I loved Simon Kernick’s early novels as a quick antidote to the predictability of real life! What pace, what twists and turns! They were literally unputdownable and afforded plenty of arm chair thrills and appropriately shady characters who, more often than not, got their comeuppance, albeit in a world that was recognisably imperfect. However, whilst I continue to be amazed at how prolific a writer Kernick is, the overall quality of ‘The Hanged Man’ thriller suggests that tried and tested is not always best, quality not quantity wins the day etc etc.
The maverick cop Ray Mason is back and he’s loved up with someone else who lives on the edge – Tina Boyd, one-time police woman who now advertises herself as a private detective. They are both intent on tracking down horrendous criminals who have been involved in the abuse and murder of young girls for many years, dabbling in the occult as a matter of course. This storyline follows on from Kernick’s previous novel ‘The Bone Fields’ and a lot of recapping takes part in the first half of the novel – irritating but possibly necessary. However, this means that plot gets in the way of building characterisation. For example, Dan Watts, Ray’s current partner, is a very complicated man but we are given scant reason as to why he has developed in this way. To write a book review on such a plot driven narrative without giving away key details is nigh impossible; suffice to say that some of the coincidences and occurrences that Kernick includes in this book are literally beyond belief and that’s a pity because once in the realms of the fantastical it’s difficult to feel the tension that he is clearly aiming for. When storylines include obvious victims such as vulnerable young women, they are most successful in involving the reader when including something of the girls’ personalities, their past and their current situation. Unfortunately, Kernick allows us only a tiny glimpse of Katy and so we are strangely untouched by her predicament. As ever, trouble comes thick and fast in the final chapters and this is where Kernick is at his best. He certainly knows how to move the reader from one disaster to another at breakneck pace. However, on reflection, I shan’t be rushing to grab the next Kernick novel. I prefer his earlier offerings.

The Hanged Man by Simon Kernick
The Hanged Man (The Bone Field #2)
by Simon Kernick (Goodreads Author)
30817744
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's review Nov 22, 2017 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: 2017, netgalley-arc, new-to-me-author, 4-star, contemporary-fiction, crime, mystery, sandy-s-ng-nirvana, sandy-s-reading-retreat, thriller

EXCERPT: Picture the scene. You're at an isolated farm in the middle of the Welsh countryside. You know a young woman has been taken there by men who are going to rape and kill her. You're certain you know who these men are. You're also certain that they've killed women like this before a number of times, and yet you have no real evidence against them.

In one of the farm's outhouses you discover huge vats of acid that will be used to dissolve her body when they've finished with her, just as they've dissolved the bodies of others. You investigate further and discover a windowless cellar with occult signs on the walls that you've seen at other crime scenes associated with these men.

Like a modern day night in shining armour, you rescue the young woman in a blaze of glory, arrest the perpetrators, and now, thanks to your detective work and personal bravery, you have enough evidence to put them away for mass murder for the rest of their miserable lives.

End of story.

Except, of course, that wasn't how it happened.

THE BLURB: A house deep in the countryside where the remains of seven unidentified women have just been discovered.

A cop ready to risk everything in the hunt for their killers.

A man who has seen the murders and is now on the run in fear of his life.

So begins the race to track down this witness before the killers do.

For Ray Mason and PI Tina Boyd, the road ahead is a dangerous one, with bodies and betrayal at every turn…

MY THOUGHTS: This is a crime thriller. It contains a lot of shooting. And fighting. Action man stuff. Not usually my forte. I usually prefer something a little more subtle. But I couldn't have not finished Simon Kernick's The Hanged Man had you paid me.

However, I do recommend that you read #1 in the series, Bone Field, before you embark on The Hanged Man. It will answer a lot of questions, fill in the blanks. I didn't. I am reading them in the wrong order, but read Bone Field I must.

Thank you Mr Kernick for an unexpectedly good read. I am sure that my husband will enjoy it immensely. After he has read Bone Field.

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Hanged Man by Simon Kernick for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com page https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/2017/11/23/the-hanged-man-by-simon-kernick/

“The Hanged Man” is the second book in “The Bone Field” series. I didn’t read the first book but had no problems keeping up with everything happening. Fast paced with lots of action, this book was an entertaining read. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK!

In the past, I have thoroughly enjoyed books by this author. I gave tge first book with this character a neutral review with criticism but wanted to try again with book two.. My last opinion hasn’t changed. A good story spoilt by a convoluted plot with a cast of thousand - the backstory of whom is also reported without enhancing the plot at all. Advance clues to yet another unsatisfying end..... That again wasn’t, I give up. Life is too short.

I haven't read the previous book in this series which I think would've been beneficial in understanding the characters better. As far as the story line goes however The Hanged Man does touch upon the previous events a lot, giving the background information I missed out on. That being said, giving this book the benefit of the doubt about not developing the characters in a way that would let me understand the reasons behind their decision making (I'm hoping it was done in the first book), it was a captivating read. It was fast paced and full of action, making it quite an easy read.