This was a well written book with characters that felt real. I liked the essence of 5he story but at times felt that it was so implausible making it lose reality somewhat. Having said that it was an enjoyable, easy read and compulsive. I was a tad disappointed by the ending as I felt that it did not answer the many questions that the book had been trying to resolve throughout. For readers of this genre it is a highly recommended book for the intrigue that runs through the story.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. This book was absolutely brilliant. It kept me wondering what is going to happen next. Every page had me wanting more, I couldn’t put it down but at the same time I didn’t want it to end. I haven’t read the first book, so I didn’t know what to expect but this was one good book. Definately worth 5 stars.

With the novels of Simon Kernick you are always guaranteed a bare-knuckle ride of a story, full of excitement, violence and endless twists and turns. The Hanged Man is the follow-up to The Bone Field and it helps with the understanding of this novel if you read its predecessor first as there are constant references to events and characters first mentioned therein. The principal characters are Ray Mason and Tina Boyd, now an item and both having had a chequered past with the Met! The novel is gripping throughout although there are perhaps too many characters involved.

The Hanged Man is a tense crime drama , fast paced and full of violence .It is one of those books it is difficult to put down .The ending was surprising but very believable.

Simon Kernick is one of my all time favourite authors, and this book did not disappoint. I love how fast paced his books are, almost feels like watching a film on fast forward. Really loved this book!

I like Simon Kernick and had expected great things from this book. I did enjoy it but I didn't love it. I got confused over which character was which, to whom were they talking; were they police, NCA or PI?
I felt a bit downhearted by the ending.

This is the follow-up book to The Bone Field, and you have to read that before this as the story is a continuation of that.
My problem was that I read The Bone Field a year ago and it took me awhile to remember what happened then as I read this one.
It is hard to describe the plot of this one, because it is full of sub-plots, which didn't really work for me. Tina Boyd, who features in many of Mr Kernicks books, again features here, but not as much as this reader would have liked. Ray Mason also returns to be the lead character. I really did not like the Ray Mason chapters being written in the first person, and the rest in the third person. If you are going to use first person, STICK to first person!
The ending of the book was thrilling and I enjoyed it. Possible sequel? I hope not. By this time next year I certainly will not remember this book.

I enjoyed this more than The Bone Field.
Simon's writing keeps me gripped from beginning to end. I just want to know what happened and the truth. I never seem to have any guesses which i love.

A slow burner but it steadily picked up speed. The characters were believable and realistic. I think I will be seeking out this author again in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book via NetGalley.

I've heard of Simon Kernick of course, but only read one of his previous books and that was some time ago.

I note that a number of his series seem to overlap and converge, which is an approach I really like. However... I'd recommend reading - at least this series - in order as it really felt like I came in midway through a conversation, as a result I'm conscious that most (or any) of my criticism of this novel generally stems from my lack of context as much as anything.

Kernick has written series featuring Tina Boyd and Ray Mason before and I'm assuming both featured in the first book in this series, The Bone Field.

The backcover blurb isn't particularly useful so I probably should set the scene a little.

The book opens with lawyer Hugh Manning and his wife, biding time before going on the run. Manning admits he's been working with some shady characters for a few decades and things have reached the point that he needs to flee or become a target. Fortunately he's squirreled away some money and they're just waiting for a safe time to head Central America.

Unfortunately the baddies catch up with him and the book opens with his wife's murder and Manning (somehow) escaping the hired assassins.

We then flick over to Ray. He's been brought into the National Crime Agency by Dan Watts to the horror of everyone who's known or worked with him before. I gather Ray's not a team player and plays fast and loose with the rules - which has resulted in lives being (possibly unnecessarily) lost. He's a good cop and investigator though and is working with Dan to track down a group of men responsible for the torture and death of several girls and young women.

Ray has obviously been on their tail for some time and now is officially on the case. And here the two stories collide with Manning being identified as the money-man for the wealthy and sadistic group. As a result Ray and Dan are determined to find Manning before his former employers do, hoping they can get enough dirt to take the baddies down.

In the mix is Ray's (I gather) newish girlfriend Tina who's kinda working the same series of murders - albeit from a different angle. Added in is the fact they're still finding and identifying the group's victims.

So - there's A LOT happening. And it's all interrelated and I'm assuming following up from the first book in the series and possibly other books by Kernick.

It's action-packed but felt a little choppy to me. The plot didn't flow smoothly and it felt as if we jumped about from idea to idea, from premise to premise. I suspect this was a result of so many intermingled issues but I think the book suffered as a result. Of course, it may also be that - had I read the other book in this series, or others featuring the characters - I'd be far more familiar with them and their ways.

It's a pretty long book for a police procedural / thriller but Kernick does cram a lot in there. Fans of the British author will undoubtedly enjoy this book which will keep them turning page after page. But I'd recommend - if possible - reading The Bone Field first at a minimum.

3.5 stars

The Hanged Man is the follow up to the Bone Field and continues on with Ray Mason trying to get those involved in the Bone Field Murders.
In this book the accountant of a crime family goes on the run after escaping their hit men and Mason and co. believe he could help them bring down the family and prove their connection to the bone field killings. He has to find him first and before the bad guys. The book follows his path, sometimes the right way and sometimes bending the rules, to find him.

You know exactly what you will get with a Kernick book. A fast paced story that keeps going right to the end and has you wanting to turn the next page or read the next chapter. Yes there is gratuitous violence and swearing but if you have read his books before you know it's coming and it doesn't detract from the thrill ride you are on.

Another winner from Kernick with a thrilling roller coaster ride from the first page to the last. Bring on the next one.

The Hanged Man, a great read that i just couldn't put down every page seemed to have a new hook to keep me attached and all painless to me but not always to the people in the book. The Villains were bad but actually believable the hero could be bad and also very believable in this form type of
fiction for anyway, I just wonder how far out these are in real life. The twist and turns will keep you guessing and on tender hooks all the way through everything I want in this sort of book and yes how could I not recommend this brilliantly well written novel.
I have been given a free copy of this book in return for a honest review from NetGalley.

A rollicking police procedural with a tempestuous main character in the form of Ray Mason and a bit of devil worship throw in for good measure.

The novel opens with Hugh Manning, a lawyer for some unsavoury characters in the London underworld, on the run, trying to take his secrets with him. At the same time we read about the discovery of a number of women’s bodies at a deserted farmhouse in Wales. There is clearly a connection.

This is a fast paced novel with interesting and well-drawn characters. I’m hoping there will be a follow-up as it ends on a bit of a cliff edge.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

This is the 2nd book in the Bone Field series but you can read this as a standalone. I have always like Simon Kernicks novels and have read a lot of them. I like the high action packed stories and usually in a London setting. And his old character’s Tina Boyd and Ray mason.
The story starts with Hugh Manning an accountant for a top criminal gang, is on the run after bodies have been found. He luckily escapes. But others are on his tail to find him. But he is more clued up than they give him credit for. Ray Mason after being suspended and now joined the National Crime Agency has been appointed to hunt him down with his new partner Dan. While investigating and with help from Tina Boyd they find out the gang was involved in the occult and drug and murdering several women.
This is a high action packed thriller, with lots of twists and turns which like other of Kernick’s novel’s I thoroughly enjoyed and I didn’t want to put it down until the end.
Thank you Netgalley and Random house for a copy of this book.

this is the first book i’ve read by this author and won’t be the last. The Hanged Man is the second book in this series. i thoroughly enjoyed the story and the pace with which the plot unfolded. there is references to the first book but this does not confuse the reader. i now will be reading the first book.

many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

This is the 2nd book in 'The Bone Field' series by author Simon Kernick.
This is another fast paced thriller by Simon Kernick that features many of the characters regular reader will be familiar with such as Tina Boyd and Ray Mason. Lots of intrigue and action along the way and a must read for all Simon Kernick fans.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The hanged man is the second book in thus seroes, but the first book of the series I have read, I found the book quite slow going at first and you didn’t have to have read the first book as it was recapped throughout the book, I’m guessing this would be pretty annoying if you had read the first book. I did enjoy the book and but didnt particularly enjoy the ending, as it was just left hanging, obviously for book three coming out.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGallery in return for my honest review.
Simon Kernick is one of the few writers who always abides by the maxim that good thrillers are meant to thrill. Since he burst onto the scene in 2002, Kernick has established himself as a master of fast-paced action novels. His books about the underside of London have featured great twisty plots, complex and morally ambiguous characters, and story lines that demand continuous reading as they accelerate towards the usually bloody climax.
His latest book, The Hanged Man, is another terrific, thrill-a-minute read. The book follows on from the events in The Bone Field, which culminated in the discovery of the remains of seven unidentified women at a house in the countryside. DI Ray Mason was suspended following the events in that book, but is now working with the National Crime Agency to help get evidence to bring the notorious crime boss, Cem Kalaman, to justice. Kalaman is one of the individuals suspected of being behind the killings, and more, along with brother and sister, Alastair and Lola Sheridan. Meanwhile Ray’s partner, Kernick regular Tina Boyd, is pursuing the case from another angle in France. When Kalaman’s accountant, Hugh Manning, goes on the run with his wife and a big pile of money, it gives Mason and the National Crime Agency a way of getting the evidence on the gangsters, provided they can keep Manning alive.
As usual, the multi-layered plot unfolds at a hectic pace with numerous twists and turns and several brutal surprises. The notional heroes of the story are motley bunch, especially Tina Boyd known as the ‘Black Widow’ because of a history of violent deaths near her, and the undercover cop Stegs. As with all the characters in the book they are quickly sketched and convincing and their dialogue is earthy and real. Some of the bad guys come across as being just too evil, but this does not detract greatly from the enjoyment of the book.
In all, another highly entertaining novel from Kernick with a great cliff hanger ending.

Unexpectedly enjoyed this book. I didnt expect to like it so much because it is a follow-up in a series and sometimes its difficult if you havent read the first in a series however I didnt experience that with The Hanged Man. I liked the lead character and would be interested to read the others in the series. The storyline was shocking and exciting, very imaginative. I found myself wanting to skip ahead to find out what would happen (resisted it though). Great book! Great writing!

Let me say, right at the start that I am a big Simon Kernick fan and have read all his books, except the first one in this series. That being said, I was disappointed with this. His books usually have great pace and pull you in to the action, but not this time. I think it was because the story was unnecessarily complicated, creating too many characters and their back-stories, things which the reader didn’t really need to know and which distracted from the storyline. The reader is expected to remember the names and relationships between whole family trees and I spent a lot of time trying to work out who was who and how they might be connected.

Everybody’s backstory was grim and unpleasant and that in itself didn’t feel realistic. Then there’s the massive coincidence of Ray’s father being involved with the criminal gang. Again, an unnecessary complication. I didn’t feel emotionally involved with any of the characters, because there were just too many of them and we didn’t really get inside their heads, feel their emotions. Overall, I just felt that my attention was spread too widely to be truly gripped.

Also, there are no twists. We know who the baddies are right at the beginning, it's just a matter of catching them. Opportunities to shock the reader were missed, because were were in both Dan and Ray's head.

It felt as though the writing had been rushed and could have done with a bit more editing to refine it, cut out a lot of the backstory dumps and put the central story into a clearer focus. On the plus side, the last 20% was very exciting!

A disappointed 2 stars from me.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.