Australian writer Jack Heath is an established YA author living in Canberra and Hangman is his first adult novel in my new favourite series featuring anti-hero Tim Blake.
Recipe for Hangman by Jack Heath
My rating = *****
Carpe Librum!
Blake is a despicable investigator contracted to the FBI as a last resort to solve crimes other FBI agents cannot. A psychopath with a dark secret, Blake's assistance comes with a steep price.
Step 1. Take the pace of any James Patterson or Matthew Reilly novel.
Step 2. Add a gruesome yet likeable protagonist; like Dexter from Jeff Lindsay.
Step 3. Make him an anti-hero you can root for like Joe from You by Caroline Kepnes but without the sex.
Step 4. Add a measure of cannibalism from The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris.
Step 5. Combine with the shock factor of Stephen King's writing.
Step 6. Bake for 376 pages and your novel will be ready.
Step 7. Consume Hangman in as few sittings as possible.
Step 8. Enjoy every morsel.
Reading Hangman was a guilty pleasure and I found myself getting behind Blake and hoping things turned out in his favour despite his proclivities. It isn't for the squeamish though, so if you can't handle a little gore this fast-paced crime thriller isn't for you.
Step 2. Add a gruesome yet likeable protagonist; like Dexter from Jeff Lindsay.
Step 3. Make him an anti-hero you can root for like Joe from You by Caroline Kepnes but without the sex.
Step 4. Add a measure of cannibalism from The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris.
Step 5. Combine with the shock factor of Stephen King's writing.
Step 6. Bake for 376 pages and your novel will be ready.
Step 7. Consume Hangman in as few sittings as possible.
Step 8. Enjoy every morsel.
Reading Hangman was a guilty pleasure and I found myself getting behind Blake and hoping things turned out in his favour despite his proclivities. It isn't for the squeamish though, so if you can't handle a little gore this fast-paced crime thriller isn't for you.
Jack Heath has created an extraordinary and original character in Timothy Blake, and I can't wait to read his next book. Hangman has already been optioned for television by the ABC in USA so I'll be keeping an eye out for that too. Highly recommended!
My rating = *****
Carpe Librum!
