loved this book with it’s twists and turns. likeable characters and a good read. will look for more by this author

You know when you just have to have a book? Those books and authors you almost cyber-stalk on Amazon waiting for the news that the next book is set to arrive. That was me when it came to this one. I've had it on pre-order for Kindle for as long as possible, even banging in a cheeky pre-order for a signed copy of the book with Goldsboro - that was how confident I was I was going to love it. To be honest, I'm sure I had it through Netgalley too but it fast became the one (of many) that got away. In the end, I have read neither and bought the audio version as well which I finally managed to find time to listen to a couple of weeks ago.

Word to the wise - if you are listening to an audio book, try not to do so on a day that some idiot decides to have an accident, closing the motorway, so that you have to detour across country, not a clue where you are going, whilst remaining 100% focused on the gripping story you are listening to. It's not easy balancing the need to a) not get lost, b) not actually crash yourself and c) listen intently to a book whilst simultaneously pulling all manner of grimaces and funny faces. The main saving grace for the day was the trip across country added an hour to my day and by the time I arrived home I has as good as finished the book. Good stuff. (BTW - Hemel Hempstead - what the hell is up with that funky weird series of bloody roundabouts off the A414? Can you not just install a few sets of traffic lights?)

Anyhow, I digress. The book. Oh my life the book. Can I just state here and now that I loved it. Gruesome murders, a truly messed up killer and even more messed up investigating team. Heartbreak, danger, bedlam, and the most chilling way to interrupt commuters in New York's Grand Central Terminal I have ever seen. I probably shouldn't admit this, but there was a kind of grim fascination with that scene in particular, something which kind of made me do one of those smile/grimace kind of gestures. It also made me miss my turning on the roundabout but what is a few extra laps of a roundabout when you are having fun ... :D

Now, if you have read Ragdoll, you will be very aware of the central protagonist, Emily Baxter. In Hangman she has gained promotion off the back of her success in the Ragdoll case, something she is starting to regret. When she is called upon by agents from the FBI and CIA to assist in a case which has startling similarities to that previous investigation, she regrets it even more. With new partners, albeit temporary ones, agents Elliot Curtis and Damien Rouche, Baxter finds herself drawn into a wicked game of cat and mouse, where victims are all etched with the same word, although no-one knows it's meaning.

The case is fascinating, and the murders seemingly escalating to a point where anything seems possible. Indeed, Cole takes the readers on a merry dance, well perhaps not exactly merry, but across continents at least, skilfully playing with emotions, fears and building our anticipation as the tension mounts and we are left holding our breath to see how things will erupt. And erupt they do and not just at the books conclusion. there is a scene maybe two thirds through which reminded me of one particular series of Dexter. Just some of the imagery and the biblical context of how this and a few subsequent scenes played out. Have I ever told you that I loved Dexter too. Basically I just love the darkness.

What Daniel Cole has done really well is in developing characters that you grow to care about fairly quickly. Baxter is well established, but after larger than life Wolf in book one, it was going to take someone pretty special to fill that void. Special Agent Rouche is that person. There was something about him, perhaps his aloofness and cool attitude, without cockiness, when we first met him. Certainly he is a stark contrast to uptight Baxter or even uber professional and keen Curtis, who I also grew to like, although not quite as quickly. Rouche is flawed, seems to have no qualms about putting himself in harm's way and yet has a strong moral compass which we grow to understand more as the book progresses. A brilliant character - bravo Mr Cole.

All in all, if you are weak of constitution, this may not be the book for you. Some of the deaths are quite gross. Not necessarily grossly described, but there is no getting away from the cold hard facts of what takes place. This is by no stretch a cosy crime. But my time listening to this book flew by. Pacing was perfect, fast - - slow - fast against, pitching itself against the needs of the story. It is great seeing a strong female character at the helm too and Baxter is most certainly that. And with how the book ended ... Well I can't wait to see what comes next. I am seriously going to have to re-read these book as some point as I just love them.

An action packed serial killer tale which I wasn't able to read at night because it gave me too much of an adrenaline rush! The book is full of complex characters which don't revert too heavily to stereotype and I would thoroughly recommend to a friend.

An exciting fast paced grisly gore-fest follow up to thriller Rag doll.

This time focusing on newly promoted DCI Baxter. Drawn into a spate a copycat killings in London and New York.

In the absence of Wolfe, we are introduced to CIA agent Rouche, haunted by past events.

Dark and macabre with some laugh out loud moments, this novel is non-stop from start to finish, a fantastic read.

Written by Daniel Cole –– This author’s shocking debut, Ragdoll, proved a runaway success when it was published last year and was one of my top five reads of 2017. Hangman continues that story 18 months on and once again Cole has produced a novel that attaches itself to your brain like velcro.

In the aftermath of the Ragdoll investigation, Emily Baxter has been promoted to Detective Chief Inspector and is feeling out of her depth without the support of her friend and mentor, William Oliver Layton-Fawkes, otherwise known as Wolf, who is in the wind after book one. Baxter is drowning under a sea of paperwork and admin and itching to be in the thick of things again. Be careful what you wish for…

The book begins with a lengthy prologue where Baxter is being grilled by a motley bunch of higher-ups. Something has gone badly wrong but it’s going to be a good long while until you are let in on what it is. Cole sets his trap and captures the attention from the get-go. Prepare yourself for a sleepless night or two as you hungrily read on… and on…

The story then leaps back a few weeks. It’s early December and Baxter is trying in vain to tackle some of the ever-growing pile of paperwork on her desk in the Homicide and Serious Crime Command. A leaving speech from one of her colleagues on the Ragdoll investigation proves a welcome distraction. DS Finlay Shaw is a friend as well as a workmate and she’s sorry to see him go.

Then her train of thought is broken again by a visit from Met Commander Geena Vanita, with two visitors in tow. Things are about to get a lot more interesting. FBI Special Agent Elliot Curtis and CIA Special Agent Damien Rouche (sounds like whoosh) have flown over to see Baxter and they want her help after a body is found suspended from the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The victim was a banker called William Fawkes, and he had the word ‘BAIT’ carved into his chest.

Sounds like an interesting proposition, but world weary Baxter has heard it all before. After all, there have been seven Ragdoll copycat crimes in the UK since the real murderer was stopped. However, the victim’s name gives her pause and after some persuasion she reluctantly agrees to travel to the Big Apple in an advisory role.

It’s when Baxter, Rouche and Curtis arrive on American soil that the pace really picks up. there have been more deaths, kept from the public eye, and those involved had words BAIT or PUPPET carved into their chests. Who is playing whom? Prepare yourself for some mighty imaginative crime scenes, probably with a few nightmares thrown in, as Cole really hits his stride. This author is a dab hand at creating gruesome tableaux that insinuate themselves into the subconscious. The puppet-like, stitched together, conglomeration of different murder victims that loomed so large in Ragdoll is, dare I say it, surpassed in spades on several occasions in Hangman. Some scenes are cinematic in their gory detail and a couple that occur in well known New York locations are particularly well conceived.

I loved this book, and got pulled along in rip tide created by the ever-unpredictable Baxter and her prickly relationships with her two new work colleagues. The scenes with Rouche are particularly entertaining, but you’ll find plenty of laugh out loud moments here. It’s rare that a book with such gore and darkness in its soul also has room for light-hearted moments, but Cole balances things just right. One minute you’re trying not to be sick, the next you may be surprised to find a smile on your face. Ragdoll is a book I’ll cherish for a long, long time. Looks like Hangman is about to join it.

If gut-wrenching crime scenes are your thing, try Keeper by Johana Gustawsson or Chris Carter’s The Caller

Trapeze Books
Print/Kindle/iBook
£6.99

CFL Rating: 5 Stars

As this was a sampler I cannot say whether the ending is good. However what I did read has whet my appetite. The story is about murders taking place in London and New York. The murders have similar MOs. The main character called Baxter is entriguing. It’s the second story in the series and I’m curious to read the first one. Always a good sign.

Sorry that I'm so incredibly late giving feedback for this one, but I picked it up and tried to get into it countless times as I loved Ragdoll and wanted to love this, but it just didn't work for me this time round. I think it was a little too unrealistic for my liking and too action packed -also, having loved wolf so much in the first, I was rather disappointed he wasn't at the heart in this. I did like the humour of Baxter though and her strong character.

I hadn't read the first book in this Ragdoll series, which was probably a mistake. So I recommend reading that first, then this book may be more enjoyable as you would know the characters better. The book started off well, a fast paced thriller, but gradually became more and more convoluted, and by the last few chapters I'd lost interest in what was happening and just wanted it to end. The book is mainly action, with little depth to the characters.

I haven’t read the prequel to this but had read the reviews of it to give me a heads up so was expecting a lot. I didn’t find Hangman very interesting though so maybe this is second book syndrome. I understand the main character in Ragdoll has not been included in the follow on which whilst a brave move has perhaps not worked so well.

Was only given an extract of this book The bit I read was an exciting start but I can't really comment or review

Hangman is the long awaited sequel to Daniel Cole’s debut novel Ragdoll. The story picks up eighteen months after the conviction of Masse and the disappearance of Detective Fawkes. Emily Baxter is now a DCI and finds herself working with the FBI and CIA on copy cat killings both sides of the Atlantic. There are many of the characters from the first book and of course several new characters. I do think that you have to have read Ragdoll to understand the premise of this book and the characters back story.

I was glad to see Baxter was still as caustic and sarcastic with everyone, maybe more so after the events of the first book. The only person she seems to trust is Edmunds, now working for Fraud, but who helps her in this case as well. The two new characters, Curtis from the FBI and Rouche from the CIA are the opposite of Baxter but the dynamic between the three works well, with a blossom of friendship growing between Rouche and Baxter.

It did take me a few chapters to really get into this book but once it grabbed my attention I was hooked. The plot gathered momentum and I am honest when I say I didn’t know where this was book was going. I’m not going to say much about the plot or the twists and turns apart from that it was brilliant with a few heart in the mouth moments, and some parts that chilled me to the bone.

If you enjoyed Ragdoll, then Hangman is a must read. It builds brilliantly from the first book and doesn’t disappoint in it’s dark plot line, with an underpinned tension throughout and some heart stopping moments. I can’t wait for the third in this trilogy next year.

I was a huge fan of Daniel Cole’s debut novel, Ragdoll which I read last year. Now, a year later, he has returned with Hangman. Daniel Cole’s second novel is a highly entertaining read which I flew through. I would warn however, especially if you haven’t previously read Ragdoll, that Daniel Cole’s books are not for the faint hearted.

Eighteen months on from the Ragdoll murders which shocked the world, the police have had to deal with a string of copycat murders trying to imitate the deranged killer’s style. One case catches the eye of the metropolitan police when a body is found hanging from Brooklyn Bridge in New York. DCI Emily Baxter heads to the States to assist the FBI. Emily is sill reeling from the events which took place in the final chapters of Ragdoll, she tries to put this behind her and focus on the investigation.

Daniel introduces us to a new team of detectives as both the metropolitan police and the FBI work together, albeit with some tensions simmering beneath the surface. But the murders in the States soon begin to escalate and on the other side of the Atlantic, killings in London begin to occur, appearing to mirror the attacks happening in the US.

What I loved about Hangman is that DCI Emily Baxter takes centre stage; I really liked her character in the previous book so I was excited to learn more about her. If you are hoping to see more of Wolf, you will have to wait a little while longer. Again there are good doses of humour throughout; one scene in a hotel room had me in stitches, you’ll know which one I mean when you read it. If you thought that Daniel had some original ideas for bumping off his characters in his first book, just wait until you read some of the scenes in Hangman.

You do have to suspend the belief system a little bit with these books, but Daniel manages to pull it off with a hugely entertaining plot which has a very cinematic feel to it. Just like it’s predecessor, Hangman has now left me desperate to get my hands on the third book in the series.

This was just a sampler and after enjoying Ragdoll cannot wait to read this one,

Oh my, hang on tight with this one. Emily Baxter is a great character, flawed, moody but brilliant and this time she is without the maverick Wolf who she let disappear at the end of the first book. Don’t try to predict the story or analyse it too closely, just sit back and enjoy.

Hangman is the exciting sequel to the debut novel Ragdoll by Daniel Cole. Set some months later, detectives investigate a series of murders in London. In New York there are similar murders, leading the team to work with senior CIA and FBI officers across the Atlantic. The complexities of the plot will keep the reader guessing to the end. I look forward to the third novel in this series.

This was my second book by Daniel Cole. I did like parts of it and enjoyed the lead up to the ending, but to be honest I found most of it boring. Too much for a lack of better word faffing and not enough action. When I read crime books I expect twists and turns but this barely happened. I did find the emotional scenes were done very well and I enjoyed the writing. Therefore I will still read the next book.

Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was just a sampler but it piqued my interest enough to want to purchase this. I have read the first book in the series and enjoyed it very much. They feel very much like a movie with all the action and twists and turns. Normally I prefer more gritty and realistic storylines but occasionally I love to get stuck into something like this!

A brilliantly written dark thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing the whole way through. The plot is cleverly put together and there is a lot of action packed in. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This was the second one in the series. I really enjoyed this it took me a while to get into.

I enjoyed the storyline and couldn't see where this one was going. This book was wrote brilliantly. I was left wanting more. Can't wait to read the next one.

Ragdoll was such a great book, I wasn’t sure how Daniel Cole would follow this up, especially without Wolf. This book instead focuses on Emily as she works with the FBI and NYPD on a case which covers London and New York and is linked to the Ragdoll murders.

I think Emily Baker is a great central character, and we see her having to deal with the lies she had to tell regarding the Ragdoll case (you really need to have read the first book to understand what the characters are dealing with). The addition of the US agents makes an interesting dynamic and I really enjoyed their interactions.

The story is very fast paced as it jets between NYC and London. It is dark and gruesome but with humour throughout for some light relief.

I highly recommend this book, but only after you have read the brilliant first book in the series.