Veteran thriller writer Douglas Lindsay is the author of We are the Hanged Man, the first of two novels featuring DCI Jericho as the protagonist. Jericho was responsible for putting the most brutal serial psychopath killer away 30 years prior. While Durrant should be incarcerated for life, he is somehow freed from prison and is now free to kill again. Durrant, who is the worst murderer that the Met has ever seen, is aware of DCI Jericho’s whereabouts and sends him a hanged man tarot card in the mail. DCI Jericho has guilt over not solving an old case, the disappearance of his wife, and is working in the West Country staying out of the limelight. Unfortunately, people start disappearing and Durrant is causing havoc in the area.

Lindsay has created a character that isn’t particularly likeable, but he is well-developed and interesting. Lindsay also knows how to tell a story with building suspense and fascination. There are plenty of twists and turns, as well as surprises. Lindsay is a British author and captures the charm of Britain which helps set the ambience of the novel. The novel is definitely dark, and may be a little much for mainstream thriller aficionados. However, it offers something a bit different; those who are sick of same-old, same-old will welcome a new unique novel.

While this novel may not appeal to everyone, it is something different and worth reading. Those who are adventurous will welcome it; those who are faint of heart should probably avoid it.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. What an absorbing storyline that drew you in from the start. A great read and will be looking for more books by this author.

Loved this book although I had a few attempts to really get my teeth in to it! I really felt like I was there, in the middle of all the action. Struggled to start but couldn't put it down

DI Jericho has been sandbagged by his boss. Jericho, who has retreated to a rural constabulary to hide from the world, has been volunteered for a reality TV show. Has there ever been such a dumb idea? Minimally-trained civilian contestants trail police officers into crime scenes. Jericho is mortified and furious and almost ready to resign. But what would he do with his life if he weren't an officer? His boss, who has never been comfortable having an intelligent, highly experienced senior officer on her team, is thrilled at this opportunity for DI Jericho to embarrass himself.

On the other hand, the reality TV team is dismayed to find that policing in the countryside mostly involves rounding up drunks and investigating burglaries, decides to go ahead with the show and to try to inject drama to a decidedly undramatic setting. The results are about what you would expect.

But something else is going on. Someone is sending tarot cards to DI Jericho. Unusual tarot cards with specially drawn figures in non-traditional poses. Jericho has no clue what this is about. Elsewhere, a violent serial killer, who was sentenced to life in prison, has been released, and has Jericho on his mind.

As the story unfolds and action becomes required, Jericho must use the tools he has at hand, even if they are TV people and game show contestants, fortunately, not all of whom are idiots.

Normally I would say Mr. Lindsay draws the TV people rather broadly, but then, I find it hard to believe that anyone who works on reality TV has a brain, so perhaps these characters are within the normal spectrum for their group and we should take them as they are.

The book itself was pretty good but I can't imagine any possible way that the idea of following a rural police officer would make good reality TV.

I received a review copy of "We Are The Hanged Man: DCI Jericho Book One" by Douglas Lindsay (Blasted Heath) through NetGalley.com.

"Britain's Got Justice", the latest reality TV show, sees shallow contestants battling to see who would make the best police officer. DCI Jericho is forced by his boss to appear on the show. Jericho hates it. In fact, there isn't much Jericho likes these days. He used to be a hot-shot detective with the Metropolitan Police, but then, ten years ago, his wife disappeared. The one case he hasn't been able to solve. Now whiling away his time in the West Country where nothing ever happens, Jericho has become a depressed, taciturn bloke who isn't easy to like, but for reasons incomprehensible to me, still manages to be quite the ladies' man. When somebody sends him tarot cards depicting the hanged man and a contestant from the show goes missing, Jericho and his sidekick, DS Haynes, suddenly have plenty of work trying to solve several mysteries.
After a slow start, We Are The Hanged Man turned into quite a fast-paced page turner. There is a lot going on here and it includes a fair bit of graphic violence. Despite his philandering ways, I became quite fond of DCI Jericho. Personally, I could have done with less emphasis on the satirical passages regarding the reality TV show. It felt over the top although it provided a light distraction from what would have been a rather dark and gloomy story otherwise. This is the first book in the DCI Jericho series and the end left many questions unanswered, but I'm looking forward to reading We Are Death to find out how Jericho's story continues. I received a copy via NetGalley.