Hangman By Jack Heath A Review

Hangman is a June 2018 novel by Jack Heath. It has been described as "Dexter meets Hannibal", so immediately it caught my attention. I first heard of Hangman online, as I usually do. I am always on the lookout for outside-the-box-stories. I ate up this book! It was never boring, it kept me engaged, and left me wanting more.

The book was called "gruesome". I only found one scene in particular cringe-worthy, and it was towards the end of the book. Each chapter begins with, for me, an almost always unsolvable riddle that has a direct correlation to the story. It was infuriating not knowing the answers to the riddles. I'll have to look it up on Heath's webpage, Jackheath.com.au. From such a young author, I was pleased with how much research went into writing this book. Overall, the book was enjoyable and kept you literally guessing as to what would happen next.

The story follows Timothy Blake, a cannibal with a photographic memory, called in by the FBI to be an informant on unsolvable cases. In this case, it is the kidnapping of a 14-year-old boy. The book keeps you guessing, as you're not sure if the kidnappings are related. Blake is not your average run-of-the-mill pseudo detective. He's smart. He can read people. Because of his cannibalistic tendencies, he can think like a perp, which only makes him more of an asset. As a non-typical cannibal, he valiantly attempts to suppress his urges, only cannibalizing death row victims. This occupation earns him the nickname Hangman, hence the title. A gift of a meal for cases solved.

I found it hard not to have sympathy for Blake's character, as flawed as he is. A cannibal, a thief, and a killer. The word sociopath never entered my mind, he's a victim of circumstance. Heath did a wonderful job of humanizing a character we as readers are supposed to be repulsed by. I just wanted things to turn out well, as I'm sure most people do when they hear of someone being dealt a rough hand in life. Blake is simply just a survivor.

 The supporting characters in the book were well developed too. They were easy to distinguish and most were given pretty thorough development, enough to make you care about what happens to them. I hope some of them make a return!

 Yes, there's going to be a sequel! I was thrilled when I read that in the acknowledgments. I greatly enjoyed this book. This was my first Jack Heath book, and I was pleasantly surprised. Heath has so much talent for someone so young, he's definitely an author to follow. I'm very excited to see what Heath dishes up next for Timothy Blake.