Join BookBrowse today and get access to free books, our twice monthly digital magazine, and more.

Reviews of The Hanged Man's Song by John Sandford

The Hanged Man's Song

by John Sandford

The Hanged Man's Song by John Sandford X
The Hanged Man's Song by John Sandford
  • Critics' Opinion:

    Readers' Opinion:

     Not Yet Rated
  • First Published:
    Nov 2003, 336 pages

    Paperback:
    Sep 2004, 352 pages

    Genres

  • Rate this book


Buy This Book

About this Book

Book Summary

Kidd and Lu Ellen are back in an electrifying novel of computer wizardry, cat burglary and chutzpah.

Prey fans everywhere have embraced the return of John Sandford's other charismatic hero, Kidd – artist, computer whiz, and professional criminal – and his sometime partner/sometime lover LuEllen.

"Crime fiction doesn't have nearly enough droll master thieves like Kidd and his stunning partner in righteous crime," said the Los Angeles Times. "Fast-paced action, high-intellect puzzle solving and dandy characters: Kidd and LuEllen have one helluva time," raved the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "With its quick plotting and clever story, The Devil's Code makes a strong case the Kidd and his pals deserve more chances to strut their stuff," wrote the Chicago Tribune.

And now here they are. In The Hanged Man's Song, a super-hacker friend of Kidd's named Bobby suddenly disappears from cyberspace, and Kidd knows that isn't a good sign. Going over to his house, he finds him dead on the floor, his head bashed in and his laptop missing – and Kidd knows that really isn't a good sign. The secrets on that laptop are potent enough to hang Kidd and everybody else in Bobby's circle – just to start with – so there's no question that Kidd and LuEllen have to try to track it down, not to mention that Kidd would dearly love to get his hands on the man who killed Bobby. But before he can get very far, the secrets start coming out anyway . . . and they're more staggering than even Kidd imagined. Because it's not just about the lives of a circle of friends and colleagues now, oh no – it's about something much, much bigger. And much, much scarier...

Filled with the atmosphere, characters, and exceptional drama that have made John Sandford one of America's best-loved thriller writers, The Hanged Man's Song is a masterpiece of suspense.

Chapter One

NOW THE BLACK MAN screamed No!, now the black man shouted, Get out, motherfucker, and Carp, a big-boy at thirty, felt the explosion behind his eyes.

Tantrum.

They were in the black man's neatly kept sick-house, his infirmary. Carp snatched the green oxygen cylinder off its stand, felt the weight as he swung it overhead. The black man began to turn in his wheelchair, his dark eyes coming around through the narrow, fashionable glasses, the gun turning, the gun looking like a toy.

And now it goes to slo-mo, the sounds of the house fading-the soprano on public radio, fading; the rumble of a passing car, fading; the hoarse, angry words from the black man, fading to inaudible gibberish; and the black man turning, and the gun, all in slo-mo, the sounds fading as time slowed down....

Then lurching to fast forward:

"HAIYAH!" James Carp screamed it, gobs of spit flying, one explosive syllable, and he swung the steel cylinder as hard as he could, as though he ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

Booklist - Wes Lukowsky
Ultimately, thrillers are defined by the scariness of the villains, and the bad guys Kidd contends with are a special breed indeed, capable of rendering lives meaningless by the thousands with a few key strokes. Clear a spot on the best-seller lists for this timely and entertaining thriller.

Publishers Weekly
The early entries in this series have aged badly because of the advances in technology, but this latest intelligent and exciting thriller proves a worthy addition to Sandford's overall body of work.

Reader Reviews

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked The Hanged Man's Song, try these:

  • Alice in Jeopardy jacket

    Alice in Jeopardy

    by Ed McBain

    Published 2006

    About this book

    More by this author

    From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery, money, and mayhem.

  • The Fractal Murders jacket

    The Fractal Murders

    by Mark Cohen

    Published 2005

    About this book

    Three specialists in fractal geometry are dead.  Private eye, Pepper Keane, must find the link and stop the murders before his favorite math professor, Jayne Smyers, becomes the next victim.

We have 4 read-alikes for The Hanged Man's Song, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member.
More books by John Sandford
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes

Books with similar themes


Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Support BookBrowse

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more


Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Big Time
    Big Time
    by Ben H. Winters
    Big Time, the latest offering from prolific novelist and screenwriter Ben H. Winters, is as ...
  • Book Jacket: Becoming Madam Secretary
    Becoming Madam Secretary
    by Stephanie Dray
    Our First Impressions reviewers enjoyed reading about Frances Perkins, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's ...
  • Book Jacket: The Last Bloodcarver
    The Last Bloodcarver
    by Vanessa Le
    The city-state of Theumas is a gleaming metropolis of advanced technology and innovation where the ...
  • Book Jacket: Say Hello to My Little Friend
    Say Hello to My Little Friend
    by Jennine CapĂł Crucet
    Twenty-year-old Ismael Reyes is making a living in Miami as an impersonator of the rapper/singer ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Half a Cup of Sand and Sky
by Nadine Bjursten
A poignant portrayal of a woman's quest for love and belonging amid political turmoil.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Stone Home
    by Crystal Hana Kim

    A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.

  • Book Jacket

    The House on Biscayne Bay
    by Chanel Cleeton

    As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.

Who Said...

In youth we run into difficulties. In old age difficulties run into us

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

M as A H

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.