11 November 2014

Review #66: Hangman (Abbie Kearney, #2) by Stephan Talty




My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Carl Panzram, an American serial killer, rapist, arsonist and burglar, has quoted about his deeds as:

I don't believe in man, God nor Devil. I hate the whole damned human race, including myself... I preyed upon the weak, the harmless and the unsuspecting. This lesson I was taught by others: Might makes right.

Stephan Talty, the New York Times bestselling author, has spun an astounding tale about a serial killer on loose on the streets of Buffalo town, in his new book, Hangman which happens to be the second book in Abbie Kearney series. Although this is the first book that I read of this author, still threw me off the edge with his master thriller about a notorious serial killer.


Synopsis:
Hangman, Hangman, what do you see? Four little girls, as cute as can be. The eerie schoolyard chant still sends ripples of horror through North Buffalo. Not so long ago, serial killer Marcus Flynn preyed upon the community’s teenage daughters—until he was cornered and shot in the head. But Flynn lived, carrying to prison the nickname “Hangman,” along with the secret of his last victim’s fate. Homicide cop Abbie Kearney wasn’t around during Hangman’s reign of terror. She hadn’t yet come home to wear her dad’s old badge in the tough Irish American stronghold known as “the County.” Abbie had never experienced firsthand the horror of Hangman. Until now.
Hangman, Hangman, where do they go? Down on the ground, where the daffodils grow. A corrections officer lies dead, a prison van stands empty . . . and somewhere out there, the monster who condemned innocents to death at the end of a rope watches and waits to strike again. Abbie leads a desperate manhunt through a city driven to its knees by fear, matching wits with a predator as brilliant as he is elusive. But as more victims are claimed, a rising tide of secrecy, paranoia, and politics forces her to realize that stepping beyond the law may be the only way to find justice. Because with each passing hour, the stakes grow higher—and Hangman’s noose gets tighter.


Every good book has its own flaws, and in this book too, I failed to connect with the primary character of the book. The author has not painted Abbie's picture quite intimately, though it's a thriller book, where the focus always remained on this Hangman and his murders of sixteen year old brunette girls, but still, I think it's important for a thriller book to feel completely connected with the protagonist when she is the one who is solving the mystery. The bummer came in the climax, when I couldn't even pin-point to a particular situation back in the story, when Abbie figured out the real identity of the Hangman.

Apart from that, I liked the smooth flow of narration but at times, I felt like I was losing myself from the story, and more over, I will suggest that you read the first book in this series to understand this story better. Abbie's investigation unfolded in quite a fast pace and that completely engrossed me into the story. This book is not similar to all those typical and traditional kind of serial killer thriller books; instead, it was got a psychological twist along with lots of Buffalo PD drama and their internal wars in the departments.

The mystery and the feel of fear lurking in the air were very raw and striking. And all the elements of mystery were kept tightly hidden and even we were not allowed to have any kind of anticipation over the mystery. In the beginning, I felt like it was simple cat-and-mouse story, trying to catch a serial killer on loose, who has again started striking on young girls, but when I was on the mid-way, I realized there was more to this story and at that moment, I got almost hooked to the mystery. And I didn't saw that climax was coming, and that completely threw me off the edge.

Verdict: You certainly can't miss out this bewitching and enthralling psychological thriller, that I bet will leave you completely speechless at the end of the book.

Courtesy: Many, many thanks to the author, Stephan Talty, for providing me with a copy of his book, in return for an honest and unbiased review. 
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Author Info:
Stephan Talty is the New York Times bestselling author of six acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, as well as the Abbie Kearney crime novels. Originally from Buffalo, he now lives outside New York City. Talty began as a widely-published journalist who has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Men’s Journal, Time Out New York, Details, and many other publications. He is the author of the forthcoming thriller Hangman (the sequel to Black Irish), as well as Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Double Agent who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day (2012) and Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws Bloody Reign (2008). His short e-book, The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy was the best-selling Amazon Single of 2013. 
Visit him here


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