Hangman by Stephan Talty

Thanks to Bookbridgr I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

HANGMAN, HANGMAN, WHAT DO YOU SEE?  FOUR LITTLE GIRLS AS CUTE AS CAN BE.

A white New York State Corrections van is transporting a dangerous prisoner to Attica Prison.  This prisoner is none other than serial killer Marcus Flynn AKA Hangman who has killed three teenage girls but with his last victim's fate unknown.  In a backyard in Buffalo, Detective Absalom Kearney is doing a bit of work in her garden when her phone buzzes, she really hopes that it's not work related but the message reads: MARCUS FLYNN ESCAPED.  ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO HQ.

The City of Buffalo is gripped with fear and goes into lockdown as Hangman is poised to strike again, no-one is allowed to come or go anywhere, especially young teenage girls.  It is no longer safe to go to the mall or walk to and from school.  Abbie leads the desperate manhunt to re-capture this monster before he finds his next victim, it's a race against time, will they get him or will they be too late??

This was my first Stephan Tallty novel that I've read and it definitely won’t be my last. I really loved it, it's exactly the type of novel I like. This novel is very well written in terms of suspense and it really had me gripped from this first few pages. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel and Stephan Talty's ability to craft such a gripping story. I reckon the chilling rhyme above will stay with me for a long time, just like the chilling rhyme from Nightmare On Elm Street. It's prose is simple and the sort of novel you can happily cosy up on the sofa, once you have locked all the doors and windows and know you are going to be in for a cleverly crafted psychological thriller (you've been warned).

Hangman was published on 4th December 2014. It is available on Kindle & in all good bookstores.