Rating: 
Summary: Uses cyberspace to say something about the real world
Review:
Bobby is killed off in the first couple of pages--anyone who has not read any of the previous Kidd series (this is number four) should probably go back and do so...this one stands on its own, but you miss much of the back story, inside jokes, and character development if you start here.
Kidd follows a very thin trail of clues which leads through cyberspace straight to Washington DC and a hornet's nest of corruption.
Along the way, we get a glimpse of how pervasive the invasion of privacy is these days, and the realistic limits on the use of mass data collection as a means of solving crimes (basically, too many false positives)--note to politically interested readers--this is pretty clearly a knock on the Bush Administration's TIPS and associated programs).
Of course, in usual riveting fashion, Kidd--assisted by his coterie of burglars, revolutionary former Black Panthers gone straight (sort of), and cute little kids--gets his man, reduces corruption (a little), but has little effect on the larger corrupt climate.
It will be interesting to see how Sandford resolves the dilemma both Kidd and LuEllen are facing at the end of this installment of the Kidd series--how can you continue to live off the radar when (1) the government knows you exist, (2) lots of powerful people would like to find you, and (3) government has the ability to find out anything about anyone in this age of computer databases? Will they really retire to Palm Springs to live happily ever after together?
Rating:
Summary: exciting thriller starring a charming offbeat individual
Review: Anyone who knows computers knows that Bobby is the Michael Jordan of hacking. No fire wall can keep him out if he chooses to enter that site. However, someone decides to keep Bobby out by smashing in his head. His friends are horrified by the violence, but also fear what the killer will do with the information found on Bobby's stolen laptop.Kidd understands the ramifications of the missing computer that may contain files pertaining to his own illegal activities. Besides his personal safety, Kidd also feels a need to avenge the death of his friend. Bobby's secrets begin to surface providing a trail that takes Kidd around the country, but ultimately to DC where the political elite is in jeopardy of exposure. Though the earlier Kidd entries show the speed in which technology becomes obsolete, THE HANGED MAN'S SONG is an exciting thriller starring an intriguing lead character whose moral code is a bit different than most people. The story line is fast-paced as Kidd accompanied by his cat burgling girlfriend follows the clues. John Sandford, better known for those delicious Prey novels has written a strong tale starring a charming offbeat individual with a quest for justice, Kidd style. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Boy! What doesn't it have?
Review: Boy! What doesn't this book have? This Hitchcockian page turner is the fourth in a series and just as good as the previous three. With crooked politicians (redundancy alert), murder, computer hackers, and everything in between, this John Sandford novel does a lot of things, but disappoint is not one of them. A highly recommended and compelling tale. Would also recommend another great Amazon pick: BARK OF THE DOGWOOD by J.T. McCrae.
Rating:
Summary: Super Thriller
Review: Different type of story line. unique and very well worth the read. I recommend this one. It certainly is a super thriller also recommending: Angels and demons (fiction) and Nightmares Echo (Non Fiction)
Rating:
Summary: (4 ½) Kidd's and Luellen's Lives Changed Forever !
Review: I am an avid John Sandford reader and Lucas Davenport fan but the Kidd series is my favorite. Since there have been relatively few books featuring Kidd, I was delighted to see the publicity for this book until I read on the book jacket that Bobby's murder and its ramifications form the central element of the plot. Bobby has been such an essential supporting character in the previous books that I was afraid that the author had chosen this method to end the series and thus my enjoyment of this story might be bittersweet. While it is always disappointing to say goodbye to an old literary acquaintance such as Bobby, Kidd fans should be relieved that the ending holds out the possibility that the series will continue. But beware, Kidd and Luellen will be forever changed. The story is very simple, superhacker Bobby, Kidd's online lifeline and friend, goes silent and when Kidd and a friend assemble the clues that reveal Bobby's physical location (they have known him only in cyberspace), they discover that he has been murdered. Ominously, Bobby's laptop has been stolen and Bobby's circle of friends are very worried about what secrets might be revealed (including clues to their identities) if the encryption is cracked. Therefore, they have the dual goal of avenging Bobby's death and protecting themselves as well. Soon, secrets from Bobby's laptop start becoming public that involve powerful people, strike at the heart of government, and increase the risks to all concerned; thus their quest becomes a race against time. This is the quintessential Kidd, a libertarian loner with his own agenda, operating on both sides of the law and torn between his artistic impulses and his computer skills. And, as usual, his sometime partner (in crime and romance) who he knows only by her alias of Luellen figures in the action as the puzzle gradually unravels.And we are left with Kidd to puzzle out the identity and the meaning of the Hanged Man who keeps appearing in the Tarot spreads which he does to attempt to stimulate his insights about the problems which they encounter. As Kidd and Luellen match wits with Jimmy James Carp, we see the ambiguities that develop when combating evil; at times they have to decide whether the ends justify some questionable means. This is a fast paced story that I found hard to put down, and I suspect that we may meet Rachel Willowby (the young hacker whose role is crucial to the story) if there are future sequels in this series. So the story raises many questions, from whether Bobby's death will be avenged to such existential musings as whether people are really dead if elements of their lives continue to exist. As Luellen muses about Bobby "he's like Janis Joplin... I heard ME AND BOBBY MCGEE on the radio... Janis is dead, but I never knew her personally, and I keep hearing her song so to me, it's the same as if she is still alive..." Can Bobby's computer keep him alive, or can Lemon (whoever he may be) successfully become his successor? And, you may even discover Luellen's real name. I rated this slightly less than a full five stars for two reasons. First, a few loose ends were not satisfactorily tied up. Second, it had a few incidences of some pretty gruesome violence and very unpleasant situations. (However, they were relatively integral to the story.) But, it was a great read and I loved the existentialism and ambiguity of the ending, which cries for a sequel. The one caveat I would provide is that while this is a self contained story, a reader will have much more depth of understanding of Kidd's and Bobby's (and Kidd's and Luellen's relationships) and of some of the references if the previous books in the series are read first. (Even though computer technology has changed so rapidly that some of the stuff is now obsolete.) This is especially true of the immediately preceding book THE DEVIL'S CODE, especially re: the identity of the man known as Bill Clinton. I believe that at a minimum that book should be read first, and it is as good a story as this one. Tucker Andersen
Rating:
Summary: Merry Christmas Wayne.
Review: I bought this book as a Christmas gift to myself. Thank me very much. I have read some previous Kidd novels and enjoyed them, but I much prefer the Prey series overall. Well, I used to anyway. The Prey series is still my favorite of all time, but this book has closed the gap significantly. The book begins with the murder of Kidd's longtime online associate Bobby the hacker. Kidd has to find the killer in order to retrieve Bobby's laptop, which may contain personal information about Kidd and others. There is also the matter of avenging Bobby's death. The story twists and turns via events involving various senators, old friends, secret government groups, LuEllen (gotta love her), new friends, a young girl, and a few cities. I could easily picture every single character and every single scene as I read this book, a testament to Sandford's brilliance. I am very happy with my Christmas present. Again, thank me very much. And thank you Mr. Sandford (Camp). Merry Christmas.
Rating: 
Summary: You must be Kidd-ing
Review: I finished The Hanged Man's Song last week and remember only enough of it this week to suggest that it's not worth the time. I know everyone loves it, and I gave it a chance after the equally disappointing The Empress File, another Kidd novel, but neither was worth the time and money. I like John Sandford a lot -- I've read all the Prey novels, including the two starring Clara Rinker twice -- so I picked up the Kidd novels because I read John's novels faster than he can write them. Both were a disappointment. Carl Hiassen's blurbed suggestion that Kidd is "a hero who's impossible to resist" is wrong. And his suggestion that Kidd is "the Travis McGee of microchips" would suggest he can't do comparison studies. I've read all the McGee books at least three times over the decades and the two heroes are nothing alike, nor is the writing. Sandford causes himself some credibility problems with such stultifying techno-inanities as "The laptop was no lightweight -- it was a desktop replacement model from IBM with maximum RAM, a fat hard drive, built-in CD/DVD burner, three USB ports, a variety of memory-card slots." Omigod, THREE USB PORTS?! This man/machine combo is going to be invincible, assuming he can get his fat hard drive into gear. Unfortunately, this passage is in a book published in 2004 and it appears on page 3 of my edition, causing a few micro-alarms to go off in my already skeptical brain. It just gets worse on page 42 when Kidd talks about putting the Encyclopedia Britannica on his laptop, where it "sucked up about 1.2 gigs. That means you could put about, uh... -- I did some quick calculation -- something like thirteen Encyclopedia Britannicas on one DVD." Uh, better slow down, Kidd. My DVDs hold 4.7 gigabytes, meaning you could maybe squeeze four on a disk, not 13 -- and that's assuming he has the cracking skills necessary to get the encyclopedia in the first place and that 1.2GB is an accurate figure, never safe assumptions in this book. Clever lines throughout number fewer than ten and dialogue and plot are weak. The back of the book tells us that "Sandford's charismatic hero, Kidd, returns in an electrifying novel of murder and Machiavellian intrigue." Every adjective wrong. As for charismatic, if you can remember the last Coke you had, you might have a chance of remembering Kidd after you finishing reading this. If you need a John Sandford fix -- and don't we all -- reread one of his Alex Davenport books. The two Clara Rinkers are lovely the second time around.
Rating: 
Summary: I regret Bobby's demise!
Review: I have enjoyed the books in this series...Kidd and LuEllen are an unusual pair...off and on again lovers, sharing criminal
activities. In this one, Kidd's go-to computer guy meets his end. Kidd knows that if he does not hear from him in a specified period of time, Bobby is dead. Now he must retrieve Bobby's stored information so that others cannot find out about
Kidd's and LuEllen's nefarious activities. The perpetrator has
Bobby's laptop and has broken the code. He is releasing news about illegal activities of government officials...a little at a time. The key to finding him lies in a 14-year-old female computer hack. Of course, her life becomes endangered and the outcome is interesting and exciting.
Thumbs up on this one!
Rating:
Summary: Finally Someone for We Techies to Root For!
Review: I have heard that millions of people use Amazon and I have to wonder what percentage of those million fall somewhere on the technology spectrum between computer lover and baby hacker (like I do). I'd guess over half if not as much as three quarters. Being that's the case, I have some good news - we finally have a hero to root for and relate too. Instead of yet another detective, doctor or lawyer solving the puzzles and saving the day, John Sandford's "Kidd" novels highlight the talents of a computer extraordinaire.
Even better news is the fact that this novel is not the first to feature the great Kidd and his hacking skills. This novel is the 4th in the series and I strongly recommend going back and starting with "The Fool's Run" so that you can be properly introduced to Kidd as well as his amazing partner in crime, LuEllen, and the mysterious Bobby. If you have read the others, then prepare yourself for another fine installment in the series. I hate to break it to you, but Bobby is murdered in the first three pages and the rest of the book pivots around Kidd's desperate search to locate Bobby's laptop (full of the world's secrets naturally) and the killer. LuEllen is also involved and fleshed out even more, which is a plus. A very good read from a very good author.
Rating:
Summary: HARDCORE TECH-THRILLER!!
Review: I have read "The Devil's Code" and I LOVED IT!!
So, I bought this book "The hanged man's song" AND IT'S TRULY AMAZING!!
Nobody compares to JOHN SANDFORD in TECH-THRILLERS!!
BUY THE BOOK IF YOU'RE A COMPUTER GEEK!!
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