Rating: 
Summary: WOOHOOO!!!... Slade's Getting Back On Track!
Review: A hard-core Slade-ist, I finished reading 'Hangman' last night and was thoroughly pleased! Zinc Chandler's back and in fine form. Trying to piece (Pardon the pun) together the clues surrounding the identity of 'The Hangman'. A cross border killer with a grisly mission. Won't bore, shock or tease you with the details, but cracking open this tome was akin to visiting my favorite watering hole between the lunch and after work crowds. Familiar territory and faces, yet several of my favorite characters haven't shown up yet. De Clerq and Bill Caradon, from 'Headhunter' and 'Ghoul' have cameo appearances, but Ed (Mad Dog) Rabidowski is sadly absent. Again! Though he could have used for one or two major arrests. Likewise Katt and the Ghost Keeper. The story would have better with their inclusion, considering the Slade trademark history and research of Law and Capital Punishment. Hanging, in this instance; in the US, UK, and Canada, woven throughout the tale. Better than 'Burnt Bones' in terms of story, plot and action. Less tense than 'Headhunter', 'Ghoul' or 'Ripper'... Rejoice anyway, Slade-ists!!! Our favorite penman of the perverse and psychotic has acquitted himself quite nicely with 'Hangman'... P.S. I figured out the answer to the game long before it was revealed.
Rating:
Summary: 4 STARS -> NOT BECAUSE IT'S A MICHAEL SLADE BOOK
Review: I gave this book five stars because it was entertaining, but it wasn't like the other Michael Slade Books. This book has lost the darkness, and there were a lot of jokes, almost too many. Plus, Slade brought in a new narrator, a lawyer of all things. So the book didn't add much to the story of Zinc Chandler, and DeClerq only had a couple of pages due to illness. But I enjoyed the book, and couldn't put it down. I did get tired of the jokes, and was hoping for a darker atmosphere, like the other Slade books had. If you haven't read a Michael Slade book, you really need to start from the beginning, HeadHunter. By the time you get to Ripper, my favorite, you will be hooked.
Rating: 
Summary: S__A___E Keeps Getting __E__T__ ___ R
Review: I have always loved the Hangman game. It has passed many enjoyable hours with many treasured friends over many years! Michael Slade has taken this relatively harmless game and turned into a gut-wrenching signature of a very nasty killer. The Hangman is playing the game in reverse. Start out with a whole body and then remove a part at a time. Start with the leg, then you get the picture, right? Slade, now writing with his daughter Rebecca, just keeps getting better. HINT HINT To above title... Even though our usual hero, Robert DeClerq, is missing from this story except for a brief cameo, the book has the estimable Zinc Chandler pairing with a Seattle detective, Maddy Thorne, to catch the notorious hangman. A pivotal character is the narrator, Jeff Klein, a lawyer out to make his name on a big case, and what could be bigger than the Hangman. Add his partner, Ethan, his brother Justin Winfield, the luscious Alex Smith (girlfriend to Zinc), and a bunch of other secondary characters, and you have a remarkably infectious whodunit. As always, Slade researches and researches, and gives us a ton of information on executioners, particularly hangmen, of the past. Even though the Hangman's game is fairly easy to guess, it doesn't deter from the identity of the hangman and other people's involvement. A great addition to the Special X series, and one you won't want to put down till you finish. Oh, and here's some clues for the identity of the Hangman: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ __Good guessing!
Rating:
Summary: Slade is back - FINALLY
Review: I have been reading Slade since day one. From my view he never released another book that was even close to Headhunter. This is a solid who-dunnit mystery with the typical Slade gore. I couldn't put the book down. I am still trying to tie everything together as to whether the "real" killer passes the logic test. In short, this is the best Slade book i have read since headhunter. Like on of the other posters I am confused about why he went from three lawyers writing the book to just one lawyer and his daughter.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Entertaining Read...
Review: I have read all the books of Michael Slade, Headhunter was incredible fun, and Ghoul, Cutthroat, Ripper, Evil Eye & Primal Scream were entertaining. I was a bit disappointed with Burnt Bones, but it would seem that Slade is back where he (they) belongs. There is a new energy & pace to this book that was missing from the last three or so novels. The story has more twists & turns than anything written by Agatha Christie, and I learned where the term "Red Herring" comes from. I am happy that Slade seems to be back on top and I am inspired by what future books may have in store.
Rating:
Summary: AN EXOTIC, AND "EDUCATIONAL" THRILLER!
Review: I started reading this book knowing nearly nothing about law, and the way our "system" works. This book makes you think, with it's random writing style, and complex court scenes. Slade kept me guessing, while refreshing me with several different characters stories. Bravo to this accomplished murder mystery.
Rating:
Summary: The thrills just keep coming!
Review: Michael Slade again does an amazing amount of research on this book, really adding to the psychological side of the book. The killer is a surprise, as it generally should be. The writing is good, as is very important in any book. The idea is GREAT, it's really amazing that something like this hasn't been thought up before. But anyways, the only problem with it that I have is the lack of suspense in the book, unlike the ohter book I read. It's better then Headhunter (the first Slade book) is some ways, but worse in others. Overall a good book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Thriller
Review: Michael Slade again does an amazing amount of research on this book, really adding to the psychological side of the book. The killer is a surprise, as it generally should be. The writing is good, as is very important in any book. The idea is GREAT, it's really amazing that something like this hasn't been thought up before. But anyways, the only problem with it that I have is the lack of suspense in the book, unlike the ohter book I read. It's better then Headhunter (the first Slade book) is some ways, but worse in others. Overall a good book to read.
Rating:
Summary: A Solid Return to Form
Review: Someone had gotten into the hang of grotesque murder - execution style across Seattle and Vancouver. It's a grisly hangman game played in a reverse way, where victims are disembowelled and mutilated as the Special X force of the police comprising of The MOUNTIES and Seattle Cops unravel the riddle. Inspector Zinc Chandler and cop Maddie Thorne race against the time to uncover the mystery and links it to the hanging of Peter Bryce Haddon, a child abuser who claims he is innocent. They discover that the victims are intrinsically related to the jury who finds Haddon guilty - yet time races against them when red herrings are thrown. Even more so when they find the murderer is so close to them..... As a first time reader of Michael Slade's X psychotic thrillers, I am impressed and even fascinated by the macabre horror jay Clarke and his daughter Rebecca conjured out. HANGMAN for all its childish antics to earn humour, is meticulously detailed and well-researched. The killings narrated in such visceral prose leaves a shudder and the courtroom drama is propulsive action. It is gripping and satirical. Slade combines a high octane who-dun-it mystery with vivid details of hanging style, research on Munch's The Scream and slyly scorns the law with its loopholes. It raises questions on justice, the balance of morals, ethics with law in stories. The protagonists Zinc and Maddie are flawed and beliveable; and the twist and turns are unpredictible. HANGMAN is an enriching read. It thrills and taunts with terror, and the courtroom scenes are written with gusto given the experience of Jay Clarke as a professional lawyer. It has a style that is unique - a hybrid of true realism and fiction. Despite some parts of the story overstuffed with quotations and the plot haphazardly runs amok, it is a clever read. It lets you get the hang of playing along with the game, then seizes you with pulsating horror and wicked humour.
Rating:
Summary: Good old Slade fare
Review: This is Slade retreading similar ground. That doesn't mean it's bad; it is up to the standards of his other books. However, I did notice an annoying tendency he has to either (a) kill off characters who appeared a book or two ago or (b) turn characters from previous books into killers of later books. Eventually all his protagonists will be nuts and he'll have no more Special X books to write! However, it's still a good effort...
|
