Hangman Island by Kate Rhodes
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by FernON A REMOTE ISLAND
When Jez Cardew’s boat is found drifting empty on the Atlantic Ocean, DI Ben Kitto and his fellow lifeboat crew members immediately fear the worst. After an extensive search yields no results, the team are forced to retreat to dry land as darkness sets in.
THE OCEAN IS MERCILESS
But Kitto can’t let it go. Why would Jez – an experienced sailor – get into difficulty when the sea has been calm for weeks? Unless his disappearance was no accident.
BUT SO ARE THE PEOPLE . . .
The gruesome discovery of a hand washed ashore on the beach confirms his hunch. Because a medal is attached to the index finger, and it can only have been placed there by the killer.
This strange clue is the only lead to an agenda as cold as the ocean itself. Kitto must work fast, before the small, isolated community closes ranks. And it’s only a matter of time before the murderer among them strikes again . . .
DI Ben Kitto is days away from his wedding, but he needs to leave preparations behind when the smashed boat of a local lifeboat rescue volunteer’s turns up. The owner – a seasoned though young seaman – is nowhere to be found and everyone is stumped since the sea has been calm for weeks and Jez was far too seasoned and careful for a simple accident to have caused this. Then the gruesome discovery of a hand has everyone fearing the worst. Can Kitto uncover what’s really going on?
I have been enjoying this series, and this latest installment is just as good as the others. I particularly enjoyed how there were snippets at the beginning of most chapters showing the perspective of another character – a close friend of the first victim and a potential suspect for the killer – as I felt this helped deepen the perspective of the reader but also broaden the viewing of the story.
I was pleased with the cast of characters, a number of them now beginning to recur in the series but still retaining that small coastal town feeling that I think will appeal to many of the readers. I definitely found this to be a solid, British police procedural style of mystery and one that I think can easily be read by itself even though it’s quite well into the series by now. While there is some history and back story – particularly around Kitto and his growing family life – this is quite a small community, and I feel the mystery aspect can easily be captured just with this story alone.
I found this to be an interesting and well written mystery, and a good addition to the series.