31 Reads of Terror: 'Hangman' Jack Heath

Ah, the clamor surrounding Jack Heath's debut thriller, Hangman, was impossible to ignore when it hit the shelves in 2018. Yet, as fate would have it, I couldn't find a copy locally. It wasn't until I serendipitously discovered a copy at Dollar Tree that I decided to bite the bullet. A dollar for a book? Surely a harbinger of ill fate, right? But curiosity won out, and I brought it home, promptly tossing it onto my shelf to mingle with the dust bunnies. After a long, unflattering hibernation, I finally dusted it off to have it star in today’s installment of 31 Reads of Terror. Buckle up; it’s time to dive into the darkness!

The premise unfolds like a sinister puzzle: a teenage boy vanishes while walking home, leaving his frantic mother reeling from the horror. Suddenly, her phone rings, delivering a ransom demand thick with dread—pay up, or else the cost will be devastating. Enter Timothy Blake, a sharp-witted FBI consultant with a penchant for unraveling even the most twisted of mysteries. But this time, he may have met his match. The kidnapper is not just any run-of-the-mill villain; he’s a master of manipulation, outsmarting even the savviest among us. To make matters worse, Blake is forced into a reluctant partnership with a woman who has her own ties to his troubled past. He’s hiding a secret—dark and ghastly, one that he’d do anything to keep buried. 

I was left pondering just how old Jack Heath was when he penned Hangman. The bio in the back boasts that he was first published as a teenager, so essentially, we’re looking at a literary prodigy on the verge of terrors. Fast forward to the present, and he’s written three more thrillers in this series, along with a Doctor Who kids' book, all of which reveal a mind both vibrant and disquieting.

The prose flows with an effortless ease, embracing simplicity while delivering just the right dose of vividness to satisfy my craving for rich descriptions. The pacing is brisk, reminiscent of the late '90s X-Files craze, the kind of story that keeps you glued to your seat, even in the face of absurdity. Dialogue crackles with a believability echoing the charm of vintage Hollywood thrillers, the kind that could still scare you silly in an unholy, delightful way.

Now, let’s talk about our haunted hero, Timothy Blake—a cannibal, if you can believe that! Yes, you heard me right: Hannibal Lecter-like levels of chilling deliciousness. The twist? Blake struck a deal with the FBI, serving as their consultant in exchange for... well, let’s just say a rather disturbing dietary preference. What does a cannibal need with bodies? Gross, right? Yet, there’s a macabre brilliance in his character—a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, equipped with a photographic memory and a knack for solving crimes that would make even the most seasoned of detectives squirm.

Surprisingly, despite the icky premise, Hangman turned out to be an intensely gripping read that I enjoyed. I can see why Jack Heath found himself on the literary map at such a tender age; his raw talent for crafting tales is undeniable. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the other labyrinths of mystery he’s created. ╌★★★★★

⁓B.J. Burgess