House of the Hanged by Mark Mills

Title: House of the Hanged
Author: Mark Mills
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: 7th July 2011
ISBN: 978 0007276912


Author's page on Harper Collins


Rating: 4/5




The cover on this is nostalgic, giving you a sense of the timespan the book is placed in.


Tom Nash has left his career within Secret Intelligence, but his past isn't going to rest.  This is about his past catching up with him and an unknown person trying to kill him.  For me, parts of this story just didn't ring true from the beginning - I was left with a feeling of 'what if...' and that was always in the back of my mind whilst reading.  That said, as a reader if you didn't pick up on it like I did as it is part of the plot, then ultimately House of the Hanged has got a whopper of a sting in its tail!  


As a resident of Norfolk I always enjoy it when authors mention areas we live close to...even if in this case it was to do with gambling ;p  There are complex relationships in this, with Tom being a bad boy trying to make good.  The relationship between his best friend Leonard, his wife and their daughter is an interesting one.  It also has some very menacing characters in who could be either friends or enemies of Toms. I didn't know from one moment to the next who to trust, just like Tom!  Conspiracies and Tom's theories kept me on my toes throughout this book.  I read this in a day as it was thoroughly absorbing with a great mix of history alongside a gripping thriller.


Book synopsis:
France: July 1935: Le Rayol, at the poor man's end of the Riviera, seems a world away from the rumblings of a continent gearing up for war.  Here, within its community of artists, expatriates and refugees, Tom Nash has rebuilt his life after walking away early from a career in the Secret Intelligence Service.


His past, though, is less than willing to leave him behind.  A midnight intruder tries to kill him and Tom knows it is just a matter of time before another attempt is made.


Gathered at Le Rayol for the summer months are all those he holds most dear, including his beloved granddaughter Lucy.  It becomes clear though, that one of them must have betrayed him.  If he is to live, Tom must draw his enemy out, but at what cost to himself and the people he loves..?


Source - Many thanks to Harper Collins, an ARC was given in return for an honest review.