The Hangman’s Hold

Written by Michael Wood

Narrated by Stephanie Beattie

Your life is in his hands.

In the gripping new serial killer thriller from Michael Wood, Matilda Darke faces a vicious killer pursuing his own brand of lethal justice. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Helen Fields.

There’s a killer in your house.
The Hangman waits in the darkness.

He knows your darkest secrets.
He’ll make you pay for all the crimes you have tried desperately to forget.

And he is closer than you think.
DCI Matilda Darke is running out of time. Fear is spreading throughout the city. As the body count rises, Matilda is targeted and her most trusted colleagues fall under suspicion. But can she keep those closest to her from harm? Or is it already too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Jun 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9780008490539

Michael Wood

Michael Wood is an internationally acclaimed historian, film-maker and broadcaster, and the author of several bestselling books, including three Sunday Times number one bestsellers. He has made well over a hundred documentary films, hailed as some of ‘the most innovative history programmes ever on TV’ by the Independent. These include In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great and The Story of China. Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries. 

Reviews for The Hangman’s Hold

[Alice Grix · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely brilliant, I had the suspect then I didn't, super read.

[Kim Ring · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The mystery in these books is always good but after a few of these books with this character I got tired of hearing o ver and over how frail the main character was. I was ready for her to "man up already"

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This started off strongly, but seemed to lose its way in the second half (what was that secret meeting at the bowling club there for? - it achieved nothing). The body count was ridiculously high, Matilda kept having to take time off work due to trauma, and I really think the whole missing James/the press having an extremely personal grudge against Matilda angle has gone on as long as it should. The very ending was intriguing, but I hope it leads to resolution in the next instalment, because I am tired of the Carl Meaghan story having to be rehashed every time for new readers.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in this series that I have read. I do feel like this time the fact that I had not read the prior novels did affect some of my reading experience; primarily with the characters. There was a lot of conversation happening in the first third of the book. It seemed like there was no real big hurry to solve the case and the character's carrying on conversations worked well for them. Personally for me, the characters didn't work for me including main lead, Matilda. She was not the strong female type that I enjoy.Plus, the presence of the killer and the killer's motives went unseen and quiet within the first third of the story. You could say that I was bummed and grew bored to the point that I did skip ahead. The story does pick up the further you get into it but still nothing that could keep me reading for hours. Sadly, for me this book didn't vibe with me.