Detective Max Wolfe, his adorable daughter, Scout, and their equally adorable dog, Stan, return in the third in the series, The Hanging Club. This series is a favorite of Auntie M’s for its strong narrative, and the way the author examines the police system and its interaction with society in England.
The title reflects a band of vigilante executioners who are abducting men they have judged evil. and hanging them, then sharing the excruciating videos of the hanging.
Max is troubled. His team’s investigation shows the murdered men all touched off strong feelings by their past actions. The law has dealt with them, but have they been dealt with fairly in the eyes of society?
There are legally correct outcomes and morally correct ones, and Max is sworn to follow the law. Where, he wonders, does the anguish caused to the victims’ family come in?
The media makes these killers seem like heroes, making Max’s job dicey as he tries to investigate. And because the victims cross all stratas of society, so will his probing, with often surprising results.
Max is a man of conscience, perhaps one of his most attractive traits, and these cases will test everything he thought he knew about his beliefs. Highly recommended.
Auntiemwrites Crime-Mystery Author M K Graff 