The Hanged Woman

Michael Brady #6

by Mark Richards

Is the answer in her past?
Or in someone else’s future…
Michael Brady is back.
The Hanged Woman is Book 6 in the series ‘that gets better and better.’

‘Brilliant.' Michael Brady is fast becoming the Yorkshire Rebus.’
But this time ‘cold, hard evidence’ – everything he’s always relied on – is letting him down.
Brady is starting to doubt himself.
Personally and professionally…

He stared back. His voice cold. Flat. Dispassionate.
“Your choice,” he said. “They’re the only clothes you’re getting. And it’s a long drive. Twenty miles. Long enough if you’re naked. The towel doesn’t cover much.”
“And then you’re going to kill me.”
She’d accepted it from the moment she saw him.
“Yes. You know that.”
“Why?”
“You know that as well. You’re not stupid.”
“When?”
“Tonight. If the rain holds off.”

Her body is found on Wednesday morning.
Hanging from a tree. Halfway between May Beck and Falling Foss.
Brady’s got one clue.
And only one clue.
Five tarot cards.
But are they a message for him?
A warning for the dead woman?
Or a reading for a client?
Is the answer in her past? Or in someone else’s future?

The Hanged Woman sees Brady challenged like he’s never been challenged before.
He’s got Frankie. He’s got his small team.
And it’s Brady. He’s got his demons…

The psychologist looked across the desk at him.
“You want me to give you an idea of the person you’re looking for?”
Brady nodded.
“Do you have a twin brother, Mike? An evil twin, separated at birth?”
“You’re saying he’s like me?”
“He takes risks. Ignores procedure. He’s prepared to risk everything. He’s a maverick, Mike. He’s exactly like you.”

417 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 24, 2023

About the author

Librarian note: There are multiple authors with this name in this data base.

For the author of the UK's Funniest Dad Blog go to Mark Richards.

For the author of Software Architecture Patterns go to Mark Richards.

For the outdoor writer go to Mark Richards.

For the co-author of A Practical Approach to Conveyancing go to Mark Richards.

Reviews

[Donna Morfett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough read for various reasons. None more so than because the author passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in September last year.
His daughter picked it up and finished it in his honour, and it really felt like a lot of questions being answered and ends tied off. Making it all the more clear it will be the last Brady book.
As for the story, well what a read. A woman is found hanged upside down in a wood. Brady uses everything he can to solve the case, even turning to Tarot. There's a lot of twists and secrets. Love and money the main forces controlling the motivations.
There is an utterly heartbreaking side story that's both important to highlight and is written beautifully and emotionally.
It's a shame this will be the end of Brady, Ash and Archie, Frankie, Dave and his bacon rolls, Dan Keilor, but what a fitting end it is.

[Beverley Latimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Michael Brady books by the late Mark Richards. I knew he was halfway through book six when he died. And although I'm very sad that this will be the last Michael Brady book, I would like to give a round of applause for his daughter Elle, who despite her grief picked up this book and finished writing it for her dad. Well done Elle, you managed to keep the one voice through the book, making it seem as if just one person had written it. Very well done, and all the best with your future writing career.
Highest recommendation!!

[SkyeWake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bittersweet read, knowing the circumstances in which this book was written. I must say Ellie has done her dad proud. Not only has she taken his characters and developed them, but also written another excellent Brady story in his particular style and finished it in a way fans will appreciate.
This is another rollicking tale, complex with twists and turns, old characters reappearing, new characters emerging. Ellie has managed the emotional depth needed to cope with all the events, beautifully. What a tribute.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Michael Brady Book Lives Up to the Rest

I was hooked on this series with the first book in it, and I am sad there are unlikely to be more—unless his daughter decides to take up the pen by herself (and I hope she does, whether to write more Brady books or her own). Mark Richards was a lovely, intelligent, funny man, not unlike Michael Brady. He contacted me after reading a review I wrote of one of his books and invited me to join his Facebook group, which I did. How amazing it was to be personally contacted by an author! But he was that kind of author, that kind of person. I was worried how this last book we were promised would end. I almost didn’t want to read it. I knew the writing would be intelligent, the plot complicated, and the characters human. I shouldn’t have worried. It ends beautifully and perfectly. Mark, you are so missed, and I am sure you know this already, but your daughter did you proud.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hanged Woman is the sixth and potentially the final book in the Brady series. Sadly in September 2023 Mark Richards passed away suddenly before he could complete the sixth book. His daughter E.S. Richards, an author of dystopian fiction decided to finish the book and what a fabulous job she made of it. Her father would be proud of her. There is nowhere in this book where you would think Mark hadn’t written it.

As all books in the Brady series you are taken into the world of Brady and his fellow officers and the twist and turns of the storyline keep you turning the pages. The characters are always believable.

I am sad that unless Elle writes another one from her father’s notes for books 7 and 8 there won’t be anymore Brady books but happy in the fact Mark has left us six books to re read time and again.

I will also enjoy re-reading the books he wrote of walks he did with his son. The Kerry Way in particular. You always made me laugh Mark. R.I.P

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most thoroughly enjoyable book from start to finish, and it certainly kept me guessing from beginning to end.
It is a unique, well written storyline and plot with strong characters and lovely descriptive.
I have always enjoyed reading Mark's books and, like many, sad at his passing.
It must have been extremely difficult for his daughter to finish this book. He had already started writing. She has done a marvellous job using his notes to finish this amazing book.
Whether this is the ending he had chosen, it is a well fitting one.
As I was reading this book, I felt all the way through that it was Mark writing this. It shows what a great writer she is, just like her dad. He would have been immensely proud.
Even if you have never read any of his books before, read this one, and maybe then you will want to read his other great books.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with mixed emotions. We know it's the last of the series with the untimely death of the author but I'm so happy that his daughter Elle took up the baton and finished this. It was a seamless read and perhaps fittingly with things coming to an end also in some aspects of Mike Brady's life, more introspective than usual. I'm not complaining! I love the insight into Brady's thoughts both in this and in the earlier books.

There's an interesting aspect to the story involving tarot cards which had me intrigued but the overwhelming emotion running through this for me anyway, was sadness. Overall, this is another terrific book in what was a great series and I'm gutted there will be no more.

[Marcia Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Tribute

Elle, you have done a great job finishing your Dad's book. You have inherited your Dad's wonderful qualities of storytelling. I'm so sad this is the last book in the DCI Brady series, but the ending was perfect. Your Dad would be so proud of you for finishing a book he thought would be his best book in the series. I think you've given a lot of us in his writer's group the closure we needed. You were so lucky to have him as your Dad, and we were so happy to call him a friend. I know this must have been very difficult for you to do, but I for one am very grateful you did. You can be very proud of this book. I recommend this series to everyone. Thank you Mark and Ellle. ❤

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly, as a consequence of the untimely death of the author, this is the last Michael Brady book and we only have this due to the efforts of Mark Richards’ daughter so we fans of Mark’s work owe her a debt of gratitude.
That it is different is indisputable, but the essence of Brady and his team are there. To me, Brady appears much more introspective but it does give some insight into his thought processes so that’s fine. I am sad that the series cannot be taken further, and even sadder at the reason for that but at the same time grateful that Elle took the time to finish her father’s last book.

[J Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read all six DCI Brady books back to back, I am saddened that his journey has concluded. The passing of Mark Richards part way through the writing of this 6th book was particularly sad. However, in true testament to him and his influence on her, his daughter, Elle, found the strength and determination to complete it on his behalf. She stayed true to all the characters that her father had created and brought the story to a fitting conclusion. Her father would have been immensely proud of her being able to work through all the emotions, and grief and achieve a fitting conclusion to the series. Well done Elle, you did him proud. Good luck for your future writing.

[Kath Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman is found hanging upside down from a tree in an exact replica of a tarot card. Brady and his group investigate. This story must have been difficult to finish, as the author died last autumn with two more in the series in the early planning stage. The book was finished by his daughter who has done him proud. Ends that might have been tied up later had to be sorted out in this book, and they were - cleverly and successfully. We owe Elle Richards for not leaving fans in limbo. A book that will be bittersweet for fans but is a really good read.

[Pam Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping story from Mark Richards, who sadly passed away before it was finished. Congratulations to his daughter for her skill in picking up the story from his notes and seamlessly finishing it.
Knowing this book would be the last in the series, I was taken by the way she finished it, tying up loose ends in Brady's personal life.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was bitter-sweet to read. I have loved this series but when Mark Richards died late in 2023, I didn't expect any more books. An excellent author, and a lovely man, was lost to us. His daughter Elle completed the book and did her father proud. Loved the book and would recommend the series.

[Maggie SIEVERT · Rating 5 out of 5]

feeling sad

The end of a series, but worse, I feel as though I’ve lost a friend. Mark Richards was one of a kind and his daughter paid him deep respect in finishing his final book. I’ll miss Michael Brady but ,mostly, I’ll miss the sweet, funny man who imagined him.

[Mary Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for seeing Mark’s work to conclusion. He was a wonderful author and irreplaceable in his view of writing a good yarn. I heard about his death and hoped it wasn’t ‘my’ author. He will be sadly missed.

[Kevin Pfeifle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad but fantastic end

It took me a while to start this book, I was saddened by Mark's death. I had talked to him a few times in his writers group, we were not friends, but I will miss me and his writing. This book was excellent, and a good finish to the series.

[Jill Stirling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good.

[Sam “My Cosy Book Nook” · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m feeling sad for myself, but wishing some old friends all the best

It’s hard to describe how I felt at the thought of even opening The Hanged Woman. Perhaps that’s at least part of the reason why it took me so long to get started.

I knew that Mark Richards had sadly passed away suddenly last year. I never had the pleasure of meeting him face to face, but did chat to him online after he was kind enough to ask me to review his two previous books and also answer some questions for me about his books, his writing and his life (and you can find a link to the Q&A at the bottom of this review). It’s sad for me, though doubtlessly a huge relief to anyone who drinks in the Golden Lion in Whitby, that our singing duet on Irish Music Night will now only ever be a case of what might have been.

I also knew, and was delighted that E S Richards – otherwise known as Elle, Mark’s beloved daughter – had decided to complete the sixth instalment in her father’s DI Michael Brady series, which he was working on at the time of his death. But as I opened the cover, my thoughts were overwhelmingly on two things: would my knowing that this book is the last one dull my enjoyment, and would it be obvious where Mark had stopped writing and Elle had started?

It took only the note at the very beginning of the book, in which Elle briefly describes her own writing journey at the same time as paying a beautiful tribute to her dad, for those questions to disappear. It took the prologue to get me nicely intrigued. By the time I had reached 10% of the book – which took less than one sitting – I was back inside Brady’s head, sharing every bit of his determination to find a killer. And from there … well, that kind of depends.

In Choke Back The Tears, which was the first of Mark’s novels that I was introduced to, I was so well absorbed in the psychology of Brady that I didn’t even notice that this took complete prevalence over any kind of plot. But in the next book, The Edge of Truth, the characters had become familiar enough that the lack of any real sort of police detection, never mind action, bothered me just a little bit. This latest book follows essentially the same format, and I did notice, but I didn’t care.

Think of the last time you had a coffee, or a beer, or lunch with a friend that you hadn’t seen for a while. I bet you talked, and that you enjoyed every minute. But I also bet that you can’t even remember most of what you talked about. And certainly, if a stranger had happened to be listening in on your conversation, he or she wouldn’t have thought that so much of a word of it was interesting.

But that’s the thing with Brady and his colleagues. It didn’t feel like I was reading about strangers. It felt as though I was reading about friends. And because Brady felt like a friend, I didn’t just want to know about his life. I completely understood everything he felt about it. When he finally realised his true feelings for his new partner Siobhan, I found myself agreeing with every word. When he and his daughter Ash, who have been struggling to communicate, finally both felt able to say that they loved each other, it genuinely brought a lump to my throat. And as for his colleague Frankie … I’ve said previously that I once had a similar working relationship with a similarly young (relative to me) female colleague. It’s now been some four years since she moved on to pursue the better things that she was absolutely capable of, but this book really reminded me with some force how much I still miss working with her.

If I have a criticism of The Hanged Woman, it’s the solution that’s offered, which didn’t quite seem to fit with how the crime was presented at the beginning. Perhaps this is where Elle had to take over without knowing what was in Mark’s mind when he started writing: I don’t know. But my ever-so-slight problem is that I got the ‘who’ and the ‘how’. But I didn’t quite get the ‘why’.

Thankfully, however, the solution is not offered in the final chapters. And the final chapters are just perfect. It felt, not as though I was mourning the loss of my friends, but that I was saying goodbye as they left to begin a new chapter in their lives.

Hopefully I haven’t waffled on for so long that you can still remember the start of this review. In which case, you’ll know that I began with two questions: (1) would knowing that this book would be Mark’s last affect my enjoyment of it and (2) would I be able to tell whether different parts of the book had been written by Mark or Elle. My answers, emphatically, are (1) no, not even slightly, and (2) no again. My one over-riding thought as I reached the end of the book was that it had been finished by the only other person who could finish it: not just another talented writer but someone who truly is her father’s daughter.

Elle, I won’t say that you would have made your dad proud, because I’m absolutely dead certain that he was proud of you already. But I will say that I’m sure he feels grateful. As do I. It can’t have been easy for you to finish writing what Mark had started, but you’ve done it wonderfully. Well done, and thank you.

[Fancy]

good plot. the style is difficult for me to read, lots of fragments, ellipses, italicised repetition. but enjoyed the series.