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Hangman #1-3

The Hangman Box Set

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Silent Crime

This world is evil.

My mother used to tell me that evil only comes to those who are looking for it, and maybe she was right.

Corruption and death walk hand and hand in this town. I refuse to give in, but giving up seems to be my only option.

As a detective, I’ve seen enough killing for ten lifetimes, and now, leaving is the only way to keep my sanity.

I never thought that my last case while training my replacement would have a stranglehold on me personally.

It’s like the Hangman is placing the noose around my neck, and the rope is only getting tighter.

Guilty Crime

With new victims in his sights, the Hangman will stop at nothing to get his revenge, even if it means dragging Detective Jake Thomas down with him.

After making it personal, Jake is even more hellbent on solving the case, even if it means delaying his early retirement.

But when his only informant skips town and Jake finds most of the truth has been buried, not only with missing case files but in his own mind, can he and Detective Jo Calloway unlock the clues they need to bring the Hangman to justice before Chief O’Connor becomes the next victim?

Hidden Crime

Now that Detective Jake Thomas knows the Hangman’s true identity, he’s on the path to wrapping up the case, but when a revelation about Jo’s family makes waves between them, will they be able to see eye to eye and make it happen, or will the truth put obstacles in their way?

When Kyle Young comes to town with an agenda of his own, it puts him straight in the Hangman’s sights. Will the Hangman’s revenge plot go as planned, or will he find himself with some unhealthy competition?

500 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2019

1296 people are currently reading
1873 people want to read

About the author

W.L. Knightly

121 books366 followers
WL Knightly is a thriller/murder mystery co-writing pen name for two USA Today Best Selling Authors. "W" when not writing can be found dealing in Antique Jewelry and hanging out with her awesome hubby and three kids. And "L" is a full-time writer that lives near Nashville, TN and spends her time cooking, hanging out with her hubs and 3 kiddos, or wrangling new ideas as they float by!
Their love of a good mystery novel caused them to combine forces and go after their dream of telling stories that sent a shiver down your spine. I'm thinking they figured it out!
These two friends met years ago when they both started writing and publishing in various young adult genres and needed a critique partner.
The rest is history...They'd love for you to join the fun!
Website-http://thezodiackillerseries.com/
Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/wlknightlyau...
Insiders Group- https://dl.bookfunnel.com/j1rryhvu53

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Community Reviews

5 stars
725 (46%)
4 stars
451 (28%)
3 stars
245 (15%)
2 stars
91 (5%)
1 star
60 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews130 followers
Want to read
July 7, 2020
🎁 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (7/7/2020)! 🎁
66 reviews
January 28, 2020
I read books 1 to 3 in a Free kindle package . Best value ever on amazon as I could not put the books down and read all 3 quickly . I could not put any of these books down for reasons other than the suspense as well as the potential romance of 2 detectives investigating. The murder descriptions are grossly violent however there is a sense of justice behind each murder. I reduced rating to 4 because Book 3 seemed to drag on with repeat of the same ongoing personal attraction issues between the 2 detectives , hot and cold , as well as explicit sex scenes not involving the 2 of them , all which feature more than do the detectives efforts in advancing towards stopping the hangman murderer . I think the outcome of the story ( I.e. the end of the hangman and whether the detectives do become romantically involved ?? )could reasonably have finished by end of book 3 as the hangman’s identity is known by police by then despite police can not locate him . I will order the next in the series as overall I have enjoyed very much reading each story to date .
33 reviews
February 21, 2020
This series dragged me in so much I bought the follow up books so I could complete the series, only to discover there are six more books. Because I have such a strong aversion about poor editing I refuse to get sucked in.
The story is good and the characters are alive making it difficult to put down. But books littered with editing errors are like finger nails screeching on an old fashioned blackboard.
I also think this series could have been written in three books instead of five. I also am not a fan of reading explicit sex in a psychological thriller. If I wanted to read smut I would buy romantic books.
This author has great marketing skills and will sucker many readers by managing to create cliff hangers in 200+ pages.
Having said that, I was drawn in by the story and characters but not the writing skills. Page filling writers tend to aggravate and annoy me.
Even though I gave this three stars, I cannot in good consciousness recommend this.
Profile Image for Kelly Busse.
22 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2023
I wanted to be really excited about completing this box set until I realized after book 3 it continues and I would need to go on to more. This would not have been a concern to me if the 3rd book was as decent as the first 2. Unfortunately, I feel the author tried to drag the story on to produce a linger story and more books in the series loosing the lore of the story itself.
Normally, I fly through my books.
Book 1 was good enough to make me want to know more and I quickly continued on to Book 2. By Book 3 it took me days to complete it because I found that it dragged and turned from a thriller to a soft core porn. I found it repeative and boring. I had to force myself to finish it only to see that the story doesn't end.
Book 3 didn't do enough to make me want to know how it ends and this is where I leave it.
I am always one to have to know how it ends, unfortunately this series left me not caring.
Profile Image for Dee Cash.
566 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2020
Very Good Novels

For some reason I always expect a box set to be from beginning to end. Not in the case of The Hangman. I read three very good books and when I was through, I was told to read three more to finish the story. Maybe I'm a little skeptical but I can't help but wonder if there will be three more if I read the next three.
Profile Image for Kanwarpal Singh.
969 reviews12 followers
October 15, 2024
The silent crime

The book was a decent reading experience.The story developed well, and mostly sensibly.I seriously enjoyed this serial killer chiller, of a gruff burnt out cop disgusted at a legal system's corruptness and a new female detective, Considering the book opens on the main character, Jake, sleeping with a (much younger) woman whose name he forgot, it got off to a bad start to me in the feminism department. Then we meet Jake's new partner, Jo,all blonde hair and her physical attributes and things start to change in terms of him and feminism. However, I still feel like this aspect is forced, in an "I'll only respect women who are hot/who are doing something for me" kind of way. As they try to catch a vigilante nicknamed The Hangman.

The crime aspect in this was also forced to the side as we faced more of the character's personal problems, and it was sometimes hard to remember this was a gory crime novel. However, this does not seem to be done to make the reader feel more comfortable or to lighten the story.The injustices are carried out by so many in the justice system it will be hard to figure out who's next.

The cliffhanger makes it a less than average read because of less of clues and corruption and power shifting in the station politics.

Guilty crime
The authors surely know how to tell the story, you don't feel bored at any point. It's just that the whole book stands on the shoulders of the Hangman. Michael Young fails to impress as a proper villain, he's no one in front of the Hangman.

With new victims in his sights, the Hangman will stop at nothing to get his revenge, even if it means dragging Detective Jake Thomas down with him. After making it personal, Jake is even more hellbent on solving the case, even if it means delaying his early retirement.

But when his only informant skips town and Jake finds most of the truth has been buried, not only with missing case files but in his own mind, can he and Detective Jo Calloway unlock the clues they need to bring the Hangman to justice before Chief O’Connor becomes the next victim. we finally found out who The Hangman was and his reason for his unleashed vengeance.

Jake and Jo have finally understood that there's something between them, but I'm not much excited. Probably the only thing interesting could be how Jake is connected to the Hangman.

Hidden crime

While you were reading this series and just going with the flow, they were good. They had all the makings of a good crime thriller, with a really clever plot line to back it all up. The idea of corruption and injustice was really interesting and the way that played into the murders was like nothing I had read before.

Just when you think its safe to go back home and resume your life...that really should have been the motto to live by here. Once again, the Hangman is two steps ahead of everyone else. More interaction between Jo and her father (the senator) and a fat dose of her brother Kyle. Still love the chemistry between Jo and Jake, but Jake is being an idiot in this book so I was a little frustrated with him.

I thought the author ran out of storyline, so he turned this book into hardcore smut just to fill the pages. There was also so much back and forth romantic innuendo between Jake and Jo that I just shook my head and skipped over it in this book
Profile Image for LaReinabuena.
53 reviews5 followers
June 3, 2024
Por fin llegamos!

Que largo fue el camino que creía que iba a ser corto.
El primer libro devoré fue intrigante, muertos aquí, muertos allá... misterios aquí, pistas allá y te absorbía.
Cuando pasamos al segundo libro, empezamos la decadencia con el flirteo entre los detectives, los flashbacks, nuevos personajes ya conocidos realmente y el saldo de una muerte en todo el libro o eran dos(?)
En fin, el tercer libro fue tedioso y casi infumable con todo el flirteo fantasioso entre dos adultos enamorados como niños de trece años. Un sentido total sobre el cual han dado vueltas, se enojan como si realmente están juntos... el sexo entre el hermano sicópata y la esposa del juez sobra, el sexo entre la psiquiatra y el detective allá por la página cuatrocientos y pico sobra. Un insulto que faltando 25 páginas para terminar el libro... maten al abogado asap encuentren el cadáver y pongan continuará.

Es un libro de intriga, policial, psicológico. No espero leer erótica, no espero niñerías que es con lo que nos encontramos al final.

Voy a terminar de leer la saga, espero que los últimos 3 libros no decepcione totalmente.
Profile Image for Elaine.
703 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2020
A freebie for my Kobo. Interesting enough story but not well edited. I also am really tired of the gorgeous female cop falls for rugged older male cop shtick who can't help but stare at her ass, etc. Also said male cop cannot help but sleep with the hot female shrink he has been forced to see. Yes, every woman who has worked so hard to climb the ranks of her medical and psych degree wants to risk it all to sleep with her patient?!? Anyway, this freebie came with 3 books in the series that amounted to less than 1000 pages and I won't be buying the rest. I ran out of physical books while camping and this was the first title that popped up on my Kobo. To the ladies that wrote this: seriously? Give your females some pride and let them use their brains and stop having them sleep with your chauvinistic protagonist.
Profile Image for Hillary.
80 reviews
December 5, 2023
DNF 33%

I don't DNF a book often. Possibly ever. This is the 2nd book I've DNFed after the first book. It wasn't even the gore or the graphic scenes that got me. I got bored tbh. It was the repetitiveness. I get it. You're corrupted some how, you die a horrible death. Sure. Hot lady cop stuck with a rude detective as a replacement is just clique. They start to get used to each other and then one of them makes the other one mad or can't handle it and yadi yadi ya. Their relationship was just awful. I couldn't get with the program with how they feel about each other or if they ever do. I'm all for a good gory mystery thriller but this was just NOT IT. I wish it was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
265 reviews2 followers
Read
January 25, 2020
A dead man playing

Kelley Madden suffered a terrible lost, his wife and daughter were viciously killed and his trust in the justice system died when their killer got freed by a corrupt system where money and power reigned. He died and was reborn as the Hangman. Two detectives got in trail when he started k is revenge killing of all of those involved in getting the killer go free. There twists and turns involving a powerful senator and his son, both related to the female detective....Too bad the story is to be continued. I'm hooked!
15 reviews
April 25, 2020
Another fantastic thrill a minute ride

After reading the Zodiac series by W L Knightly, and being suitably impressed, I thought I would try the Hangman Series. The first 3 books have given us the insight as to how the Hangman was "created". A man comes home to find his wife and young daughter brutally murdered and what follows is to be a travesty of the justice system as the killer is let off. After some time The Hangman is created from the attempted suicide of the dead woman's husband.........gripping read so far.
Profile Image for Munie  Moe.
71 reviews7 followers
January 11, 2021
I got this as free box set in Google Books, and it is totally page turning till I realized that I will be left hanging because there is another books.

I love the thriller side of the books, and the murder scene is quite gory and seem living up in imagination. I quite did not appreciate the romance side of Jake & Jo. The unsure feelings of boths really get me with how they turn cold and hot toward each other.

Five stars from me for the thriller/murder sides. And 3 stars for the 'budding' romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for TD 😈🖤.
85 reviews4 followers
December 1, 2024
What’s next for our two detectives? Will Jake & Jo make light of another hidden family secret? Will Jake stop being a dipshit and make the moves on Jo? We will never know as this was only the first 3 books.

I throughly enjoyed each book. I did feel like the 2nd was slower than the other two but I devoured the story between Jake & Jo. This book made me feel like I was watching a movie and I could actually envision the events happening. I can’t wait to dig into the next 3 books!
Profile Image for Mary Rowe.
2,617 reviews8 followers
January 14, 2020
Multi-Layered Murder Investigation

What a complicated set of interlocking tragedies and corruption around one small community! Amoral power brokers, henchmen, loose women, uptight, neurotic cops, psychotics, and a plot for retribution, ending in a cliff-hanger and i wonder if the conclusion is nigh or whether the story lingers on through another trilogy....
11 reviews
October 7, 2020
Book 1-3 are easy to read. They keep your interest from the start. The mystery is good and keeps up without giving too much away. Toward the end of book 3 there is unnecessary sexual detail that doesn't add to the plot. The books I read are free and of course the next three books in the series are not free.
Profile Image for Londeka Shabangu.
81 reviews7 followers
March 11, 2021
There's absolutely no way I could write an amazing review for this Box set without adding any spoilers.

The Hangman is an engaging read filled with suspense, thriller, a little bit of romance and gruesome murder descriptions... If you love details especially about murder scenes, this is definitely the book for you

I enjoyed this very much and the author never disappoints
8 reviews
July 3, 2021
DO NOT PASS THIS SERIES' UP!

A MUST READ. Fast paced page turner that keeps you wanting more. They take you inside the scenes and you feel personal connections with the characters and even a remorse for the serial killer. Amazing series! I will be following these two authors from here on out.
537 reviews4 followers
March 1, 2022
Bummer

I was happily reading a great set of books…I did wonder at about the 88% if I had been duped. Never ending stores are the worst.
I was reading a five star plot until it said continued in book four. I’ll never know if the detectives catch their man, because I’ll never buy the next book.
2 reviews
December 29, 2022
The easy reading style has kept me busy on winter evenings but the predictable story line and 101 psychology just becomes annoying and to finish book 3 to find it goes on for another 3 is depressing. I'm rooting for the hang man to finish off the lead characters in case there are ideas for books 7-9.
439 reviews1 follower
August 28, 2023
Terrible. Don't waste your time with this garbage. So many things to not like: (1) Story doesn't conclude with 3rd book; (2) Gratuitous, pornographic, explicit sex scenes; (3) Main characters not likeable, especially male lead--his thoughts about women; (4) Really terrible writing style, and killer is revealed fairly early. No reason to go on to the other books in the series.
28 reviews
November 18, 2023
Predictably

The book is very predictable and very similar to the movie “Law Abiding Citizen”. I read the box set of three books and assumed that was the total but it’s not so very annoyed by that. The author just dragging out the story line though you could read the first book and know what is going to happen.
Profile Image for Amelia Bell.
7 reviews
March 22, 2024
Great story, poor editing

The story is a real page turner, and great storyline, probably could have done without the graphic sex scenes, But it feels like the editor fell asleep on this, so many grammatical errors, oversights on duplicated paragraphs, and inconsistencies with who a character is talking about.
48 reviews1 follower
June 13, 2024
Wow!

I like the gruesome crimes for a totally believable reason. The personal relationships between the main and supporting characters is dynamic and downright funny. The toture of the murdered quite well presented. Lastly, knowing who the murderer "Hangman" is does not deminish this thrilling read.
61 reviews3 followers
January 24, 2020
This is a box set of three books. What they don't tell you is that it's really half of a full book. After reading all three "books", I'm only halfway thru the story. Besides feeling misled, the book was not good enough for me to have interest in reading anymore.
256 reviews
January 25, 2020
Non-stop reading and want to read more

That is how intense and interesting the story is. 1 and 2 are better, especially 1. 3 is a little rumbling and wandering. The lady Dr. character is a disgusting and distracting one.
210 reviews1 follower
Read
February 6, 2020
I also expect a boxed set to end with a conclusion, but was told I’d have to read three more books. don’t know if I will bother to do that although I did enjoy the first three. The third book especially could have used better proofing as I found grammatical errors increasingly distracting.
Profile Image for Michelle Brooks.
12 reviews
February 23, 2020
This could’ve been a great series.

The premise is good. The characters are interesting. The “Box Set” is more like 3 novellas. I will pay the $4.99 & skip to #6 and instead of wasting $10 on #4 & #5.
58 reviews
May 1, 2020
Good Story Line

I like murder mysteries and while I enjoyed the story line, I noticed a few errors. Some names were used incorrectly. A few to mention, Tate for Kyle and Jake for Jo. Need better editing! Will read the next series anyway.


32 reviews
August 10, 2020
Only a few mistakes.

The writer mixed a few characters names up a few times & @ one point went to first person on one sentence. They were still good books & easy reading. Flowed easily.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews

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