Mary Burton does a very good job of creepy suspense. There are several suspects and the plot is complex. I liked Julia and Novak together but this is more a suspense novel than a romance. There is some romance but it is not the main focus in this novel. Ms Burton does a great job showing how difficult undercover police work is on both the officers and their families. There are so many complexities in the plot but they all fall into place deftly with Ms Burton's touch.

The Hangman ended his killing spree over 20 years ago. The cop investigating the case at the time committed suicide and many people thought the killings stopped because he was The Hangman. His daughter Julia has followed in her Fathers footsteps and is a cop with the Virginia State Police. Julia doesn't believe her Father was the Hangman and wants to find the truth, even if it turns out she is wrong. Now a body has turned up that could be connected to the old case. Novak, a detective who is in a relationship with Julia, is the investigator on the new case.

There are a lot of trails left by the author for the reader to follow to try and figure out the identity of the Hangman. Julia and Novak are not perfect characters. They both have issues from their past which make them more human and interesting to the reader. This book is fast paced and will grab you from the first page. You won't guess who the bad guy is until the author reveals it, I didn't. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Detective Tobias Novak is called out of his warm bed to go investigate some bones that have been found. Much to his surprise, the bones are at least 25 years old and there is a picture of Julia Vargas and her father taken when she was just a child. And now he's going to have to get her out of his warm bed and have her take a look.

The Hangman, back in the day, killed three women by slowly hanging, over and over again, until he got tired of the game. All of a sudden, he just stopped, never to be seen again. Julia's father, JIm Vargas, himself a cop, committed suicide years ago... right before all the killings stopped. Coincidence ... or was he the Hangman?

Julia means to find out .. no matter what the truth really is.

Working alongside Novak, they begin an investigation that will lead to a dangerous conclusion that no one could possibly imagine.

This is Romantic Suspense at its very best. Such a cleverly written story with the perfect balance of suspense and implicit sexual moments.

Novak and Vargas are a prime example of opposites attract. He is calm in the face of a storm, quiet, steady and he knows what he wants. Julia is headstrong, a little on the secretive side to protect her inner feelings. She's a risk taker, not always a good thing. She is determined to find the truth about her father, no matter what that truth is. There are things in her background that few people know ... and Novak wants to be the one person she can turn to, talk to, without fear.

The secondary characters round out the story. There is her father's partner when they were working undercover. He knows a lot ... but unfortunately he has the beginning of Alzheimer's, but he remembers enough. His wife also has secrets that haven't seen the light of day in many years .... and she certainly doesn't want them exposed now.

The author's story is intriguing and highly suspenseful. This is book 3 of a series, but is a stand alone. Now that I've started at this end, I'm going back to read ..... THE SHARK (book 1) and The Dollmaker (book 3).

Many thanks to the author / Montlake Romance / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I loved this book. It grabbed me from the beginning and I read it in one night. Waiting for the next book

In review of this book I find myself once again amazed by this author's writing talent. She has a way or style to her writing that just sweeps me away into the pages of her stories. The Hangman is a fast-paced, intense story that leaves you guessing until the end. The two main characters Julia Vargas and Tobias Novak share a complicated relationship that I enjoyed seeing develop throughout the story. This is definitely a book That I have already recommended to my friends and family.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Hangman by Mary Burton that I read and reviewed.
I loved The Hangman because it kept me wondering who the killer was until the end. I absolutely love it when Burton makes the reader change their mind over and over about who they think did it and she did that to me a number of times in this book and I could not wait to get to the end to see who the Hangman was.
I also loved Julia and Novak as partners and as a couple in this book. They were a great match for each other and they added another great dimension to this story besides The Hangman case they were trying to solve. I honestly could not put this book down because I could not wait to see what was going to happen next. This book is packed with action and romance and it will keep the reader guessing. Another great book in this series and I hope their will be more to come because Burton seems to be slamming them out of the park with The Forgotten Files and especially with The Hangman.
I am giving this book five out of five stars.

Mary Burton has the ability to draw readers into her books with a strong story, characters who are flawed, human work hard to bring those to justice who have killed even the weakest of characters.

The story starts off with a bang but slowly develops into a relationship where the female lead is trying to convince the male lead the relationship isn't going to last because she is broken like her father.
Reader are taken on a journey not a wild ride as the leads discover the truth of the The Hangman Serial killer and how he is connected to Julie and her Father.

The slows down mid way though the book even with the newest murder I found it hard to focus because so much time is spent with Julie trying to convince herself the relationship she is in is nothing more than short term or nightly visits.

The story is well developed while the story is slowly developing readers will keep wondering who is the The Hangman.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy.

Murder 25 years ago, a cop who has long been trying to solve the case. Julia Vargas wants to solve the case her dad was working on when he supposedly killed himself.

A skeleton is found in a home with a photo of Julia and her Dad, is this the break Julia has been looking for ? With help from Detective Novak, can Julia find the person responsible for this heinous crime and find the truth about her fathers death before the killer can stop her ?

This book grabs you from the first page and don't let go till the end. Dark, suspenseful, nail biting, edge of your seat thriller. You won't be able to put it down.

A murder going back 25 years. The investigation of her cop father and whether he was a serial killer, and his death. The relationship between the investigating Detective and the Agent daughter will have you rooting for them. The suspense continues to the end. Another excellent book by this author.

The past is not always long dead.. Sometimes its just been lying dormant and we all knows what happens when you start poking a sleeping bear.

The Hangman's reign of terror was thought to have ended 24 years ago. But the daughter of the undercover officer who had been tracking him all those years ago and who committed suicide at the same time The Hangman took his last victim brings the case front and center again right at the same time a body that has been dead for 24 years turns up and looks to be connected to the long cold case.

Julia Vargas is a cop with the Virginia State Police. Her whole life she has had to live with the whispers that her cop father who killed himself was possibly the killer called The Hangman. Even though her father wasnt around much during her childhood due to always being undercover she knows in her heart he was a good man and could never been a killer. Losing him at such a young age hardened her and she is not big on trust. Her one goal has been to clear her father's name and to bring the right killer to justice – no matter the cost.

Tobias Novak is a homicide detective whose own past is full of tragedy that has left him hardened too. A wife that tried to take their infant daughter with her in her suicide. Years later with that daughter now in college he has embarked on a sex only relationship with Julia with neither asking nor interfering in the others personal life. When Tobias gets the case of the woman who had been dead for 24 years and finds a connection to both Julia's father and her he crosses the personal line with Julie to both help his case and because he realizes he wants more then just “benefits” with her.

The secrets and people that started crawling out of hibernation when Julia and Tobias started poking was a long list of characters from both the past and present. Lots of sordid going on's 24 years ago.

Both Julia and Tobias did a lot of changing over the course of the book. Julia was the long hold out of not wanting to allow herself to care for anyone but the solving of the case and the tenacity of Tobias and his daughter finally softened her hard heart..

I have read all Mary Burton books and have loved each. This one does not disappoint. This is a fast paced book with alot of interesting characters. Julia and Novak are trying to solve murders that end up colliding into one serial killer. I love the way they are growing together and learning to trust each other. MS. Burton 's attention to detail is what makes her writing so special. Right about the time you think you have figured it out, here comes another piece of information or clue that throws you in a different direction. The characters add so much interest and depth. I really like the fact that Julia and a couple others were first introduced in the Dollmaker and are now brought forward to this book. I thoroughly enjoy her books and anxiously wait for the next book. Her books are just that good.
I recommend this book to everyone that loves a really good mystery, romance, intrigue and just a real good read!

Full review to be published online at the end of April or early May.

THE HANGMAN is the third book in Mary Burton's intriguing and creepy serial killer series “The Forgotten Files”. Here, cop Julia Vargas is hunting a serial killer on the side from her regular job with the police. She has more than a clinical interest in the serial killer known as ‘The Hangman'. Many years ago, her own father died in mysterious circumstances while investigating this same killer. Aided by a fellow cop, Tobias Novak; the couple continue the investigation and fight a long simmering attraction. Its not long before they discover some critical clues in the case; clues that tie her late father and herself intimately to the killer.

THE HANGMAN is a great addition to the “Forgotten Files” series. This is a book than can be easily read standalone from the two previous stories. Best of all, author Burton manages to avoid (for the most part) the info-dumps and dragging, lengthy investigation where clues handily drop into our heroine’s lap. I do wish the storyline had not been so tightly attached to Julia personally. It's really not very realistic.

Overall, THE HANGMAN is a solid, gritty thriller, and a highly enjoyable read. Mary Burton fans will love it; and this would be good book for a new reader to start with the author.