The characters were well-developed, and I found myself invested in their lives. The plot was well thought out and had enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. I appreciated the attention to detail, and the author did a great job of creating a vivid world that was easy to picture in my mind.
The themes explored in the book were thought-provoking and gave me a lot to consider. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with well-developed characters.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with this book and would definitely read it again. It was a great addition to my reading collection, and I can't wait to see what else this author has in store.

Jo Hughes is teaching astrology at Alcott College in the Cotswolds. But her idyllic life is interrupted when she discovers the body of a colleague. It appears that Seb killed himself but Jo isn't convinced. Then a second colleague goes missing. She contacts her old friend and colleague private investigator David Macy to help look into the death and find her friend...
The Hanged Man is the fourth book in the Jo Hughes series by Linda Mather. It is the first book by this author that I have read. Jo's life has taken a different direction since she left the private investigation work. There are no references to events or cases in previous books although Jo and David obviously have history.
Jo's interest in astrology threads through the book especially as there are tarot cards left as clues. I liked this element of the book as it felt quite unique and gave Jo's character an authenticity due to her human interest in the unknown.
The start of the book is quite slow in pace and it took me a little while to get into the plot as not much happens while the characters develop. The death of Seb and disappearance of Nathan happen early on and Jo tries to investigate alone with little success before finally calling in Peter Macy.
The almost uncomfortable friendship between Jo and David hints at earlier events and I felt there were unresolved issues between them. Meanwhile in terms of the main plot focus, professional relationships seem to have simmered with resentment. Money appears to have been an issue for the college and forms the basis for Jo's investigation.
The Hanged Man carefully builds up the mystery and suspense of the case and has likeable lead characters.

An easy read, not one of my most memorable books but I enjoyed my read through! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for early access tor his title!

This book was an ok, easy read, a few twists and turns and surprises but nothing to make me hold my breath- i need more suspense.

I really enjoyed the hanged man!
Jo Hughes is living a peaceful existence in the gorgeous Cotswolds countryside. She’s looking forward to her weekly glass of wine and catch-up with Aoife, her boss at Alcott College.

But the women find more than they bargained for at their cosy treehouse spot.

Swinging gently in the warm summer breeze is a man hanging from a branch.

It’s Seb, the college financial director. What could have driven him to this?

Jo discovers that the financial situation at the college is dire. But she’s not convinced that Seb killed himself. The question is, though, if he didn’t — who did?

She calls up David Macy, her old private investigator colleague, and the two get to work on the case.

But things go from bad to worse when Jo realises her partner Teddy may also be implicated in the going-on.

Can she read the signs and uncover the truth?

Stumbling across a hanging man is unpleasant. But knowing the man makes it so much worse. Jo uses astrology and pure nosiness to look into why a person she thinks is happy has killed himself. And why has Nathan disappeared? This is a mystery story that has a twisted ending. The story is slow to get all the ending lined up. Interesting book!

I enjoyed it as it's engrossing and entertaining. Nice characters, good plot and a solid mystery.
Even if it can be read as a stand alone I think I would have liked it more if I had read the previous instalment.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A sort of cosy mystery in that the police have rather a back ground role to play solving the murder. As 4th in a series this is certainly one that would benefit from reading those I think. This could make some of the characters come to life better. Nonetheless I'm not sure that I want to know more about astrology and what is on the rise in Aquarius or whatever. Certainly a part of the story but, too much thanks. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

While I enjoyed this, I'm pretty confident I would have like it more had I read the previous books in the series. This has a good plot with some nice twists, and interesting characters. I stayed mostly engaged and suspect many mystery fans and fans of this author will find this worthwhile.

I really appreciate the free review copy!!

Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read #TheHangedMan by #LindaMather
Jo is enjoying her new business running college courses on astrology. In a small cotswold town.
Joining the head of the college Aoife for their usual weekly catch up in the tree house they find the body of Seb the finance director hanging from a tree.
Although this looks like a suicide Jo has her doubts and turns to her astrology charts to help her understand what happened.
This is the fourth book in the series and I think reading them in order would really help. Saying that I found myself deeply engrossed in the story and really enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley for the early read access.

This is the first book I've read by Linda Mather. This book is part of the book series Astrology Private Detective. Which I, unfortunately, did not know.

Reading this book (without having read the prior books in the series), the main characters appear to be pretty grounded in their careers, and as a result, I was not able to connect to them as much. Despite this, the story itself was very interesting. But to enjoy this more, I would probably need to start from book 1.

Having read the first two in this series - I had high expectations. For me, this isn't quite as strong as THE FORECAST MURDER. Not to say it isn't enjoyable, but I found the plotting less successful than the previous novels in the series. I didn't feel especially satisfied at the resolution of the novel - would have to agree with the other reviews that mention the missing person strand doesn't feel entirely resolved.

I did enjoy the tarot & divination aspect of the novel. It felt - in this genre at least - a less familiar way of telling what is perhaps a slightly familiar story. It gives THE HANGED MAN a distinct tone and atmosphere, which certainly helps you push through to the end.

I would've liked a little more development on Jo Hughes, her arc across the first two novels feels more pronounced and significant than it does here. Considering the personal nature of the case, I didn't necessarily feel she was - ultimately - that impacted by the experience she had.

All in all, not my favourite in the series, but I would probably another one.

Jo Hughes is meeting up with a friend for a glass of wine and conversation. Both work at Alcott College .. Jo has classes on Astrology and Aoife is her boss. When they reach their tree house destination, they are met with a man hanging from a tree branch.

And even more of a surprise, they both knew the man. Seb is .. or was .. the financial director at the same college.

Local law enforcement write it up as a suicide, but Jo seriously doubts that. The question she wants answered is if he didn't commit suicide .. then who killed him? and why?

Jo calls us David Macy, the private investigator she once worked with to help he look into Seb's death. But the more they investigate, the more questions they have.

Things go from bad to worse when Jo realizes that her partner, Teddy, may also be involved. Someone else has gone missing. Is he another victim ... or is he the murderer?

This is an attention-getter mystery, full of action, with the spotlight on Jo, a unique character as a private investigator, while also teaching Astrology and giving readings according to their birth chart -- a map of where all the planets were in their journey from the sun at the exact moment of the client's birth. The plot and story line are well-thought out. There are a few twists and turns to keep you glued to the pages.

This book is the fourth book in the Zodiac Mysteries series, but can easily be read as a standalone. However,I do recommend reading in order, Jo's background is fascinating.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this most arresting mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I can usually find enough good aspects of a book to keep me reading, but I sadly couldn't get into this at all. It was a real struggle getting through the pages, I'm afraid to say. However, reading is subjective so what I struggle with someone else may love. I appreciate the review copy and usually tear through Joffe’s titles, but this just didn't float my boat.

A confusing, poorly written book that I almost didn’t finish reading. A major struggle. It certainly didn’t live up to the description. While there have been others in the series, this was my first exposure and I can say I won’t explore further. A flimsy, undeveloped story line.

2.5 stars rounded down to 2

Jo Hughes is living a peaceful existence in the Cotswolds countryside. She's looking forward to a glass of wine and a catch-up with Aoife, her boss at Alcott college. But the women find more than they bargained for at their cosy treehouse spot.

This is my first read by the author and I didn't know that it was the fourth book in the series. I think I must have missed a lot by not reading the books in order. The story seemed to lack lustre in parts and a lot of the information kept getting repeated, like it was just there to make the story longer. The story had a lot more potential.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #LindaMather for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was not my favorite read. I felt the story lacked a lot of drive, risk, and just overall tension. The book blurb is also misleading. I was under the impression that this book was going to be about Jo Hughes clearing her friend and co-worker's name. There was no real climax, the missing person issue is never fully addressed, and at least half the word count is the main character repeating information she has gathered, other and other again. The ending was very dissatisfying, there was no real climax, and no 'battle'. Jo's life is never in danger as the beginning eludes. Overall I was very underwhelmed by this book, and I don't think I will continue reading from this author. I hope this review helps, Happy Reading, and Blessed Be.
Lily Ashtree

A Fitting Addition…
Book four in this entertaining and suspenseful series finds, private detective and astrologer, Jo Hughes peacefully enjoying her happy Cotswolds life but things are about to get unpleasant when she finds more than she bargained for at her cosy treehouse. Another engaging and enjoyable read and a fitting addition to the series.

This is a good mystery but the focus on astrology detracted from the substance of the plot for me. I liked the characters and absolutely loved the setting and how clearly the author was able to paint a picture of it for the reader.

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I found Linda Mather's The Hanged Man engrossing. After what seemed like a quiet beginning, the action kept a steady pace until the conclusion. The plot contained a number of layers and characters, who were interesting. The protagonist, Jo, was easy to "see" as I was reading. Some of the peripheral characters we're not as well defined until the end of the novel, but this didn't hinder the plot. The ending seemed to suggest a continuation of this character's story. I did enjoy this book and would definite read another novel by Mather.