Have you ever lost someone near and dear to you? Has information that even you’re not supposed to know ever gotten out in the open for anyone to learn? Have you ever lost both? Kidd, a painter in The Hanged Man’s Song by John Stanford, knows the feeling. In this thrilling mystery novel the protagonist, Kidd, investigates the murder of his friend Bobby Fields in search of the information that Bobby had discovered involving 9/11 paranoia.

Information like that which was stolen has the potential to destroy the United States government, as it links government officials to the 9/11 attacks. The gradual release of this information throughout the novel obliterates the political careers of many people and could destroy the careers of many more if not taken back from the dark assassin. The struggles Kidd encounters throughout the novel are unlike that of any of the previous Kidd novels and have never been as important to the general public as these. Never before has Kidd had motives to investigate like those of this novel, trying to save the United States government and avenge his friend Bobby. The result of his attempts must be read and discovered on your own, as I highly recommend this novel.

The Hanged Man’s Song is a mystery novel comparable to no other. John Stanford’s characterization allows the reader to completely understand the emotions running through Kidd’s mind as he discovers the death of his friend. It gives the reader a sense of reality, making these emotions relatable to nearly every reader depicted by, “Not as close to God as our mothers might wish,” (263). This displays how dedicated Kidd was to avenging Bobby and how he was even willing to sin to get revenge. Overall this is an excellent novel and should be read by all those that love the intrigue of a mystery novel. I strongly believe that anyone interested in such novels would enjoy this novel as much, if not more than I did.