The Hangman by Mary Burton

Julia Vargas is a cop with a mission. When she’s not chasing down bad guys, Julia dedicates her time to investigating the Hangman serial killer… the same unsolved case that her father, Jim Vargas, was working on when he supposedly shot and killed himself three decades before. While rumors continue to swirl around her father’s death, Julia attempts to hunt down the truth.

The case once again hits dangerously close, however, when a woman’s bones are discovered in a historic downtown home, together with a photograph of Jim and Julia as a young girl. As horrifying as this discovery is, it may just be the break Julia has waited for. Working alongside Tobias Novak, a homicide detective with whom she shares a complicated—and steamy—history, she’s forced to confront her own past even as the Hangman looms in the shadows. But as the mysterious killer circles closer, Julia can feel her own noose begin to tighten…

Book 3
Buy Links

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~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Mystery
Triggers: Murder, suicide

I have loved each and every book in this series and this one didn't disappoint. Julia is trying to figure out why her father committed suicide when she was so young. It's been something that has bothered her throughout her career – people always assuming the worst, worrying that she'll end up doing the same thing, she just wants to know once and for all, was he the killer people think he might have been?

Then you have a series of murders that appear very similar to the hangman cases from back when her father and his partner, Ken, were working on them. Ken is suffering from early Alzheimer's, but when he's having a good day, he is able to answer questions and shoot the breeze with fellow officers. As the case runs deeper, he is more easily agitated and Julia has to tread more carefully.

Novak is an agent who wants nothing more than to help Julia get to the bottom of her case, because in doing that, it means that hopefully, he'll have more answers for his own case. Is the Hangman killer back?

Throughout the story, there are a lot of things that unfold. You have the mystery of who is killing these women, who killed them back then, why was Julia's family so broken, and who is hoping to target her now?

There are some points of the book that seem to drag a little, but overall, this is a mystery that is worth the read. I really like how Julia is able to stand on her own – she wants the truth no matter what. Novak is there to protect and support Julia, and with others wanting the truth just as much, the cold case is reopened and ultimately solved.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This story kept me guessing right up to the very end. The third book in this series focuses on State Trooper Julia and Homicide detective Tobias. Together they investigate links between recent murders and a series of murders investigated by Julia’s father twenty years ago.

Mary Burton is quickly becoming a favourite crime writer. As always, the plot strands in this story are intricately and cleverly pieced together. I love the way each character has the potential to be involved in the murders and I loved that I was still guessing as the story ended. I love the suspense as the killer draws closer to Julia. I was unable to put this down until I knew whodunnit – so this ended up as a single sitting read.

The relationship between Julia and Tobias is complicated and heavy with baggage. I’m not sure I’d call it a romance, but I enjoyed the trust and care that builds unexpectedly between them. Familiar characters are back in this story and I enjoyed watching favourite characters work together on a new case.

I find it difficult to review crime stories without giving too much away. This is a fantastic murder mystery and after reading the first three books in this series, I have become a huge fan of this author. I would encourage any readers who love well written crime stories to start at the beginning of this exciting series.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
I was scheduled to start reading The Hangman the day that a book I'd been wait a year for released. I thought that was no way The Hangman would be able to hold my attention with the other book begging for me to read it. But I need not have worried. All it took was the prologue and I was hooked.

Agent Julia Vargas starts investigating The Hangman case. Her father had worked on the same case 25 years prior, but when he committed suicide, the murders stopped and it was always suspected that Julia's father was The Hangman.

Julia's lover, Detective Tobais Novak, is called out his lover's bed in the middle of the night to investigate a homicide. It turns out the victim has been dead 25 years and may be connected to The Hangman and is definitely connected to Julia's father.

There are a lot of clues to follow in this story and unravelling mystery of who the killer is and how the three victims are connected goes right down to the wire. It is riveting reading. The relationship between Tobias and Julia added a lovely drop of romance to the story too.

The Hangman is well worth reading.

Also Available in The Forgotten Files Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

For reviews & more info, check out our The Shark post.

Book 2

Buy Links
Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

For reviews & more info, check out our The Dollmaker post.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Mary Burton is the highly praised author of twenty-six romance and suspense novels and five novellas. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three miniature dachshunds.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Hangman (Forgotten Files #3) by Mary Burton to read and review.