The Hangman

Hunter/O’Sullivan Adventure #3

by Will Patching

One sip could spark a world-wide conflict. One man has the skills to stop an all-out war.Doug Hunter is tired of his covert life. The ex-CIA assassin dreams of cutting ties with his employer and becoming a father to his unborn child. But when he intercepts a deadly delivery of a highly toxic chemical weapon, reuniting with the woman he loves may mean he’ll have to kill to survive…

Now a full-time investigative reporter, Kate O’Sullivan needs a scoop to prove her worth. Desperate to unlock a personal mystery to expose CIA corruption, she ignores the danger and dives into action. But with the precious life growing inside her, getting too close to the action could put two souls in danger.

As sinister agents close in, Hunter races to find the source of the lethal weapon. But after the attack targets the public and frames an entire nation, the reporter he pines for may find herself in the wrong place at the wrong time…

Can they stay alive long enough to stop a madman from kicking off World War III?

The Hangman is the pulse-pounding third and final book in the Hunter/O’Sullivan Adventure thriller series. If you like complex plots, strong heroes, and high-stakes espionage, you’ll love Will Patching’s gripping novel.

Download The Hangman to expose treachery and treason today!

Genres: Thriller

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2018

About the author

Will Patching's approach to writing

Will writes gritty crime stories that mix murder mystery, psychological suspense and intense thrills while offering unique insights into the darker side of human nature. His ‘pull no punches’ style and sparse but often brutal descriptive passages will not suit all readers, so if you are into cozy mysteries you might want to look elsewhere!

With complex plots and rounded characters, Will’s novels are necessarily longer than average, usually well over 100,000 words, so these are definitely stories designed for readers who like to really get their teeth into a good yarn!

Now considered something of an expert on psychopaths, thanks to his extensive research and personal experience of people with this personality disorder, Will set up a popular website to help lay readers understand these destructive individuals and why their existence is so important to society in general. Visit the site here.

Will’s writing draws heavily on this expertise but his novels are designed to entertain rather than educate – though many readers appreciate both aspects of his writing. He is currently working on completing two trilogies, though each novel is a self-contained story.

The first novel in each trilogy, Remorseless and The Hack, are already published, with the sequels due in late 2016 and early 2017 respectively. The third and final instalments are expected by the end of 2017.

Personal background:

Will Patching was born and raised in ‘Sarf Lunnon’, Engerland, or at least, that’s how he pronounces it! Hence, many scenes from his novels are situated in London, the surrounding suburbs and other parts of southeast England, though they also span as far afield as Thailand and the USA.

His approach to writing is to hit the reader with hard truths about the world we live in, and his mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels are designed to get your pulse pounding. One male reader decided he needed to check his door locks late one night while reading Remorseless and subsequently commented on social media:

‘Seriously scary!’

Will’s eclectic professional experience – from his teenage role as a ‘gardener’ weeding sewage treatment filter beds, through flying a Hawk jet very fast, very low and very dangerously before the RAF realised and booted him out, then attending Harvard on a course for potential CEOs, largely thanks to the Peter Principle of promotion, and more recently, to building his dream, a charter yacht that sank in SE Asian waters – all have led to a rich and varied life, often reflected in his writing.

If you would like to know more about this indie author you might like to join Will’s Readers Group. You’ll also gain exclusive access to novel backstories, author insights, prize draws and more, including notification whenever a new novel is released. Head to this webpage for more info!

Reviews

[Don Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I expected a solid, exciting read when I opened Will Patching’s novel “The Hangman,” I was not prepared for everything I found (and that’s not a bad thing).

The story moves from character to character, effortlessly ratcheting the tension upwards. Doug Hunter is involved with a mission which hasn’t worked out for anyone, and all the players are now being forced to improvise. His pregnant girlfriend, Kate O’Sullivan, is hot on a news story that promises to pull her into a world of danger. We are introduced to politicians and terrorists, all believing deeply in their own personal philosophies while pushing their own agendas. Some of the supporting characters, such as Donnie Dinesh and Jemma Chagos, are extremely interesting or complex, which adds spice to the book.

Some of the scene descriptions provide their own additional flavor. If you’ve never seen a discussion/debate inn the British Parliament, you are in for a treat. Other chapters containing details of a terrorist readying weapons of poison as well as the subsequent execution of that attack gain power as the thoughts of the terrorist are interwoven throughout.

Longtime fans of Mr. Patching will recognize his style of mixing an adventure/thriller in with current world events. However, it is evident that the author has elevated this entire story to a higher level, presenting readers with a tightly woven tale that could match up with many of the most popular books on the market today. The story leads us through a minefield of unexpected results, culminating in more than one twist and turn before the ultimate conclusion.

Bottom line: Tension-filled story told on several levels works extremely well, and I found it difficult to stop reading. This third and final entry in the Hunter/O’Sullivan series has enough backstory to be considered a standalone. This is a tight thriller with topical elements which begins with a brisk pace that never lets up. Five stars.

My thanks to the author for an advance electronic copy of this book.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hangman is the third book in a trilogy about former CIA assassin turned vigilante Doug Hunter, and the London-based tabloid journalist that he falls in love with, Kate O’Sullivan. While each story stands alone, I recommend reading them in order, as while there is enough background (including spoilers for the previous two books, The Hack and The Hunter), the characters’ actions will make more sense if you know what happened before. These are gripping fast paced action thrillers, featuring some truly evil villains and a high body count. I’ll try and avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read the first two.

Following their recent adventures in Thailand, Kate has returned to London, while Hunter is on a secret mission with his new colleague Jemma, aiming to intercept a prisoner handover in the Middle East. Eric King, the thuggish head of a private security company, has plans to trigger a profitable international conflict by providing “evidence” of state-sponsored terrorist atrocities, in collusion with power hungry politicians and ambitious members of the CIA and MI5 - and they are prepared to kill anyone who gets in their way. Can Hunter survive long enough to return to the woman he loves?

Sometimes you discover a new author, love the first of their books that you read, and then are always ever so slightly disappointed by the follow-ups that don’t deliver the quite same rush… This was an exciting conspiracy-filled page-turner, but knowing from the start who the bad guys are and roughly what they’re up to took the suspense down a notch for me. I found the premise scarily believable - this was published in 2018, and it certainly makes you wonder about some of the major terrorist attacks of the last decade. This author has shown he’s not afraid to bump off sympathetic major characters, as well as killing and maiming large numbers of innocents - the book is violent and moderately gory, although not gratuitously so.

The only real weakness of the book (and the trilogy as a whole) is the romance between the two leads, neither of whom is likeable - he’s cold and callous, she’s vain and stupid, and they both confuse lust and hormones for love - they barely know each other, and are kept apart for basically the whole book, so I was unconvinced if not surprised by the ending. It’s labelled as a trilogy, but not all plot arcs are wrapped up, so while that’s the last I expect to see of this duo, it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the minor characters reappear in other books - or at least I hope they do, even if only so the rest of the baddies can be dealt with. I’ll certainly be reading more of Patching’s work and recommend the trilogy to fans of dark conspiracy thrillers.

[Luc · Rating 5 out of 5]

With The Hangman, Will Patching concludes the Hunter/O'Sullivan trilogy with a thrilling finale. Apart from all the action and the intrigue it is very interesting to see the personality of Doug evolve and Kate gets another reality check of how the press world operates. With her pregnancy both our main characters are at a crossroads in their lives and some far reaching choices will have to be made. But first there is a job at hand for Doug and before you can make decisions about your future it is always safer to clean some skeletons out of the cupboard.

On the whole, a superb end to a great series. What will Patching come up with next? He certainly has set the bar high for his next project.

[Kath Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the explosive finale to The Hack trilogy and takes a sideways look at recent political developments. Someone is trying to foment war in the Middle East. Kate, the journalist in this set of novels, is caught up in a terrorist attack in London – but who is behind it? Doug Hunter is on the same mission at the other side of the world but longs to leave it all behind him and disappear into an ordinary life somewhere.

I am used to thriller novels building up to a massively suspenseful climax but with Will Patching, the whole thing is climactic. We reel from crisis to crisis, horror to horror and scarcely get time to draw breath. This is thriller writing at its best. The whole trilogy is highly recommended.

[Pisces51 · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE HANGMAN By Will Patching (BOOK 3 THE HACK TRILOGY)
MY REVIEW 1-STAR*

I have been progressively more irritated, disgusted, and finally just plain disappointed in this third installment of THE HACK TRILOGY (THE HANGMAN). This feeling took hold by the time I had read 22% of the book, was solidly entrenched by the time I had finished a little over a third of the novel (36%), and after passing the half-way point last night (51%), it is clear that there is only a downward spiral from this point onward. In a more general sense I feel betrayed by the author.

I read both of the prior books in this trilogy, and to be fair, I had misgivings about some of the content.

Patching exhibits no compunction (no conscience?) about allowing his readers to invest their time, money, and emotion in a full length novel only to leave them hurt and disappointed by a horrible, heartbreaking ending for characters that they have learned about, cared about, and just felt really good about. It is fine to scare us readers into thinking that something bad might happen, or that someone who has been wounded might not survive, etc. But in the final analysis, the possibility of disaster needs to remain just that, a possibility NOT a reality. Let good prevail. I don't read ANY BOOK to be depressed, disappointed, disgruntled, and to feel downright betrayed. If I am THAT much of a masochist all I have to do is turn on the TV and listen to the "News".

What do I MEAN about Will Patching's novels? Examples: Johnny's grim torture and death was egregious in THE HACK (Book 1). In Book 2 (THE HUNTER) there was the disastrous fate of the courageous and incorruptible Police Major General Lee, which I found to be disappointing, painful, and just plain unnecessary. NOW---in this final chapter of this triology the character of CHAGOS just plain has to die, right??? That quite simply is the last straw for me. Talk about no empathy...try some introspection into the sadistic machinations of these plotlines. I wrote in MY REVIEW of THE HACK that the death of Johnny was "very nearly a deal breaker" for me, but I was (in retrospect) naive enough to award the book 5 Stars despite my clear misgivings. I feel stupid now admitting it, but since his body was not found or identified, I held out hope that he would be alive prior to the finale of the trilogy. In the case of THE HUNTER I again was explicit about my attitude about the cruel dispatch of lovable characters (but again made flimsy excuses for the author's clear misstep and poor judgment).

But my criticism of the final entry in the HACK Trilogy doesn't END with my clear conviction that Patching either thinks his heartless and ill-thought out killing off of sympathetic characters is done in the spirit of "realism" or otherwise needs to do more research on what makes a novel successful and motivates a reader to hit the "Purchase" Button on future "trilogies". He loves to spout off about his understanding of psychopaths and their lack of conscience. I say he doesn't show his readers enough empathy.

BUT WHAT IS THE PRIMARY AND OVERWHELMING REASON THIS BOOK WAS A FLOP? ANSWER: THERE WAS NO MAIN CHARACTER. I loved the fictional character of Doug Hunter in the first two installments, but who wants to read a long novel with only a glimpses of the hero? For that matter, I really liked the protagonist Kate O'Sullivan. She was brave, honest, and fearless in a horrible situation. Where was SHE in this book? Well, you wouldn't recognize the character.

I would estimate that 90% of this book is devoted to Patching's ridiculous conspiracy theory that frankly is flabbergasting but more than that, it is a downright insult to the United States and for that matter it also depicts England's Prime Minister as a fool who is surrounded by greedy atheists and lunatic fringe of one flavor or another. It is also a slap in the face to our greatest Ally Israel. Much of all of this build up to framing Iran for a biological weapon attack on Britain's soil is just tedious and at least somewhat difficult to follow all of the players in the melodrama. Oh, well, they DID want to kill a lot of innocent people in Israel as well, but conspiracies due run into a snag now and then.

Let me see if I have this right. There is an ex-military government contractor who controls Blackrock Corp ["Eric King"] who sets in motion a conspiracy to cover his own padding of services to the government and theft of zillions of dollars. We learn as this final installment of the trilogy winds down that King was complicit in sabotaging his own equipment and rescue operation to kill off CIA Operative Hunter, CIA Director Teague, and the US Secretary of State. He and other powerful political players are able to thereby cover King's discretions, but also install their own people in as CIA Director and Secretary of State. Monte, the puppet installed as CIA Director, is spineless and only in his powerful position to do the bidding of King. He is one hot mess whenever around the sexy new Secretary of State (Cassidy). She is depicted as an outright religious zealot that yearns for the end of days. The President-Elect (obviously Trump) is described as "belligerent" but just what the nut jobs in this conspiracy plot need, or as the sexy caricature of a Bible-thumping crazy Secretary of State reflects:

" There’s a holy war underway, Monte. Our new leader will end it once and for all. We're on God's path, smoothing the way for the President-elect to do what every one of his predecessors has failed to achieve. The annihilation of our enemies and the renaissance of Jerusalem as the holy capital of Eretz Israel".

The conspiracy then extends to Great Britain with the "Jackie" Head of MI5 and ["Teddy"] perhaps her best undercover operative posing as an imam (pretend acolyte of the infamous hook-handed hate preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri). Jackie, the Head of MI5 is portrayed as a ruthless bitch who worships at the alter of naked ambition while holding several stiff drinks. Her undercover agent is characterized as a religious zealot driven by his hatred of the Islamic faith. Are we to feel sorry for the manipulation of the Jihad terrorists with time on their hands in the streets of London? The Chief Commissioner of London's Metro Police and the Prime Minister are not suggested to be a part of this widespread conspiracy. BUT--- the PM of England is repeatedly depicted as a nervous buffoon, ABSURDLY easy to deceive and lead, if not too ignorant to live, at one point not knowing the difference between Botox and botulism poison.

Britain and the United States with the goal of starting a war against Iran in order to wipe it off the face of the earth. Triggering an outright war against Iran hinges on the creation of a deadly biological weapon, then unleashing it on both the United Kingdom and Israel. The key point of course is to cleverly point the finger at the Muslim terrorists and then establish proof that the poisonous ricin gel compound originated in the terrorist state of Iran so they would take the fall---literally and figuratively.

The final criticism I have is still in the vein of so little time spent with the characters we learned to love in the prior two installments [Doug and Kate]. However, it isn't just the TIME not spent with them---Kate doesn't come across to me as having much depth at all in the book, I can't even say I was all that fond of her. HUNTER---that is a different matter. I tried to be patient for the small sections that informed the reader what in the h--- he was doing, and of course I loved the character of Chagos from THE HUNTER. It is like that the author attempts to reinvent the fictional character of Hunter---can a man change? Sure. THAT MUCH? No. It isn't believable.

Mr. Patching may be interested to know that the reviews on this book thus far have been assessed as 100% low quality or fake. There are only eight (8) reviews, but still...a GRADE F by Fakespot should not be disregarded as unimportant.

[Barbara Tsipouras · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thriller is outstandingly excellent.

In this third book of the trilogy Hunter and Kate find themselves involved in a seemingly unbelievable international conspiracy including terrorism and warmongering.

But is it really impossible? Look at the world, at those in power. What do we really know about their motives? We don't know what's going on behind the scenes. We don't know what the different secret services are doing - and where. And sometimes one hand does not even know what the other hand does.

Yes, Will Patching's story is creepy and shocking - but not impossible.

I get it, politics are a dirty game of power, always have been. Personal or supposed national interests rule, but the motivation of some of the characters in this plot are disgusting in a way that hurts me on a very peronal level. They claim and believe to be devout Christians and that they do what they're doing because it's God's will. Nothing could be farther from the truth. That's the kind of fanatism we usually attribute to Islamists. Sadly the same mentality exists within Christian circles, a fact I find hard to believe.

As always Will Patching's writing flows easily, drawing me in, making me fear for his characters, letting me see the atrocious scenes, taking me to England, Iran, the USA, Turkey and Cyprus within minutes.

[Shellie]

Can't say enough good things about this author, brilliant storyline & amazing style! I rarely have to look up a word, but he is dynamic enough to utilize the english language fully. Read Will Patching, you won't regret a moment!

[Danita · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to put into words just how much I enjoyed reading this book. It was impossible to put down! The story is full of action and was thought-provoking, really making you ask questions... What if some conspiracy theories really are true? What if the "good guys" really are the "bad guys"? What actions can be justified for "the greater good"? Like the other books in this series, there is a complicated web of characters tangled across multiple continents and countries. There's murder, terrorism and conspiracies everywhere you look. never a dull moment. A fantastic conclusion to great series!

[Peta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in this trilogy... I want more.. :) Loved loved the characters... the plot... well that was enormous. brilliant. entertaining. addictive... and much more..
I can only imagine what research went into these books..
every time I decided to bookmark and go to bed I just had to keep going... the author makes sure you don’t want to put it down..
it’s a wonderful international crime thriller... do yourself a favour and read the trilogy..

Will Patching is one hell of a talented writer...

I’m off to read his new book... The Widow..

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disaster

Terrorists are at it again. This time using soft drinks to poison the public with a chemical weapon. The story is fraught with murder, mayhem, disaster and deception. Those CIA people can't seem to be honest. And the politicians aren't any better. I like a book that ends with redemption. But unfortunately, some of the people involved did not get their comeuppance. Still a good book.

[Dave Bate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy Will Patching's novels. This is a very clever and well researched book that keeps ticking along at a fairly good pace. Moving from scene to scene also keeps the readers on their toes as the action comes thick and fast. Four stars is maybe doing the book a disservice as I would have given it 4.5 stars. The ending came as a surprise as I was expecting more pages to follow, so I was left on a precipice expecting more, maybe next time eh!

[Monte Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will at his best!!!

I have completed this trilogy by Will Patching. It by far is one of the best books i have read in a long time. His conspiracy theories, characterizations, and storytelling are rare and successful talents. I heartily recommend this book to all who enjoy espionage, and governmental ruthlessness. Bravo Will, bravo!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shame it's the end

I couldn't wait to read this after having read the other two books in the series and wasn't disappointed. I loved the depiction of the UK politicians and the way the story rings true even if it is fiction. Read past the end for an idea of where the plot came from and how close fiction is to fact. I hope there are more books to come soon.

[Ms Rita Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The hangman

Another thrilling page turning novel covering terrorism which when you add in some conspiracy theories and both sides views leaves you wondering who are the bad guys.
Another thing I like is not always the good guys make it which is the reality.
Can't wait for next instalment

[John Needle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Culmination of a fantastic trilogy

Original stories in all 3 books covering various abuses of power by the powerful.
Twisting and turning throughout with two great central characters who are supported by interesting and strong secondary ones.
Will Patching is an author I shall enjoy reading more of in the future

[Silver Surfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a very good trilogy series. I wish there could be more. It gets you gripped from the beginning to the end that you don’t seem coming. As I have said before, that Hunter is one mean dude. Highly recommended.

[Lynda Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting with the first book, I was hooked, the story is fast-paced, exciting. I love the characters in these books.
Hope there might be more coming but not sure the author has that in mind, but I am hopeful

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific. This Trilogy may be a work of fiction but there are a lot of truths in them. Couldn't put The Hangman down. Read through the night it was so good. Just never know what's going to happen next with a lot of "Oh No" and "Yes" going on.

[Art Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy - if you liked the first two books, you'll like this one!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an intriguing story that kept me reading. Crime thriller at its finest

[shelby walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good all the way to the end. liked book very much

[Walter Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Abuse of Power, and plot elements that seem to be based on events that are happening Right Now.

While I hated every interruption that caused me to put down the novel, there was a sense that this one did not have the same “fresh” and “new” feel as the two previous novels in this trilogy. The villains seemed to be of a similar type as featured in its predecessors. Vile politicians on both sides of the Atlantic; vile leaders in the CIA and other agencies; ex-special forces personnel used as “mercenaries” by holders of high government office and CEOs of powerful and influential international companies. (“Vile” on them, as well.)
But there were interesting characters whose involvement drove a lot of the plot. Conspiracies, weaponizing of seemingly harmless items, and nail-biting tension, interspersed with scenes of combat, were certainly up to par with Will Patching’s companion novels in this trilogy, as well as his previous “Remorseless” set.
In order to get the most out of “The Hunter / O’Sullivan” trilogy, I strongly urge readers to read “The Hack” and “The Hunter” first, and in that order. Immerse yourself as deeply into the narrative as you can stand. And don’t skip over the End Notes and Comments at the end of each novel. No argument from me: all of the novels written by Will Patching are excellent and intelligent thrillers.
If you like thrillers written by Brits, that can keep your eyes glued to the pages as you read (but not have to spend time looking over your shoulder, distracted by every small out-of-place sound), Andrew Barrett’s SOCO Roger Conniston, and CSI Eddie Collins are two consistent and gripping series worth checking out. At least, that is what the reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads feel strong about.

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more than satisfying end to the series - some threads tied up from the earlier books and the possibility of a 'happy ending' for the leads. The usual wide-ranging locations but rather more of London than we've had in the previous books: Kate is working at home for once. Not that it make much difference to her safety.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I was shocked by the behaviour of some of the British cast members - and then realised that I seem to have become inured to that sort of thing from foreign (read American) powers; no reason why the UK government agencies wouldn't be doing the same thing...

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a Patching fan, but thought he got to far into the weeds of exaggerated stereotypes. I prefer more subtlety. 3.5

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great solid read from a great author and can't wait for his next book to come.
Have read loads of his books and always a damm good read and would thoroughly recommend

[Kenn Goslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a fitting end???

The Middle East is not the usual region for a tour de force, but our Doug has been busy as usual!!!