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LOS HERMANOS HANCOCK
A uniquely terrifying thriller that breaks all of the commandments...with a vengeance.
Not since Cain and Abel have there been two brothers like... The Hancock Boys .
What if two identical twin brothers decided to share a career, a family, a wife, a life? That is exactly what the Hancock boys decided to do. They took turns playing the role of the perfect husband, father, and bestselling novelist while the other lived out his wildest fantasies. It seemed the perfect setup. But what if one of them pushed the game too far? What if there was someone out there who knew their secret?
And, worst of all, what if one of the brothers suspected the other of teetering on the edge of sanity? The Hancock boys both know their game is coming to an end. And they have the perfect plan to protect their marriage, their skyrocketing career, and their very lives. The two men must become one. But which brother is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice? And with so much at stake, can either truly trust the other?
"Simpson has a terrific story to tell and plenty of talent to pull it off."
-- Chicago Tribune
Not since Cain and Abel have there been two brothers like... The Hancock Boys .
What if two identical twin brothers decided to share a career, a family, a wife, a life? That is exactly what the Hancock boys decided to do. They took turns playing the role of the perfect husband, father, and bestselling novelist while the other lived out his wildest fantasies. It seemed the perfect setup. But what if one of them pushed the game too far? What if there was someone out there who knew their secret?
And, worst of all, what if one of the brothers suspected the other of teetering on the edge of sanity? The Hancock boys both know their game is coming to an end. And they have the perfect plan to protect their marriage, their skyrocketing career, and their very lives. The two men must become one. But which brother is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice? And with so much at stake, can either truly trust the other?
"Simpson has a terrific story to tell and plenty of talent to pull it off."
-- Chicago Tribune
560 pages, Paperback
First published February 29, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 12, 2011
While the premise for this book sounded intriguing, it wasn't. The characters were flat, the suspense was nonexistent, and the ending was trite and predictable. I have read many mediocre books in the past but they all had something this book didn't, a compelling story.
September 25, 2013
I don't find books like these often.
The kind you don't want to put down, but can't.
The kind you want to finish and find out how on earth it ends but you don't, because you don't want to finish it too fast and have all the thrill of a good read end.
This was one of those books.
I read Simpson's The Hancock Boys and was just blown away.
I've never read such a tightly plotted thriller, ever.
I never saw the ending coming and it took me by total surprise. It's rare for me to be reading along and literally exclaim out loud. But that's what happened. It took me 11 days to read this, but trust me, it could have taken me 2, if I hadn't wanted to make the wonderful experience of reading it last.
Twin brothers...who end up sharing everything, until it all comes crashing down around their ears.
I can't recommend this enough.
Even though I know how it's going to end, and I'm not a big re-reader? Guess what? I'm going to re-read this...it's that good.
The kind you don't want to put down, but can't.
The kind you want to finish and find out how on earth it ends but you don't, because you don't want to finish it too fast and have all the thrill of a good read end.
This was one of those books.
I read Simpson's The Hancock Boys and was just blown away.
I've never read such a tightly plotted thriller, ever.
I never saw the ending coming and it took me by total surprise. It's rare for me to be reading along and literally exclaim out loud. But that's what happened. It took me 11 days to read this, but trust me, it could have taken me 2, if I hadn't wanted to make the wonderful experience of reading it last.
Twin brothers...who end up sharing everything, until it all comes crashing down around their ears.
I can't recommend this enough.
Even though I know how it's going to end, and I'm not a big re-reader? Guess what? I'm going to re-read this...it's that good.
January 25, 2019
This volume reads like a sort of almanac rather than a novel, since full biographies of every single character in the story are interspersed throughout the book, regardless of how irrelevant most of these characters are in the overall scheme (circumstances under which their parents met, what they did for a living, how they managed to pull through rough spots and the political events that took place on the very day of their birth, filling scores of pages in between a tidbit of actual, nevertheless drab, plot development). Also, several incidents explained at different points are narrated in painstaking detail once again later on, breaking the flow by leaping back and forth in time and from one place to another, following people who appear to have come out of the blue, thus pushing the chaps of the title deeper into the background. Really, the tale of the Hancock boys is never delivered in a direct manner but built around sideshows.
September 21, 2017
For a thriller, this book was pretty darn fun. I liked the cast of characters and seeing things from their point of view, plus hopping back and forth in time. It was good storytelling and kept me in suspense as to what would happen and who knew what.
July 30, 2017
Quite good
April 4, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Nothing was as it should have been. Twins switching identities to fool teachers is one thing. One pretending to be dead? Whole new level!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2024
I enjoyed the premise of this novel, but it felt extremely long. The overall story was interesting, but fell flat at the end.
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July 5, 2025June-2000
May 8, 2014
Full Disclosure: I work with the author. Simpson wrote several novels back in the 90s and at the turn of the century. He then quit publishing to pursue other interests. But he kept writing. And now several of us have taken on the task of bringing his old Warner and Bantam Books and almost a dozen of his new books to the reading public. He had a fairly large audience at one time and hopefully a few of those readers will be interested to see what Simpson has been writing.
The Hancock Boys is my favorite of the three psychological suspense novels Simpson wrote with the editor Kate Miciak while at Bantam Books. John and Will Hancock are identical twins. No one can tell them apart. As young men their parents perish in an auto wreck and an unscrupulous lawyer steals their weighty inheritance. Angered and insulted by this act of deceit, John and Will decide to take action. They plot to execute the attorney. After the fact, to avoid possible arrest, they decide on an even more desperate act. And herein is where The Hancock Boys takes a startling, and brilliant, turn. And takes the reader down roads most of us have never ventured.
The Hancock Boys has at least a dozen primary characters and layers and layers of plot. It has suspense, drama, insight into human relationships, and maybe best of all, for me anyway, an ironic sense of humor throughout the narrative. Simpson seems to have reached the conclusion that man is a dangerous but nevertheless amusing beast.
Find all of Simpson's books, past and present, at www.simpson-books.com
The Hancock Boys is my favorite of the three psychological suspense novels Simpson wrote with the editor Kate Miciak while at Bantam Books. John and Will Hancock are identical twins. No one can tell them apart. As young men their parents perish in an auto wreck and an unscrupulous lawyer steals their weighty inheritance. Angered and insulted by this act of deceit, John and Will decide to take action. They plot to execute the attorney. After the fact, to avoid possible arrest, they decide on an even more desperate act. And herein is where The Hancock Boys takes a startling, and brilliant, turn. And takes the reader down roads most of us have never ventured.
The Hancock Boys has at least a dozen primary characters and layers and layers of plot. It has suspense, drama, insight into human relationships, and maybe best of all, for me anyway, an ironic sense of humor throughout the narrative. Simpson seems to have reached the conclusion that man is a dangerous but nevertheless amusing beast.
Find all of Simpson's books, past and present, at www.simpson-books.com
April 1, 2016
Una vez más he tenido suerte al coger un libro de un autor no muy conocido y que no sabes por qué pero te llama la atención y al leer el argumento te decides. Desde la primera página ya ves que está interesante, y según vas leyendo te va atrapando más y no puedes dejar de leer. Lleno de suspense e intriga, me ha gustado mucho el estilo de este autor, tanto que me ha recordado un poco a Stephen King y John Grisham, ambos nombrados. La historia es muy buena, con saltos en el tiempo y variedad de personajes que poco a poco se van relacionando entre sí, y que finalmente todos los cabos se quedan atados. El final es superbueno, me ha encantado, aunque me habría gustado que fuera otro, pero me quedo satisfecho.
December 28, 2016
Es un gran libro, puedes ver lo que sienten y experimentan cada uno de los personajes y aún asi no perderte de la historia central.
La historia es acerca de dos hermanos gemelos que un día deciden vivir una sola vida hasta que por fin un día se cansan de la mentira y todo se vuelve un remolino de vivencias en las que otros personajes terminan envueltos y conectados al rededor del aura de aquellos hermanos.
La historia es acerca de dos hermanos gemelos que un día deciden vivir una sola vida hasta que por fin un día se cansan de la mentira y todo se vuelve un remolino de vivencias en las que otros personajes terminan envueltos y conectados al rededor del aura de aquellos hermanos.
December 27, 2009
This is a suspense book that talks about two twins that make people believe that one is death and both of them make the life of one, and get married, and have kids, and become a famous writter ...
Finally one of them bores and decides that is really the time for the other to rest in peace...
Really good book, nice characters and incredible story
Finally one of them bores and decides that is really the time for the other to rest in peace...
Really good book, nice characters and incredible story
December 28, 2012
The further I got into the book, the better I liked it. Very short chapters. Time switched back and forth. The story is about identical twin brothers who share a life. Full of irony. All of the characters appear to be what they are not. easy reading. Suspenseful and a twist at the end. I'd recommend it!
(Read when I went to Student Team Lit training at Johns-Hopkins in Baltimore.)
(Read when I went to Student Team Lit training at Johns-Hopkins in Baltimore.)
November 6, 2008
This was a swing and a miss by the author of 'The Caretaker.' I liked that one a lot, but this one had too many characters and was just a different type of story. I'll try another one by Simpson later on.
August 10, 2011
I loved this book.An Excellent read. It was so good I believe it should be turned into a movie.
May 25, 2012
The book was awesome. My imagination went like into a movie. I like how the characters were each described.
January 10, 2013
Best book I have read to date. I would give it more stars if the rating system allowed.
February 7, 2013
A thriller to beat them all!
June 8, 2013
As an identical twin, this book creeped me out, and I loved it.
August 18, 2008
If you like surprises, this book delivers. Strange twists will keep you on the edge of your seat.
August 7, 2012
Superb premise, never read anything like it!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews