House of the Hanged
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By Mark Mills
avg rating
1 review
From the No. 1 bestseller and author of Richard & Judy pick The Savage Garden: a riveting tale of passion and murder set on the French Riviera in the 1930s for fans of Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Jed Rubenfeld
France, 1935: At the poor man’s end of the Riviera sits Le Rayol, a haven for artists, expatriates and refugees. Here, a world away from the rumblings of a continent heading towards war, Tom Nash has rebuilt his life after a turbulent career in the Secret Intelligence Service. His past, though, is less willing to leave him behind. When a midnight intruder tries to kill him, Tom knows it is just a matter of time before another assassination attempt is made. Gathered at Le Rayol for the summer months are all those he holds most dear, including his beloved goddaughter Lucy. Reluctantly, Tom comes to believe that one of them must have betrayed him. If he is to live, Tom must draw his enemy out, but at what cost to himself and the people he loves…? TweetReviews
Having previously read 'Where Dead Men Meet' by Mark Mills, I chose another of his books: 'House of the Hanged' which is set in 1935. Tom Nash, a British writer, has been living at the very western end of the French Riviera for 5 years, where he surrounds himself with lots of friends. Before moving to France Tom had been a spy but he’s put that life behind him – or so he thinks. One night he gets an unwelcome visit from an Italian assassin. Tom is the one who triumphs in the encounter and before finishing the man off manages to extract the name of the person who supposedly wants Tom dead. The trail leads him to the Soviet Union, a country where he lived and worked just after WW1. So, the question is, which piece of Tom’s past is catching up with him now?
I liked this for the above-normal quality of the writing, for the resourceful Tom, and for its suspenseful story. You can never be sure who Tom can trust but finding out gives the reader a pretty exciting ride. 5 Stars.
Review by: Freyja
