John Sandford author of the phenomenal Prey novels returns with The Hanged Man's Song.
The Hanged Man's Song (Kidd)
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Just about everybody knows John Sandford for his long and successful Prey series. But just as well written and maybe more fun are his Kidd books, of which this is the fourth. Kidd is a professional thief for the Internet age: a cyberprowler, a hacker extraordinaire. In The Hanged Man's Song, he gets word that one of his key contacts--a superhacker known only as Bobby, whom Kidd has never met but has relied on many times--has disappeared. Kidd and an old buddy, both of whom could be compromised by data in Bobby's files, go looking for him. Finding his brutally murdered body draws them into a Hitchcock-esque intrigue that eventually involves stolen government secrets, crooked politicians, and a rogue CIA agent who's as crafty as he is creepy.
While filling his tale with fascinating and authentic-sounding lore about the hacker subculture, identity theft, and security cracking, Sandford keeps the action brisk with plenty of white-knuckle chases, tense stakeouts, and hairsbreadth escapes. Couple that with a smart, agreeable narrator and a cast of vivid characters evoked with an old pro's ease, and you've got one winning thriller. --Nicholas H. Allison
From Publishers Weekly
This series of techno-suspense novels featuring artist, computer wizard and professional criminal Kidd (The Fool's Run; The Empress File; The Devil's Code) and his sometime girlfriend, cat-burglar LuEllen, are far fewer in number and less well-known than Sandford's bestselling Prey books. In this entry, Bobby, Kidd's genius hacker friend ("Bobby is the deus ex machina for the hacking community, the fount of all knowledge, the keeper of secrets, the source of critical phone numbers, a guide through the darkness of IBM mainframes"), goes offline for good when he is hammered to death by an intruder. Bobby's laptop is stolen, which is bad news for Kidd as several of his more illegal transactions may be catalogued on the hard drive. Kidd needs to find the computer, break the encryption and revenge Bobby's death. The trail leads from Kidd's St. Paul, Minn., art studio to heat-stricken rural Mississippi and on to Washington, D.C., where Kidd uncovers a government conspiracy that threatens the reputations and livelihood of most of the nation's elected representatives. One of the joys of the series is learning the tricks of computer hacking and basic burglary as Kidd and LuEllen take us to Radio Shack, Target, Home Depot and an all-night supermarket to buy ordinary gear, including a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew, to use in clever, illegal ways. The action is as hot and twisted as a Mississippi back road, but the indefatigable Kidd eventually straightens it all out and exacts a sort of rough justice that matches his flexible moral code. The early entries in this series have aged badly because of the advances in technology, but this latest intelligent and exciting thriller proves a worthy addition to Sandford's overall body of work.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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First Sentence
>>> NOW THE BLACK MAN screamed No!, now the black man shouted, Get out, motherfucker, and Carp, a big-boy at thirty, felt the explosion behind his eyes. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
>>> NOW THE BLACK MAN screamed No!, now the black man shouted, Get out, motherfucker, and Carp, a big-boy at thirty, felt the explosion behind his eyes. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is my first Kidd novel and I really enjoyed it. Fascinating read on just how vulnerable our computer-based secrets really are. Sandford pulls no punches in slagging politicians and how the wrong information makes or breaks lives. Thought provoking and entertaining characters.
By Jonie
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I am a John Sandford fan, and this is the first in the Kidd series I've read. I prefer the Prey series, which is written in a tighter, edgier style. This story seemed to drag for me. Kidd, a professional hacker, and his (?) girlfriend LuEllen, a professional burglar, keep trying to chase Carp, a man who killed the master hacker, Bobby. Their chases are bungling and nonsensical. Sandford throws in a weather report everywhere, it seems, and sometimes I wondered if that just wasn't filler to make the book longer. I like the Lucas Davenport character, did not particularly like Kidd. And I don't know why. Maybe I'm just used to a better style of writing, which Sandford incorporates with the Prey series.
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Of the three great books I've read this summer (Last Juror, Bark of the Dogwood, The Hanged Man's Song) this has been my favorite with "Dogwood" coming in second. Most will recognize Sandford for his "prey series," but few might know that his "Kidd" books are just as great. You don't have to be interested in compuers, hacking, and data mayhem to get into this book--it's well-written and moves so that anyone will find it interesting.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tight
Incriminating, tight, suspenseful, and well-done, this action-packed novel has everything for everybody. One of the best things I've read in a long time. Read more
Published on Aug 4 2004
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hackers, Whackers, What?
This is a very slow moving story, in which criminals (hacker Kidd and his burglar friend LuEllen) are trying to catch another criminal and fail lousy. Read more
Published on Jun 28 2004 by Gerburg Frick
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Glimpse of the Future, or is the Future Here Today?
Kidd is a computer hacker par excellence who is also into painting. He hacks information and sells it to the highest bidder. Read more
Published on Jun 5 2004 by Island Dreamer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always a favorite with me John Sandford has gone over
the top with this cyber thriller. Crooks and spies and burglars oh my! There is truly nothing this novel does not have. Read more
Published on May 26 2004 by Joymarie
1.0 out of 5 stars
You must be Kidd-ing
I finished The Hanged Man's Song last week and remember only enough of it this week to suggest that it's not worth the time. Read more
Published on May 17 2004 by Don Ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Boy! What doesn't it have?
Boy! What doesn't this book have? This Hitchcockian page turner is the fourth in a series and just as good as the previous three. Read more
Published on May 11 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cool book!
I was only recently introduced to the Kidd series. I've loved all the Prey books over the years, and Lucas Davenport is one of my favorites but he is rapidily be replaced by bad... Read more
Published on May 3 2004 by Jenny Blickman
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best Kidd novel yet!
While the "Prey" series featuring Lucas Davenport is more widely known, the Kidd series just seems to have even more intrigue than the well-written Prey novels. Read more
Published on April 4 2004 by Brad Cooper
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sanford strikes again
This is the 4th book in the Kidd series and like the others it's a quick read and hard to put down.
While in Louisiana doing a painting for some rich guy, Kidd discovers that... Read more
Published on Mar 10 2004 by Christian Dorr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kidd is replacing Lucas Davenport as Sandford's best
John Sandford weaves another spellbinding novel. The characters are believable. Richard Ferrone provides a great narration. Read more
Published on Feb 6 2004 by William J. Tennison
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