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Read The Hanged Man's Song (2004)

The Hanged Man's Song (2004)

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3.98 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
042519910X (ISBN13: 9780425199107)
Language
English
Publisher
berkley

The Hanged Man's Song (2004) - Plot & Excerpts

This is possibly the last book in the Kidd/LuEllen series and I think the best so far. It has the Sanford writing I enjoy.Bobby has been brutally beaten and murdered in his home and his laptop is missing. As his close circle of hacker friends also known as “The Ring”, find out about his death, they are all concerned about the data that is out there floating in the world. Bobby had a degenerative nerve disease since early childhood and had been in a wheelchair for the last fifteen years. “The Ring” was set up to take care of things in the event he suffered some catastrophic decline or die. But members of "The Ring" are still worried about the implications of Bobby’s death. Where were his data bases and who has them? How well will the encryption hold up if another hacker has his hard drive and his files?Bobby knew he had information that would put a lot of people in prison, so he was always very careful. But it doesn’t take long before information from the laptop begins to leak to the media. CNN says it has a “Bobby source” that is providing them with the information. Everyone is nervous and very worried. So Kidd has two problems. He must get justice for Bobby’s murder and at the same time find the missing laptop.Since we last met up with him, Kidd has been continuing with his painting and is currently working as a consultant for a politician on a casino scam.Marcy was the latest woman to leave him. Like the others, she quickly found she was priority number three after painting and computers, so she moved on. This has not been a problem so far with LuEllen, who he has known now for about ten years, although he still doesn’t know her last name or where she lives. She still has a taste for cocaine and cowboy gear. Kidd hates the cocaine use and rails against it, but LuEllen continues. They get together often but can never seem to stay together.Kidd has recruited LuEllen’s help him with the scam at the casino and during the long dull hours they put in, she shares her thinking about quitting the burglary business. She is now in her mid-thirties and feeling too old to steal. For once, she is really wondering where her life is headed and where she may ultimately end up.The writing in this edition of the series is the best so far. You really need to read the books in the order they were written to appreciate the story and the implications of the missing laptop. There are many references to back cases that Kidd and LuEllen have worked on and have solved.An enjoyable read.

The Hanged Man’s Song is the fourth (and final?) of the Kidd/LuEllen novels by John Sandford. The first two, The Empress File and The Fool’s Run, were written under his own name, John Camp. This book should not be read by someone who is not familiar with the series until they have read the first books. The character, Bobby, who is murdered in the first chapter is integral to the first books and without that background, the reader would not know who has been killed. Kidd and John (another early character) discover Bobby’s body and immediately search for his computer. Not finding it the search is on for the killer and that computer. Again, without reading the first of the series, the reader really has no idea of the real significance of the missing computer. Sandford makes an effort to fill the reader in, but nothing beats the background of earlier books.After that the book is pretty much a chase novel, moving from New Orleans to Washington D.C. and then further along in the pursuit of Carp, the killer. While I really enjoyed the Kidd series I can also understand the reasons behind Sandford abandoning the character and moving on to Flowers. Computer hacking might have been exciting back when he first started the series, ‘89, but in the 21st Century, it really is a boring subject, as everyone has a PC and access to a lot of information on the ‘net and corporate firewalls and alarms are so much more sophisticated than they were 20 some years ago. To make the stories exciting would push credibility too much. For those Sandford fans who have not read the Kidd series, I strongly suggest you go back to the beginning and read them. You won’t be disappointed.

What do You think about The Hanged Man's Song (2004)?

John Sandford is mostly known for his "Prey" series, starring Lucas Davenport. This book is fourth in the lesser known Kidd/LuEllen Series. Kidd is a computer expert who is also a quite good painter. LuEllen is simply a very good thief. Kidd often gets himself into tough situations in his role as a computer consultant which is how he met LuEllen. I still don't know their family names. Most of what Kidd and LuEllen do is technically illegal, but generally in the pursuit of what he and she see as justice. Kidd often gets his assignments and help through Bobby, a genius hacker, whom he only knows through their computers. The story opens with Bobby getting murdered. Kidd and other members of the "Ring", Booby's network of hackers, must find the killer before he publicizes all the secrets on Bobby's computer, some of which would put Kidd in serious jeopardy.The chase follows from there, eventually involving important political figures as well as others close to Kidd and LuEllen. The story shows off Sandford at his best with a great deal of suspense, close calls and other twists. The ending is satisfying and believable, leaving the reader wondering what's next for the series?The only problem with the books is that the technology is changing so fast that this book written only seven years ago seems somewhat out of date. The earlier books present the reader with even more of a disconnect with current reality. I like and admire the characters, both major and minor. Sandford's plotting is also impeccable, as usual, making the book a very enjoyable read.
—Ed

Gripping Plot + our familiar characters warm in 4th "Kidd"...While Sandford is known far and wide for his dozen or more "... Prey" series, starring Lucas Davenport, often in chase of serial killers, this novel comprises just the fourth entry in the artist/computer expert, Kidd. [If he has a first name, we don't know it.:] In the first three stories, Kidd is for hire to generally right wrongs for clients who cannot acquire justice for usually white collar crimes by conventional methods. Most of what Kidd does is technically illegal, but we grow to admire not only him but his sidekick, LuEllen, a definite thief and burglar who seems to have few redeeming qualities, other than that she is the best at stealthy breakins, and oh by the way, a fun bedroom companion of Kidd. A third character completes the regular cast, "Bobby", a reach-only by computer links-type guy who can hack into anywhere and find out anything -- so he's a frequent Kidd helper.This story starts with a big surprise -- Bobby gets murdered. Immediately, Kidd sets out to find not only the killer but to protect his own future from the secrets he fears Bobby may have stored on computer about him and LuEllen. The race that follows between Kidd (with a little help from LuEllen who seems to be along for just companionship for a change) and the bad guy is typical Sandford suspense at his best. Indeed, the bad guy makes very clever use of the computer network to pretend to be a Bobby successor and suck Kidd out and keep tabs on him. Things pretty much turn out OK at the end, at which point LuEllen and Kidd start to have some very interesting conversations about the future.Computer technology changes quickly -- if you haven't read the first three in the series you might wish to do so before the tech stuff is just totally lame. For the same reason, this series as is has a questionable future: could our leading couple go straight, settle down, and have "Kidds" ???!!!
—Jerry

The Hanged Man's Song appears to be the last of the Kidd series by John Sandford, and it's a pretty good one. I wish Sandford would write more of these, but he seems to have lost interest. There is something appealing about the (unlikely) combination of a values-centric, white knight, with a tarnished lance (in the form of a laptop) who goes about righting wrongs while occasionally playing Robin Hood. This one brings a few characters from previous novels into the foreground, though unfortunately we lose one early in the story. The only problem with tech-based stories is that they become obsolete so fast, though I am old enough to remember the "old" times and still place myself in context to enjoy the story.
—Greg

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