The Hanged Man

Tor

The Hanged Man
P.N. Elrod
2015

The Summary
"On a freezing Christmas Eve in 1879, a forensic psychic reader is summoned to the scene of a questionable death.  Alexandrina Victoria Pendlebury (named after her godmother, the current Queen of England) is adamant that the death in question is a magically compromised murder and not a suicide, as the police had assumed.  After the shocking revelation contained by the body in question, Alex must put her personal loss aside to uncover the deeper issues at stake, before more bodies turn up.

"Turning to some choice allies--the handsome, prescient Lieutenant Brooks, the brilliant, enigmatic Lord Desmond, and her rapscallion cousin James--Alex will have to marshal all of her magical and mental acumen to save Queen and Country from a shadowy threat.  Our singular heroine is caught up in this rousing gaslamp adventure of cloaked assassins, meddlesome family, and dark magic."

The Good
I really liked P.N. Elrod's latest novel.  As an ardent fan of her Vampire Files series (which she wrote during the 1990s), I found I was equally enchanted by her latest series, Her Majesty's Psychic Service.  It's an absurd, adventurous tale full of action and Victorian science and psychics--and, quite possibly, paranormal activity.

It's a great deal of fun and, luckily, it moves at a pace that's satisfying.  It's very much a novel that hits you with something new each chapter and, while it does skirt perilously close to having too much action, it manages to unfold without overwhelming the reader.  The Hanged Man is also full of surprises, not least of all the identity of the hanged man for which it's named; however, it doesn't attempt to throw out any roadblocks or smokescreens to hide the true course of the novel.

No red herrings, so no worries.

Likewise, I was pleased with the characters:  I loved Alexandrina, and I enjoyed Brooks.  She's a mercilessly witty narrator, quick as a whip and equally ruthless with her fists, but she's intelligent and self-sufficient--and she makes a heck of an investigator.  I loved that she was so competent, that she was able to confront and solve mysteries without batting an eye.  Brooks was similarly interesting.  Admittedly, I liked him for the fact that he poses such an intriguing plot twist for future novels.  I'm curious to see where the pair will end up next.

Lord Goldaming's character was also a nice literary touch.  It was a pleasant surprise to find the seamless melding of Victorian literature, history, and expectation--that is, the readers expectations of Victorian culture.

The Bad
The Hanged Man is one of those fun, guilty pleasures.  There isn't much to it, not a great deal of depth, but the ride was fun.  I went into the book knowing this, so I wasn't surprised or even disappointed.

If I have one complaint, it might be that the book feels as if it ended before everything was fully explained.  I've yet to understand the significance of mirrors or the origin of the strange creatures Alexandrina encounters, which was a little disappointing; otherwise, I had quite a lot of fun with Elrod's latest novel.

The Ugly
Betrayal.

It still stings.  Just a little bit.