Review of The Hanging Tree

[Christabel Uzoamaka]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Hanging Tree" by James Walker.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Lady Jane Tremayne has a nose for trouble, and her curiosity is leading her once again into more peril than she might be able to handle. In the second book of the Lady Tremayne Diaries series, Lady Jane takes on a case of murder. Olivia, Jane’s best friend, discovers an unidentifiable lady dead in the woods. For any passerby, the hanging lady must have committed suicide. But Lady Jane smells foul play. When she discovers testimonies of a strange black coach in town on the day Olivia discovered the body, her conviction grows even stronger. Just like in the first book, Lady Jane takes it upon herself to unmask the killer. This mystery, however, may prove more dangerous than ever before. She may be putting more at risk than she's willing to lose.

The narration of this book is in the first person, mainly by Lady Jane and some parts by Lady Olivia. At first, the narrative style irked me, and I thought that it gave me a limited view of the events in the story. However, with time, I became appreciative of James Walker’s creative choice, as it helped immerse me deeply in the experiences and feelings of two women who were challenging the status quo of their times. Set in 1654, both Jane and Olivia were bold and embarked on an investigation that many men would not even dare. Despite the criticism Jane got from many people, she did what was right and upheld justice. This strong and resilient portrayal of women in The Hanging Tree was my favorite thing about the book.

Whenever I thought I had figured the entire story out, the author came at me with an addition to the plot that surprised me and made my heart beat faster. From early on, the author revealed who was responsible for the murder. So I wondered what the point of the story from then on would be. But it only got more interesting. Readers will find that even the reason for the murder is not as simplistic as they initially thought!

I also enjoyed that the author did not make this book solely about uncovering a murder. James Walker included Jane’s struggles with keeping up with a sickly infant child, a fugitive husband, staying abreast of financial troubles, and even protecting her life. Even Olivia and Thomas got a little twist in their stories. All these new angles made the book fresh and upbeat, which made up for the lack of suspense at having known who the murderer was from early on.

However, instead of being a true investigative genius, Jane relied largely on intuition and jumped to conclusions a lot! And her merely intuitive conclusions were usually right; I found it a bit too easy and unrealistic. This book is not one for people looking for a thought-provoking crime book or a largely suspenseful whodunnit story. But if you are in the mood for a light afternoon thrill and chase of criminals, The Hanging Tree by James Walker is more than a great read. I also recommend another round of editing because, while it seemed like a well-edited book, I found a handful of errors. Owing to the lack of suspense and the author’s excessive use of deus-ex-machina, I must rate this book 3 out of 4 and no less because I found it immersive and exciting.

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The Hanging Tree
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[Ivvie Ivanova]

This sounds like a classic novel and I really love that! I want to read this one, it's exactly the type of book I like. Thank you for your review!

[Ekezie1998]

Quite an intriguing storyline here. Would definitely love to have this book on my shelves. Great review.

[marta baglioni]

I would love this book! I am going to start with the first one of the series. Thanks!