Synopsis:
For a hundred years, the residents of a rural Welsh village have been hiding the truth. Now, a newcomer has started digging around, uncovering more than just buried secrets.
Retired detective, Graham Williams, has moved to Bethgelert for a fresh start, determined to put the horrors of last year behind him. He has seen his fair share of disturbing scenes, but nothing prepares him for what he sees hanging in the gnarly old tree outside his front window.
Only one man can help him uncover the truth …
Stephen Mallow has come a long way since he helped solve the mystery of Cherry Hollow. When his old nemesis calls and asks for help, he jumps in the car, ignoring the pain in his head and the hole in his heart. He’s ready to take on another weird and creepy small-town mystery.
These two unlikely allies, whose main form of communication is bickering, start to work together to dig up the disturbing secrets of ‘The Hanging Tree’, but they soon realise there’s more to the story than they first thought.
A teenage girl is missing. The town butcher isn’t telling them everything. The tree seems to be speaking to Stephen …
And someone is watching their every move …
Review:
The striking cover and intriguing description immediately caught my attention, and the story delivers on that promise. It begins with John, a young man waiting to meet his girlfriend at a tree overlooking the village. While passing the time sketching, a rope suddenly drops, and John is killed, giving the tree its ominous name: The Hanging Tree.
Ten years later, we meet retired detective Graham, who discovers a body hanging from the same tree, only to realise it’s a scarecrow. After taking it down and bringing it home, he wakes the next day to find it back in the tree. His questions to the villagers are met with resistance, fuelling his curiosity. Graham calls on his old friend Stephen, a reporter, and together they dig into the unsettling history of the tree, the village, and the disappearance of Sophia a decade earlier.
What follows is a tense, atmospheric mystery that ties past and present together, raising chilling questions: Was John’s death truly a suicide, or part of something far darker? And what secrets are the founding families hiding?
Verdict: A gripping, slow-burn thriller with an eerie setting and layered suspense. Perfect for fans of small-town secrets and twisty mysteries. It wasn’t perfect (the ending felt a bit rushed) but an enjoyable read overall.
🌙 Recension: The Hanging Tree by Jessica Huntley
📚 Genre: Thriller, Small Town Mystery
📅 Release Date: January 4, 2026
📗 available as: Kindle (included in Kindle Unlimited)
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 346
⭐️ 4/5
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