Reviewed by Nikyta

TITLE: The Hanged Man’s Ghost
SERIES: The Night Wars #1
AUTHOR: Missouri Dalton
PUBLISHER: Torquere Press
LENGTH: 276 pages, 67k words
BLURB: Detective Fynn Adder is embarking on the case that will change his life forever. The ghosts of murder victims are leaving him clues, his drinking problem is out of control, and no matter how nepotistic the Chicago Police Department might be, there are some forces his family’s reputation can’t save him from.

Just a few years ago, Fynn’s longtime partner Robert was murdered and the case went unsolved. As he gets deeper into a new investigation, it becomes apparent that somehow the two cases are connected. To make matters worse, it’s clear to Fynn that forces beyond this world have come into play.

Forces like Internal Affairs agent Daniel Voight, who’s determined to make dirt stick to Fynn any which way he can. The only real bright points in Fynn’s day are when he’s with Jack, his unfortunately straight partner. Fynn is going to have to pull himself together–because if the dead don’t kill him, his family will.

REVIEW:

When I first read the blurb for this book, I thought the story would be something suspenseful but with a pairing of Fynn and the Internal Affairs guy who was investigating him. Imagine my delight when I started reading and realized it was between Fynn and Jack, Fynn’s work partner. The story features a lot of issues that all boil down to Fynn. He’s the connection between everyone, everything and every time something happens. From people being murdered to finding help for his addictions to even being admitted into a mental hospital.

Fynn Adder is reckless, careless and doesn’t give a damn who he fucks or how much he drinks. He has no concept of self-preservation because, at this point, he’s just going with the motions. He doesn’t pull his head out of his ass until he starts to realize that the supernatural really does exist. I adored Fynn, even at his worst. I can’t say I loved all his actions but I felt so bad for him. I just wanted to hug him and keep him safe from the world. He’s so broken inside and he has a lot of issues. His family keeps secrets from him that hurts him a lot but also leads him to realize why he feels so empty. Jack Winchester is Fynn’s work partner with the Chicago Police Department. Jack is Fynn’s rock. No matter what Fynn does, Jack is always concerned but he’s always there. He gets angry at Fynn’s lack of concern for his own health but no matter what the situation, Jack will stick by Fynn’s side. I loved him but I also loved the relationship that they eventually form. While it’s not the main focus of the story, I could feel the connection between them and I only wished there had been more of it to see!

The story, at times, feels like a hot mess. There are just so many things that happen to Fynn that seems unbelievable and too much BUT they all happen for a reason that becomes clear by the end of the book. As I said, it centers around Fynn but it’s more than just a crutch to move the story along. Things happen because they need to happen and while I had trouble at times keeping pace with how many problems Fynn ultimately runs into, I won’t deny that I enjoyed every one of them… even the gruesome ones. I don’t want to get into too much detail because I think part of the appeal with this story is the fact that you just don’t know what is going to happen before it happens. It’s suspenseful and has some action and starts the foundation of a relationship that was brewing for months, if not years. It’s sweet but sometimes intense. I was hanging on the edge of my seat a time or time and I can’t explain enough how much I loved that feeling.

One thing I had an issue with was the fact that some of the moments that I really wanted to see were glossed over and told briefly about such as when Fynn would confront his family about something, which happened often but we never got to see these fights they got into. Experiencing them and the passion that is mentioned but not shown would have been great, IMO. I had a few other minor issues such as inconsistencies (the story in general could have used more editing) and that the book had so many conflicts that the transition between some of them was a bit confusing.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I had a lot of fun with it. I went into it expecting one thing and got something totally different but overall, I’m glad I read it. Fynn is so broken and Jack centers him. I adored the two together and even though Fynn goes through so much, it made the story why I adored it so much. Definitely recommended for those looking for something easy to read, that’s fast-paced and a lot of fun…. but be warned, the smut is pretty much glossed over 🙂

Nikyta rates it –

BUY LINKS: Torquere Press :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

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Nikyta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: NIKYTA’S REVIEWS
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