The Hangman’s Hold - Michael Wood - KillerReads paperback edition

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

A dark, suspenseful novel from Michael Wood follows Brian Appleby as he approaches a first date in more than twenty-five years. Chapter One begins on Thursday, 9 March 2017, with Brian obsessing over small details—clothes, time, and nerves—while reflecting on divorce, loneliness, and the setbacks that pushed him toward an online dating website. The narrative emphasizes fictionality, character imagination, and the author’s moral right to be identified.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages418

Reading Time10 h 44 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter One

Day One (Thursday, 9 March 2017)

'Watch out for thosetwists-you won't seeTHEthem coming!STEPHEN B0OTHHANGMAN'SYour life is in his hands...MICHAEL WO0D A DCI Matilda Darke novel | LIBRARIES NI | | | --- | --- | | C902930686 | | | Bertrams | 24/01/2019 | | | £12.99 | | WDE | | The hangman's hold709757/O0036-3of 3 WOOD MICHAEL # THE HANGMAN'SHOLD MICHAEL W00D A division of HarperCollinsPublisherswww.harpercollins.co.uk KillerReads an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd1 London Bridge StreetLondon SE19GF www.harpercollins.co.uk This paperback edition 2018 First published in Great Britain in ebook format by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018Copyright ◎ Michael Wood 2018 Michael Wood asserts the moral right tobe identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this bookis available from the British Library ISBN:978-0-00-831162-9 This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names,characters and incidents portrayed in it arethe work of the author's imagination.Any resemblance toactual persons,living or dead,events or localities isentirely coincidental. Printed and bound by CPI Group(UK)Ltd,Croydon,CRO 4YY All rights reserved.No part of this publication may bereproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted,in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical;photocopying,recording or otherwise,without the priorpermission of the publishers. MIX Paper fromreaponsiblo sourcas FSC C007454 56g To Christopher Schofield A genuine life saver,a good friend and a huge supporter.He doesn't only support me,but The Asses and DonkeysTrust too.Pomegranate anyone? Chapter One Day OneThursday,9 March 2017 The pale grey,or the sky-blue tie?The grey one would go withthe jacket,but the blue would match the shirt.Maybe no tie atall. With a sigh,he threw both ties at his reflection in the wardrobemirror and fell backwards onto the bed behind him.He turnedto the alarm clock on the bedside table.The harsh digits in aterrible Day-Glo green,which wouldn’t match anything in hiswardrobe,told him it was almost six o'clock.He still had time. He pulled himself up and looked at his tired reflection oncemore,something he'd been doing quite a lot of in the last coupleof weeks. 'Look at the state of you,'he said to himself.'Forty-five yearsold and you're panicking over what to wear.It's a few drinks,that's all.Just two people having a drink together.Where's theharm in that?'He gazed deep into himself as if expecting ananswer.His face was red.There was a sheen of sweat on hisforehead and a gleam in his eyes. Of course,it was more than just a few drinks.It was a date.An actual date.A trial run to see how two people,who,according 1 to a computer seemed ideal for each other,would get on in reality.It was also his first in more than twenty-five years. Following his divorce,and a long period of adjustment,BrianAppleby had thought he'd been left with a life of singledom,alife dedicated to himself and the things he enjoyed doing.He'dgo on holidays with friends,trips to the theatre,and when hefancied being alone,he could watch a film on the sofa with hisfeet up and his socks off. Unfortunately,life hadn’t worked out that way.All his friendshad abandoned him,as had his family.He could understand that.He would probably have done the same in their position.At firsthe'd tried to tell himself he didn't care.Screw them.Yes,he'dmade a number of mistakes,but he'd paid his price.Shouldn'the be able to move on and continue with the rest of his life?Whycouldn’t other people see that?Their loss.If they didn't want himaround,he'd find new friends. That had been easier said than done.New friends were hardto come by;especially when you were a stranger with a past yourefused to talk about.Again,he hadn’t cared,in the beginning.He enjoyed his own company.But evenings in front of the TVeating pizza and not talking to anyone had soon begun to takeits toll.The tipping point had come when he’d walked intoDomino's and the young

FAQs

What triggers Brian Appleby’s return to dating in the story?

He finds a late-night television ad for a new website created to meet recently single people, then creates a profile and starts messaging women.

Where does Chapter One begin, and what time frame does it use?

Chapter One opens on Day One, Thursday, 9 March 2017, shortly before six o’clock as Brian prepares for an upcoming date.

How does the opening chapter portray Brian’s emotional state?

It shows rising anxiety and self-scrutiny—he worries about his appearance, replays recent past behavior, and questions how he ended up feeling lonely and out of place.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle