It’s nothing like Sindy’s cabin in the woods. It’s a sprawling two-storey building, with probably five or six bedrooms. A big white pick-up is parked right in front of a two-car garage. Electric lights are switched on—it’s off the grid only in the criminal sense. I bet there’s hot water, too. Someone is living a good life out here.

More lights come on as I stop the car and kill the engine. Automated security lights, I think.

As I get out of the car, the front door opens. A man in jeans and a knitted sweater steps out—he’s friendly-faced but muscular, like a young Matt Damon.

He approaches me, sneakers crunching on the gravel. ‘Shannon?’ he says, extending his hand.

I shake it. ‘Fred. Nice to finally meet you in person.’

‘Likewise.’

He has a firm handshake. I won’t be able to overpower him—I’ll have to take him by surprise.

He looks me up and down, assessing. He clearly doesn’t know what Shannon looked like, but I’m older than he would have expected. The shaved head and the broken nose helps, though. I could be anybody.

‘Thanks for letting me crash here,’ I say.

‘No problem, man. Stay as long as you need. We gotta look out for each other, right? Come on in.’

Finally he turns away, walking towards the house. I reach behind my back and grip the hammer. I’ve never killed someone in cold blood before. But I need this. One last monster to eat.

‘The other guys love your videos, man,’ Fred says, without looking over his shoulder. ‘They’re really looking forward to meeting you.’

I let go of the hammer and let my shirt fall back down to cover it.

‘The other guys?’ I say.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to my endlessly accommodating family, especially Venetia, Mum and Dad. This book couldn’t have happened without your support.

Thanks to the amazing teams at Allen & Unwin, Bolinda Audiobooks, Booked Out Speaking Agency, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, Hanover Square Press and ICM Partners, who made Hangman such a success and took a leap of faith on an even more disturbing sequel.

Thanks also to the talented translators who helped Timothy Blake go global. I’m so sorry about all the wordplay in the riddles.

Particular thanks to Charles Bonnot, Luke Causby, Clare Forster, Angela Handley, Natalie Hallak, Peter Joseph, Dan Kirschen, Ali Lavau, Nadia Farah Mokdad, Christa Munns, Kathleen Oudit, Jane Palfreyman, Christopher Ragland (the wonderfully sinister voice of Blake) and Ben Stevenson.

Thanks to Sarah Bailey, Jeffery Deaver, Gregg Hurwitz, Gordon Reece, Ben Sanders and Emma Viskic for writing such terrific noir and for recommending Hangman to your greedy fans.