Hideout, Jack Heath [top reads TXT] 📗

PRAISE FOR HANGMAN

‘Jack Heath’s writing grabs you by the throat, gnaws on your bones and washes it all down with a hefty dose of funny. Sick, twisted, violent and oh so good. In Timothy Blake, Heath has created a one-of-a-kind character. I hope.’—Emma Viskic, internationally bestselling author of And Fire Came Down

‘Blake is a brilliant, complex character … this quiet and unassuming figure might just be the most dangerous man in the room. Hangman is cinematic and grubby, brimming with pulpy noir.’—Michael Offer, producer, How to Get Away with Murder and Homeland

‘Wild and original, Hangman stamps a high and bloodied mark on this dark genre. Hannibal Lecter will be adding Jack Heath to his reading list.’—Ben Sanders, internationally bestselling author of American Blood

‘Let’s cut to the chase: Hangman is a great read! Jack Heath’s boundless imagination and singular voice have produced a truly unique thriller. By turns psychologically insightful, wonderfully disturbed and even darkly comedic, Hangman will keep you coursing through the pages at a lightning pace. Brilliant! (Probably best read with lights on and doors locked. I’m just saying.)’—Jeffery Deaver, No. 1 international bestselling author

‘Hangman is ghoulish fun, and fills the Dexter- and Hannibal-shaped holes in our lives.’—Books + Publishing

‘A grisly, efficiently written nail-biter packed with riddles and suspense, Hangman has bestseller written all over it. It’s a dark book, but one with plenty of humour, and a twisty plot that keeps you guessing to the very end.’—Sydney Morning Herald

‘Compelling … Heath keeps the suspense at a high level through to its stunning conclusion. An addictive and suspenseful thriller that will keep you reading well into the night.’—Canberra Weekly

‘Blake is a classic kind of hard-boiled hero, mixing cynicism and honour, brutality and sentimentality … he’s a chivalrous knight of the kind we have never seen before.’—Weekend Australian Review

‘A cracking read full of well-crafted twists and turns … Heath manages to bring Blake out from behind the shadow of his predecessors and stand on his own.’—Australian Crime Fiction

‘Heath has given the crime world an anti-hero for this century. Gifted and flawed, Blake will horrify and entrance readers, quite often at the same time. An exceptionally taut novel both in action and execution, this sledge-hammer story is sure to entice fans of serial crime fiction, taking readers into the dark and dirty recesses of Blake’s mind.’—Good Reading

‘Hangman is a pulpy and perverse delight … Heath makes Blake young, rough, streetwise, and precisely the sort of person Dr Lecter would avoid in the street. This is a gobsmackingly (or lip-smackingly) violent tale, but it is also bizarre, hilarious, and a stealthily astute commentary on post-financial crisis America. Give me more.’—Christopher Richardson (blog)

‘Richer than Reacher … Hangman literally tingles with tension, and Heath injects a healthy dose of dark humour.’—Sydney Arts Guide

‘Hangman is cheerful in its gore, with a knack for unexpected violence that’ll leave even the most jaded crime readers at least a little bit impressed … It’s all the best parts of noir fiction, all the spatter pattern ghoulishness of forensics-focused dramas, and so much fun it might just concern you a little bit.’—Hush Hush Biz (blog)

PRAISE FOR HIDEOUT

‘Gloriously messed up, with a protagonist who manages to be likeable, reprehensible and totally singular all at once. A crime series like no other.’—Gabriel Bergmoser, author of The Hunted

‘Thrilling, grisly and inventive: Jack Heath has single-handedly increased my carbon footprint through lights left on.’—Benjamin Stevenson, author of Either Side of Midnight

‘Heath will make your spine tingle and your fingers flip pages.’—Candice Fox, author of Crimson Lake

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Heath is the award-winning author of more than thirty novels for adults and children. His books have been translated into several languages, adapted for film and optioned for television. He lives on the land of the Ngunnawal people in Canberra, Australia.

Hideout contains scenes readers may find disturbing. It is unsuitable for children, and some adults.

First published in 2020

Copyright © Jack Heath 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

83 Alexander Street

Crows Nest NSW 2065

Australia

Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

Email: info@allenandunwin.com

Web: www.allenandunwin.com

ISBN 978 1 76087 717 0

eISBN 978 1 76106 086 1

Set by Midland Typesetters, Australia

Cover design: Luke Causby/Blue Cork

Cover image: Nik Keevil /Arcangel

In memory of Peter Jordan

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 45

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Beware anyone who tries to make you angry.

—Jackie French

CHAPTER 1

Eject my skin so it won’t be found. What am I?

‘The other guys?’ I say.

‘Sure.’ Fred smiles. ‘You didn’t think it was just me out here, did you?’

That’s exactly what I thought. The plan was simple: kill Fred, then myself. But my only weapon is the hammer tucked into the back of my pants. If Fred has friends in this house, I’m in a whole world of trouble.

‘Great,’ I say. ‘Can’t wait to