Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award 2013.
A chilling tale of one boy’s struggle to uncover the truth surrounding a series of murders, in order to avert a tragedy threatening those closest to him. Creepy and supernatural this is a haunting tale set in a cruel, harsh landscape of Victorian London. It's gripping from the start with absorbing descriptions and vivid details throughout which create an intense atmosphere of an unforgiving city; that combined with the terrible sequence of events and frightening situation Titus finds himself in, means you’ll be rooting for him all the way. This is just the beginning of a talented debut novelist.
When their parents are killed in a fire, Titus Adams and his little sister Hannah are left to fend for themselves in the cruel and squalid slums of Victorian London. Taking shelter with his friend and saviour, Inspector Pilbury, Titus should feel safe. But though the inspector has just caught and hung a notorious child-murderer, the murders haven't stopped. Now everyone is a suspect, even the inspector himself, and unless Titus can find a way to end the killings, he will lose all that is dear to him. For this evil cannot be contained, even by death.
Sarah Naughton was born in 1975 and grew up in Dorset. She escaped to London aged 17 to study English at UCL, and has lived there ever since. She spent 10 years writing ads before giving up to have children. The Hanged Man Rises is her first novel and she is currently writing a second. She lives in South London with her husband and two sons.
