The Last Hanging in Scots Bend
Jack Hammond Jr.’s award-winning first novel.
Reader Reviews for The Last Hanging in Scots Bend
This was a quick read with a captivating plot. The story being told from all the different perspectives allows you to connect with the different characters, even the ones you grow to hate.
Hard to put this book down! I loved the historical significance of the South and how it influenced the lives of the characters. I found myself at times close to tears and at other times in a near fit of rage. The characters drew me in and kept me engaged until the last word.
This story is Biblical in scope, thematically timeless, and ambitious in the extreme. The shifting narration doesn’t always work for me, and the plot doesn’t really take off until Hammond establishes the voice of Stash Harris, who is, in my opinion, the most authentic and original character in the novel. But once the plot did take off, I was hooked.
Bottom line, this is a promising start for a debut novelist. Last Hanging has a vivid setting (Post Reconstruction South) and prose comparable to other accomplished Southern writers like Tom Franklin or William Gay. I’m anxious to read more from Hammond, especially if he chooses to delve further into the family feud between the Cason and Harris clans.
Bottom line, this is a promising start for a debut novelist. Last Hanging has a vivid setting (Post Reconstruction South) and prose comparable to other accomplished Southern writers like Tom Franklin or William Gay. I’m anxious to read more from Hammond, especially if he chooses to delve further into the family feud between the Cason and Harris clans.
Jack Hammond is a superb writer whose words flow smoothly from page to page, from scene to scene, and from character to character. The reader finds himself or herself immediately caught up in the story and identifying with the characters. Spanning 50 years of post Civil War South Carolina, the book captures difficult times, stressed lives, and how hard times can produce hard people yet at the same time compassionate people. There is a deeper thread of justice and a reminder to never give up hope. I recommend the novel.
The Last Hanging in Scots Bend is the story of an ongoing and seemingly unending feud between two families living in the post Reconstruction-era South. And so much more. Told from the perspective of several characters involving multiple flashbacks, Last Hanging will have you hooked from beginning to end. The writing style allows you to understand and build relationships with each character, good or bad, which only makes you want to keep learning more about them. One of the things that stands out the most about this book is the attention to detail put into describing what the characters are going through and what their surroundings are like throughout the story. It helps you see the story in a way that makes you feel like you’re watching it happen right in front of you. You begin to constantly empathize with those you know to be good, and grow increasingly enraged with those you know to be bad. Family, faith, and a feud like no other. The Last Hanging in Scots Bend is a must-read that will have you gasping until the last page.
I have always enjoyed a good historical fiction novel. This one was no different. This story hooked me from the introduction of Stash Harris forward. Set in the South post Civil War Reconstruction, the story is a gripper featuring suspense and scenes that tug at the heart strings. The story was easy to follow as the majority of it is told from each important character’s point of view. It gave me a new insight on what it must have been like during this time by following Big Lee, Stash, and Julia. I could imagine myself with the hatred of the feud between the Casons and the Greers. The characters were well thought out and layered as was the story as it unfolded and an unexpected ending. Truly, this is a gripper that examines family ties, difficulties of the post reconstruction time period, and Christian undercurrents. It is a must read, especially if you love a good historical fiction with suspense, feuding, and murder.
Also from Jack Hammond Jr.
A New Historical Novel Set in the Civil Rights Era
Never Enough Words
