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Die Henkerstochter #3
The Beggar King
The year is 1662. Alpine village hangman Jakob Kuisl receives a letter from his sister calling him to the imperial city of Regensburg, where a gruesome sight awaits him: her throat has been slit. Arrested and framed for the murder, Kuisl faces firsthand the torture he’s administered himself for years.
Jakob’s daughter, Magdalena, and a young medicus named Simon hasten to his aid. With the help of an underground network of beggars, a beer-brewing monk, and an Italian playboy, they discover that behind the false accusation is a plan that will endanger the entire German Empire.
Chock full of historical detail, The Beggar King brings to vibrant life another tale of an unlikely hangman and his tough-as-nails daughter, confirming Pötzsch’s mettle as a writer to watch.
Jakob’s daughter, Magdalena, and a young medicus named Simon hasten to his aid. With the help of an underground network of beggars, a beer-brewing monk, and an Italian playboy, they discover that behind the false accusation is a plan that will endanger the entire German Empire.
Chock full of historical detail, The Beggar King brings to vibrant life another tale of an unlikely hangman and his tough-as-nails daughter, confirming Pötzsch’s mettle as a writer to watch.
466 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2010
1510 people are currently reading
8398 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Pötzsch
39 books2,191 followersOliver Pötzsch is a German writer and filmmaker. After high school he attended the German School of Journalism in Munich from 1992 to 1997. He then worked for Radio Bavaria. In addition to his professional activities in radio and television, Pötzsch researched his family history. He is a descendant of the Kuisle, from the 16th to the 19th Century a famous dynasty of executioners in Schongau.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,021 reviews
August 22, 2022
Dieses ist bereits der dritte Band dieser Buchserie, und wenn das überhaupt möglich ist, werde ich mit jedem Buch ein größerer Fan! :)
Ich mag den Schongauer Henker Jakob Kuisl und seine Abenteuer, und auch die Henkerstochter Magdalena sowie der Medicus Simon Fronwieser sind mir schon ans Herz gewachsen.
Besonders mag ich die Unterhaltungen/Dialoge dieser drei Hauptprotagonisten untereinander. Die sind manchmal so ironisch bzw. stecken voller trockenem Humor; da muss ich direkt schmunzeln. :)
Aber spannend ist es natürlich auch! In diesem Band droht dem Henker Jakob Kuisl selbst große Gefahr, denn er wird des Mordes an seiner eigenen Schwester und deren Mann verdächtigt. Er, der in seiner Eigenschaft als Henker immer die Täter foltert und damit zu einem Geständnis bringen soll, soll nun selbst gefoltert und hingerichtet werden!
Klar, dass Magdalena und Simon helfen und die Wahrheit herausfinden müssen. Doch die Zeit drängt! Und dabei ist lange nicht klar, wer Freund und wer Feind ist...
Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen! Sehr spannend, sehr unterhaltsam, auch humorvoll - und bestens recherchiert, soweit ich das beurteilen kann. Als Leser bekommt man einen sehr guten Einblick ins Leben der Menschen im 17. Jahrhundert.
Ich mag den Schongauer Henker Jakob Kuisl und seine Abenteuer, und auch die Henkerstochter Magdalena sowie der Medicus Simon Fronwieser sind mir schon ans Herz gewachsen.
Besonders mag ich die Unterhaltungen/Dialoge dieser drei Hauptprotagonisten untereinander. Die sind manchmal so ironisch bzw. stecken voller trockenem Humor; da muss ich direkt schmunzeln. :)
Aber spannend ist es natürlich auch! In diesem Band droht dem Henker Jakob Kuisl selbst große Gefahr, denn er wird des Mordes an seiner eigenen Schwester und deren Mann verdächtigt. Er, der in seiner Eigenschaft als Henker immer die Täter foltert und damit zu einem Geständnis bringen soll, soll nun selbst gefoltert und hingerichtet werden!
Klar, dass Magdalena und Simon helfen und die Wahrheit herausfinden müssen. Doch die Zeit drängt! Und dabei ist lange nicht klar, wer Freund und wer Feind ist...
Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen! Sehr spannend, sehr unterhaltsam, auch humorvoll - und bestens recherchiert, soweit ich das beurteilen kann. Als Leser bekommt man einen sehr guten Einblick ins Leben der Menschen im 17. Jahrhundert.
February 25, 2024
Great historical fiction, July 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
This review is from: The Beggar King (US Edition) (A Hangman's Daughter Tale Book 3) (Kindle Edition)
An outstanding work of historical fiction held together by a mystery. In this volume, Jakob is a suspect in the murder of his sister and has been thrown into a dungeon. His daughter leads the effort to prove his innocence. I have now read 4 of the 5 volumes in this series, each of which is a great stand alone novel. I highly recommend this historical mystery series.
Verified Purchase
This review is from: The Beggar King (US Edition) (A Hangman's Daughter Tale Book 3) (Kindle Edition)
An outstanding work of historical fiction held together by a mystery. In this volume, Jakob is a suspect in the murder of his sister and has been thrown into a dungeon. His daughter leads the effort to prove his innocence. I have now read 4 of the 5 volumes in this series, each of which is a great stand alone novel. I highly recommend this historical mystery series.
February 20, 2024
I read the first two books of this series more than 7 years ago, but they left a long-term imprint on me and when I found the 3rd book, decided to give it a try.
The plot of the book takes us to 1662 Germany which is still recovering after the Thirty Years' War (17th century). Jakob Kuisl, the hangman of a village in the Alps, receives a letter that his sister in Regensburg is ill. Arriving in the city he is arrested under a false reason and held in a dungeon overnight. After being released in the morning and coming to his sister and brother in law house, he finds them both dead. He is arrested again and convicted for their murder. He has to prove his innocence and is helped by his daughter and her boyfriend who fled from the village to the city in search of a better life.
The book presents a very good description of life in 17th-century Regensburg with its rules and superstitions. Events are taking very unexpected turns and developments. Every time reader is made to think that this time characters don't have a chance to survive. But, of course, everything is solved, everyone is back in the village and the scene is ready for the next in the series books.
I highly recommend the book as a guide to the history of 17th-century Germany and as a good mystery book.
The plot of the book takes us to 1662 Germany which is still recovering after the Thirty Years' War (17th century). Jakob Kuisl, the hangman of a village in the Alps, receives a letter that his sister in Regensburg is ill. Arriving in the city he is arrested under a false reason and held in a dungeon overnight. After being released in the morning and coming to his sister and brother in law house, he finds them both dead. He is arrested again and convicted for their murder. He has to prove his innocence and is helped by his daughter and her boyfriend who fled from the village to the city in search of a better life.
The book presents a very good description of life in 17th-century Regensburg with its rules and superstitions. Events are taking very unexpected turns and developments. Every time reader is made to think that this time characters don't have a chance to survive. But, of course, everything is solved, everyone is back in the village and the scene is ready for the next in the series books.
I highly recommend the book as a guide to the history of 17th-century Germany and as a good mystery book.
February 3, 2019
Jakob Kuisl (the grumpy hangman from Schongau and my favorite character of the series) receives a letter in which he is told that his sister in Regensburg is seriously ill. Kuisl makes his way to the big Imperial City far away (two weeks by raft) to find his sister and brother-in-law brutally murdered. The hangman gets arrested for murder and, in order to receive a confession, subsequently tortured by his colleague from Regensburg. Those were the legal proceedings in 17ᵗʰ century (summer of 1662 to be exact). Meanwhile in Schongau Kuisl’s daughter Magdalena and her would-be fiance, the medico Simon Fronwieser, face another threat. As member of a hangman’s family, she is considered dishonorable and is not allowed by law to marry a patrician. A mob of angry citizens storms the house and the young couple has to flee to Regensburg, where no one knows them, and start a new life together.
This third volume of the series wasn’t as engrossing as the other two for me. On one hand I find it a bit too long (almost 600 pages), and on the other I didn’t like the dialogues very much. I don’t expect a 1-to-1 reproduction of the contemporary language, but here it sounds too “modern” to me and doesn't fit the overall setting too well. The story, however, I liked quite a bit. There are a lot of unforeseen twists and turns and whether a character is good or bad can’t always be said at first glance.
Also, Magdalena has done quite a developmental boost here, which is not surprising. The whole series is named after her after all. You can also learn a lot more about Jakob Kuisl’s past as a soldier in the Thirty Years’ War, which is something I was looking forward too from the beginning. It was only hinted at in the first two installments in the form of short flashbacks and takes up a much larger space here (and plays a decisive role in the plot).
As in the second volume, the author added a little travel guide at the end, this time for the city of Regensburg and explains frankly which things were invented by him and which things correspond to the historical truth. Commendable!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This third volume of the series wasn’t as engrossing as the other two for me. On one hand I find it a bit too long (almost 600 pages), and on the other I didn’t like the dialogues very much. I don’t expect a 1-to-1 reproduction of the contemporary language, but here it sounds too “modern” to me and doesn't fit the overall setting too well. The story, however, I liked quite a bit. There are a lot of unforeseen twists and turns and whether a character is good or bad can’t always be said at first glance.
Also, Magdalena has done quite a developmental boost here, which is not surprising. The whole series is named after her after all. You can also learn a lot more about Jakob Kuisl’s past as a soldier in the Thirty Years’ War, which is something I was looking forward too from the beginning. It was only hinted at in the first two installments in the form of short flashbacks and takes up a much larger space here (and plays a decisive role in the plot).
As in the second volume, the author added a little travel guide at the end, this time for the city of Regensburg and explains frankly which things were invented by him and which things correspond to the historical truth. Commendable!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
October 13, 2014
Posted to The Literary Lawyer.ca
Not Up to Par with the Rest - 3 Stars
The third installment of the popular Hangman's Daughter series, is, in my opinion, the weakest offering to date. The novel lacked some of the clever storytelling of the two previous novels and the chirpy relationship between the characters started to become tiring. While I still recommend the series, this installment is average at best.
Plot summary
Jakob Kuisl, our loveable hangman, torturer, herbalist and garbage collector, is summoned to a distant town by a letter claiming his sister is dying of illness. Upon entering the city, he finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens to turn the Hangman into the hanged. Unaware of her father's troubles, Magdalena and Simon run off to the same city hoping to put the prejudices carried by their families behind them. It is up to them to uncover the secrets the city is hiding. Along the way they meet a large cast of colorful and memorable characters as the story culminates in a explosive finish where the past haunts the present.
The Good
Plenty of Colour
If Potzsch does anything right, it is the creation of colourful and interesting characters. From a secretive man with a grudge, to a King of the Beggars with prominent gold teeth to a exceptionally short but highly virile Venetian diplomat, the author fills the novel with a memorable cast. Although the players are the main attraction of the novel, I would not go so far to say that this is strictly a character novel. While the characters are interesting, they are not especially deep and require a good plot to go along with the interesting faces.
Interesting History
The novels in the series are not lacking in historical elements. The author clearly has a love for German history and the castles and cities of old Germany. Throughout the story and in an added section at the end of the book, we are taken on a guided tour though the back streets and alleys of these ancients cities and we visit their monuments and sacred places. Additionally, the stories always involve elements of ancient prejudices and real problems suffered by people at that time. The mystery in this story involved one of these issues but I won't tell you what it is. You will have to read it and find out for yourself.
The Bad
Plot Problems
This installment did not live up the to the quality of the first two novels. The author tried to string together too many threads of story and the plot was all over the place. It was as if the author was trying to be extra clever this time around but with so many side stories he really needed another 100 pages or so to do them justice. Additionally, the quality of the writing did not seem to be on par with the earlier offerings. Not having read the original German text, I cannot say that the translation was bad but the writing seemed more simplistic and less descriptive than his other offerings.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I found the characters to be entertaining but the plot to be underwhelming. While I still highly recommend the series, this installment lacked some of the spark of its predecessors.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2.5
There are about two scenes where we know characters have had sex but there is nothing graphic. There is a scene where some characters are naked and are caught prior to sex. Again, there are no graphic descriptions. There is occasional mention of prostitutes in the story.
Language - 1.5
There is mild use of adult language which are generally mild obscenities.
Violence - 3.5
There are a variety of murders in the story. There is some moderately graphic descriptions of person with cut throats. There are multiple fights. There are several scenes of torture that are moderately graphic.
Not Up to Par with the Rest - 3 Stars
The third installment of the popular Hangman's Daughter series, is, in my opinion, the weakest offering to date. The novel lacked some of the clever storytelling of the two previous novels and the chirpy relationship between the characters started to become tiring. While I still recommend the series, this installment is average at best.
Plot summary
Jakob Kuisl, our loveable hangman, torturer, herbalist and garbage collector, is summoned to a distant town by a letter claiming his sister is dying of illness. Upon entering the city, he finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens to turn the Hangman into the hanged. Unaware of her father's troubles, Magdalena and Simon run off to the same city hoping to put the prejudices carried by their families behind them. It is up to them to uncover the secrets the city is hiding. Along the way they meet a large cast of colorful and memorable characters as the story culminates in a explosive finish where the past haunts the present.
The Good
Plenty of Colour
If Potzsch does anything right, it is the creation of colourful and interesting characters. From a secretive man with a grudge, to a King of the Beggars with prominent gold teeth to a exceptionally short but highly virile Venetian diplomat, the author fills the novel with a memorable cast. Although the players are the main attraction of the novel, I would not go so far to say that this is strictly a character novel. While the characters are interesting, they are not especially deep and require a good plot to go along with the interesting faces.
Interesting History
The novels in the series are not lacking in historical elements. The author clearly has a love for German history and the castles and cities of old Germany. Throughout the story and in an added section at the end of the book, we are taken on a guided tour though the back streets and alleys of these ancients cities and we visit their monuments and sacred places. Additionally, the stories always involve elements of ancient prejudices and real problems suffered by people at that time. The mystery in this story involved one of these issues but I won't tell you what it is. You will have to read it and find out for yourself.
The Bad
Plot Problems
This installment did not live up the to the quality of the first two novels. The author tried to string together too many threads of story and the plot was all over the place. It was as if the author was trying to be extra clever this time around but with so many side stories he really needed another 100 pages or so to do them justice. Additionally, the quality of the writing did not seem to be on par with the earlier offerings. Not having read the original German text, I cannot say that the translation was bad but the writing seemed more simplistic and less descriptive than his other offerings.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I found the characters to be entertaining but the plot to be underwhelming. While I still highly recommend the series, this installment lacked some of the spark of its predecessors.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2.5
There are about two scenes where we know characters have had sex but there is nothing graphic. There is a scene where some characters are naked and are caught prior to sex. Again, there are no graphic descriptions. There is occasional mention of prostitutes in the story.
Language - 1.5
There is mild use of adult language which are generally mild obscenities.
Violence - 3.5
There are a variety of murders in the story. There is some moderately graphic descriptions of person with cut throats. There are multiple fights. There are several scenes of torture that are moderately graphic.
January 31, 2016
Another excellent offering from Oliver Pötzsch, another great translation by Lee Chadeayne. I'm not going into the details of the plot of this, the third in the series; you can read the synopsis for that. Suffice to say, it's another wonderful read. A plot that's just complex enough to keep you turning pages, set in glorious locations, peopled by characters that completely draw you in and include you in their world.
I've become a massive fan of this series. It is simply the best thing I've read in a very long time, with one of the best characters - not Magdalena, the eponymous heroine, the Hangman's Daughter, though she's wonderful enough in her way, it is the fashion-conscious, coffee-loving, accident-prone Simon Fronwieser I adore; he has to be one of the funniest, most likeable characters in current fiction.
My sole criticism of these books are the dreadfully dreary covers. So off-putting - but don't be put off by them, as I was for a while. I had a copy of The Dark Monk on my TBR pile for weeks before I finally picked it up. It didn't call to me, it looked so dreary. It's such a shame, I'd have missed a real treat (note to publishers - you are doing these books no favours with these dull covers. They deserve something better. Please re-design them now!)
Love these books. I can hardly wait for the next.
I've become a massive fan of this series. It is simply the best thing I've read in a very long time, with one of the best characters - not Magdalena, the eponymous heroine, the Hangman's Daughter, though she's wonderful enough in her way, it is the fashion-conscious, coffee-loving, accident-prone Simon Fronwieser I adore; he has to be one of the funniest, most likeable characters in current fiction.
My sole criticism of these books are the dreadfully dreary covers. So off-putting - but don't be put off by them, as I was for a while. I had a copy of The Dark Monk on my TBR pile for weeks before I finally picked it up. It didn't call to me, it looked so dreary. It's such a shame, I'd have missed a real treat (note to publishers - you are doing these books no favours with these dull covers. They deserve something better. Please re-design them now!)
Love these books. I can hardly wait for the next.
April 27, 2021
Još od prve Potzschove knjige, "Krvnikova kći" znala sam da se radi o nečemu što mi je totalno po guštu. VOlim i povijesne romane i trilere, a Potzsch savšeno spaja ova dva žanra. U svakoj knjizi pratimo iste likove (krvnika Kuisla, njegovu jći Magdalenu, njezinog zaručnika i dr), ali je svaka priča za sebe tako da se mogu čitati i zasebno. No, ako ste ljubitelj ovakvih stvari, bilo bi dobro da čitate knjige po redu (uostalom, samo su tri dosad objavljene) čisto zbog odnosa između likova... Ali, kao što rekoh, nije nužno. Ja jedva čekam sljedeći naslov!
January 25, 2021
I absolutely loved The Hangman’s Daughter (the first book in this series) and I found the second one a modest success even if it lost the sense of real danger and motivation that permeated the first one. With this book I found myself looking at a mix of the two. The personal motivation is back – Kuisl is falsely imprisoned for murdering his sister and due to be tortured and executed for the crime. I found that an intriguing reversal and it gives Kuisl something to do other than being sidelined the entire book only to show up at the end and immediately save the day. On the other hand, the seriousness of the danger just seems to keep shrinking. There was no point, as there had been in the first book, where I genuinely feared these characters were going to die. You can only dial the danger up to eleven so many times before it starts to feel like it’s nothing at all.
One thing that I really liked is that we’re seeing the setting used to rather better use than I felt it had been before. The previous books feel like they could have been set in almost any time without really affecting the plot. This is the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War (the Great War as people then call it) and all they have to show for it is an increase in bandit activity by former mercenaries. But this time we really get to look back to the war itself as Kuisl’s time as one of Tilly’s mercenaries comes back to bite him. Without going into too many spoilers, someone he knew then is out for revenge and very capable of taking it. I liked seeing more of Kuisl’s backstory, even if we’re only given the barest of hints. It explains why he is who he is.
The setting is also notable for being in Regensburg – somewhere I don’t think I’ve ever seen fictionalized before. The danger with any series set in a small town is that the place will sooner rather than later become too narrow for the stories. Schongau just isn’t very thrilling and the limited social milieu really gets grating – as I expect I’d have felt had I lived there. Here we get a whole new cast of people, including the incredibly entertaining Beggar’s Guild. I’ve always been under the impression that those were an invention of later writers, but I confess I’m not an expert on Early Modern Germany and I suspect beggars weren’t the type to write such things down anyway. But Regensburg isn’t just a city, it’s the site of the Diet. The Perpetual Diet that started this winter and ran straight through until the empire was dissolved before Napoleon could conquer it in 1806. This is a central plot point, although in this case I felt that the setting could perhaps have been a little better utilized. Ah well.
The downside I mentioned before is rather disappointing. While the books maintain their highly plausible recreation of Early Modern German society, the rules of survival just don’t seem to apply to our leads. We even get my least favorite of tropes here – the villain keeping the heroes alive simply out of plot necessity. I’m a firm believer that if an author writes themself into a hole they should go back and change the plot so it doesn’t happen, even if that means erasing a cool scene. Kill your darlings as they say. Rarely is a scene truly so cool it’s worth the stupid behavior. It seems that two things just cannot happen in these books – Magdalena cannot go a single book without being captured and nobody can spy on an enemy hideout without knocking something over. A whole lot of something over. These are still good books, but they may end up smothering under their tropes.
I did like this book a lot. Even though our heroes are wearing ever-stronger plot armor, the setting is grand and crazy enough to contain it. The solution to the mystery is as bonkers as the rest of the plot, and while I regret that it does at least have the virtue of working within the story. The mystery this time (or really two mysteries) is pretty fresh. I worked out about half of it but the other half took me by surprise. And the shifting alliances, always with the knowledge that someone in there wants them dead, are fun to watch. Yeah, it can be a bit much at times, but this is one of those cases where too much actually works with the plot. And I’ve gotta say that Pötzsch is a man after my own heart with his historical notes. How many authors warn you when you reach the point beyond which spoilers happen?
One thing that I really liked is that we’re seeing the setting used to rather better use than I felt it had been before. The previous books feel like they could have been set in almost any time without really affecting the plot. This is the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War (the Great War as people then call it) and all they have to show for it is an increase in bandit activity by former mercenaries. But this time we really get to look back to the war itself as Kuisl’s time as one of Tilly’s mercenaries comes back to bite him. Without going into too many spoilers, someone he knew then is out for revenge and very capable of taking it. I liked seeing more of Kuisl’s backstory, even if we’re only given the barest of hints. It explains why he is who he is.
The setting is also notable for being in Regensburg – somewhere I don’t think I’ve ever seen fictionalized before. The danger with any series set in a small town is that the place will sooner rather than later become too narrow for the stories. Schongau just isn’t very thrilling and the limited social milieu really gets grating – as I expect I’d have felt had I lived there. Here we get a whole new cast of people, including the incredibly entertaining Beggar’s Guild. I’ve always been under the impression that those were an invention of later writers, but I confess I’m not an expert on Early Modern Germany and I suspect beggars weren’t the type to write such things down anyway. But Regensburg isn’t just a city, it’s the site of the Diet. The Perpetual Diet that started this winter and ran straight through until the empire was dissolved before Napoleon could conquer it in 1806. This is a central plot point, although in this case I felt that the setting could perhaps have been a little better utilized. Ah well.
The downside I mentioned before is rather disappointing. While the books maintain their highly plausible recreation of Early Modern German society, the rules of survival just don’t seem to apply to our leads. We even get my least favorite of tropes here – the villain keeping the heroes alive simply out of plot necessity. I’m a firm believer that if an author writes themself into a hole they should go back and change the plot so it doesn’t happen, even if that means erasing a cool scene. Kill your darlings as they say. Rarely is a scene truly so cool it’s worth the stupid behavior. It seems that two things just cannot happen in these books – Magdalena cannot go a single book without being captured and nobody can spy on an enemy hideout without knocking something over. A whole lot of something over. These are still good books, but they may end up smothering under their tropes.
I did like this book a lot. Even though our heroes are wearing ever-stronger plot armor, the setting is grand and crazy enough to contain it. The solution to the mystery is as bonkers as the rest of the plot, and while I regret that it does at least have the virtue of working within the story. The mystery this time (or really two mysteries) is pretty fresh. I worked out about half of it but the other half took me by surprise. And the shifting alliances, always with the knowledge that someone in there wants them dead, are fun to watch. Yeah, it can be a bit much at times, but this is one of those cases where too much actually works with the plot. And I’ve gotta say that Pötzsch is a man after my own heart with his historical notes. How many authors warn you when you reach the point beyond which spoilers happen?
May 1, 2013
As I was reading this one, I couldn't help but wonder if I'm supposed to like Magdalena. I am all for headstrong independent women, but this time I thought she was condescending, rude, and belligerent throughout the whole book. And Simon's character felt very weak... just meekly accepting whatever she said and did! I couldn't understand what was keeping the two of them together... there was no working together, no compromise, nothing that felt like an actual relationship.
Also, I'm not sure if it's the writing or the translation, but the book felt longer than it needed to be. What was said in two or three sentences could have easily been expressed in one sentence.
I wasn't quite halfway through and was starting to wonder if I was ever going to finish; it just seemed like it went on and on and on... but I stuck with it and then it got exciting. The last half was definitely more gripping than the first. But the ending seemed a little too convenient to me.
Also, I'm not sure if it's the writing or the translation, but the book felt longer than it needed to be. What was said in two or three sentences could have easily been expressed in one sentence.
I wasn't quite halfway through and was starting to wonder if I was ever going to finish; it just seemed like it went on and on and on... but I stuck with it and then it got exciting. The last half was definitely more gripping than the first. But the ending seemed a little too convenient to me.
December 13, 2023
What I’ve noticed about this solid medieval mystery series is that each book is better than the one before. Which makes this installment my favorite.
Jacob the Hangman has a heck of a back story— one that bleeds the past into the present. His violent past isn’t just haunting him but also haunting my favorite mismatched medieval lovers, Simon and Magdalena.
The book and its setting (the Bavarian town of Regensburg) is populated with a host of unforgettable characters. Less focused on the star crossed lovers, the storyline is suspenseful and full of red herrings. Mercenaries, a beggar king, poisonous plots and beer-making monks.
No spoilers, but a slightly surprising ending which may actually be a new beginning.
Bonus— there’s a chapter on the virtues of visiting the modern-day Regensburg. Definitely will add it to my German city bucket list— if I ever get to visit the country of my ancestors.
(Reviewed 6/4/18)
Jacob the Hangman has a heck of a back story— one that bleeds the past into the present. His violent past isn’t just haunting him but also haunting my favorite mismatched medieval lovers, Simon and Magdalena.
The book and its setting (the Bavarian town of Regensburg) is populated with a host of unforgettable characters. Less focused on the star crossed lovers, the storyline is suspenseful and full of red herrings. Mercenaries, a beggar king, poisonous plots and beer-making monks.
No spoilers, but a slightly surprising ending which may actually be a new beginning.
Bonus— there’s a chapter on the virtues of visiting the modern-day Regensburg. Definitely will add it to my German city bucket list— if I ever get to visit the country of my ancestors.
(Reviewed 6/4/18)
June 10, 2014
Well done!
I like the Kusil clan - their adventures.
I enjoy reading about their stubborness, their humor, intelligence and even with the terrible job (profession) the sense of what is right and just.
Looking forward to book #4.
I like the Kusil clan - their adventures.
I enjoy reading about their stubborness, their humor, intelligence and even with the terrible job (profession) the sense of what is right and just.
Looking forward to book #4.
February 27, 2018
Okay, so I created a reading crime because I read the third book of this series WAY before I even read the second book. WHY? Well, for a certain reading challenge this book was called for me to read. So being me.. I read it without hesitation or regrets.
The Beggar King was a pretty good addition to this series. Now it's been a while since I've read the first book and fell in love with the character .. so unfortunately for me, this book started off slow but that's mostly my fault. However, once I got past all of the trying to remember what happened I actually got hooked pretty quickly on to the story and the characters throughout the book.
The bad guy in this book is a terrible and yet lovable bad guy. WHY? Well cause when a character is that good at what they are doing you just sort of fall in love. But then there's Magdalena who was kind of a toss up for me in this book because I'm pretty sure that I really liked her in the first book but in this book I was kind of flip-flopping my decision on her. Then there's Simon, who I sort of liked but not really because he just annoyed me at times.
Other than that, I liked the book. The characters were kind of like meh to me for the most part. I would totally reread this after I finally read the second book though and hopefully it will all make a ton of more sense to me and my opinion on everyone will change for the better.
The Beggar King was a pretty good addition to this series. Now it's been a while since I've read the first book and fell in love with the character .. so unfortunately for me, this book started off slow but that's mostly my fault. However, once I got past all of the trying to remember what happened I actually got hooked pretty quickly on to the story and the characters throughout the book.
The bad guy in this book is a terrible and yet lovable bad guy. WHY? Well cause when a character is that good at what they are doing you just sort of fall in love. But then there's Magdalena who was kind of a toss up for me in this book because I'm pretty sure that I really liked her in the first book but in this book I was kind of flip-flopping my decision on her. Then there's Simon, who I sort of liked but not really because he just annoyed me at times.
Other than that, I liked the book. The characters were kind of like meh to me for the most part. I would totally reread this after I finally read the second book though and hopefully it will all make a ton of more sense to me and my opinion on everyone will change for the better.
June 1, 2013
The Beggar King, is the third book in Oliver Pötzsch's "A Hangman's Daughter Tail" series. While still retaining the energy of the first two books, it lacked plausibility. Granted, this is fiction, and while the settings and much of the background details are historical, much of the language the author used was too contemporary and unbelievable. This was a huge distraction for me. Set in the mid 1600's, I hardly think anyone would be telling someone to "shove it" as one of the principle characters does. Far too many instances of using modern slang were hard to ignore as was the way some of the character's conducted themselves. Even if the Hangman's daughter was considered a social outcast, I hardly think that in the mid 1600's her intimate relationship with Simon, the son of the town doctor, would go unpunished. The book had so many twists and turns that instead of engaging me, I felt overwhelmed. It was as if the author was trying to stuff as much mystery into the book as he could.
Overall, this installment was a disappointment.
Overall, this installment was a disappointment.
September 19, 2021
Odličan serijal, jedva čekam nastavak.
October 3, 2017
As with the previous books in this series, I felt that this was overly long but I did like the fact that the hangman's daughter played a bigger role in this entry.
July 13, 2023
I have to start pacing myself with these books: I originally meant to save them for vacation reading, but there I went and gobbled one up during a work week. Oups. Back to 17th century Bavaria I go!
In the third book of Oliver Potzsch’s amazingly entertaining and well-written series of historical murder-mysteries, we follow Jakob Kuisl away from his home in the small town of Schongau to the city of Regensburg: he is summoned there by a letter from his brother-in-law, explaining that his sister is dying, and would like to see him before she passes. But when he gets to the city gate, he is arrested and help overnight by the guards. When they finally let him go, he arrives at his sister’s house only to find her and her husband murdered, their throats slashed open – and of course, he is immediately arrested for the crime. Meanwhile, his daughter Magdalena gets fed up with the laws that won’t allow her to marry Simon, her long-time suitor, and they decide to run away together to the city… of Regensburg. Of course, when they get there, they soon find out that Jakob has been imprisoned for a crime Magdalena cannot believe him to have committed, and decide to find out who really is behind this set-up before her father is tortured and executed.
This book was just as much fun as the previous two: Potzsch is a talented story-teller, and has created brilliant characters with the Kuisl (though created might be the wrong word, and his actual ancestor was a Jakob Kuisl who was the executioner in the small town of Schongau in the late 1600s) and their friends and allies. In the second book, Magdalena was the one who experienced fierce jealously when Simon befriended a woman, and in this one, the tables have turned; I personally really enjoy that these two lovebirds have a complicated relationship and wrestle with insecurities even if they have strong feelings for each other.
I think I can be good and wait for my next vacation to crack open the 4th book. I think. Very recommended for fans of pre-forensic science mysteries!
In the third book of Oliver Potzsch’s amazingly entertaining and well-written series of historical murder-mysteries, we follow Jakob Kuisl away from his home in the small town of Schongau to the city of Regensburg: he is summoned there by a letter from his brother-in-law, explaining that his sister is dying, and would like to see him before she passes. But when he gets to the city gate, he is arrested and help overnight by the guards. When they finally let him go, he arrives at his sister’s house only to find her and her husband murdered, their throats slashed open – and of course, he is immediately arrested for the crime. Meanwhile, his daughter Magdalena gets fed up with the laws that won’t allow her to marry Simon, her long-time suitor, and they decide to run away together to the city… of Regensburg. Of course, when they get there, they soon find out that Jakob has been imprisoned for a crime Magdalena cannot believe him to have committed, and decide to find out who really is behind this set-up before her father is tortured and executed.
This book was just as much fun as the previous two: Potzsch is a talented story-teller, and has created brilliant characters with the Kuisl (though created might be the wrong word, and his actual ancestor was a Jakob Kuisl who was the executioner in the small town of Schongau in the late 1600s) and their friends and allies. In the second book, Magdalena was the one who experienced fierce jealously when Simon befriended a woman, and in this one, the tables have turned; I personally really enjoy that these two lovebirds have a complicated relationship and wrestle with insecurities even if they have strong feelings for each other.
I think I can be good and wait for my next vacation to crack open the 4th book. I think. Very recommended for fans of pre-forensic science mysteries!
September 16, 2016
I'm a HUGE fan of this series - I think what appeals to me is the mystery/historical realistic fiction genre. For some reason it's rarely done well. This series is a dream come true. I absolutely adore the Kuisl family (hangman) despite the fact he tortures people for a living. I love the rebel Simon (almost Doctor) despite the fact he can be a dolt. And I adore Magdalena (the hangman's daughter) who has fire, spirit, and doesn't relegate herself to a damsel in distress role. For the 17th century, she's pretty much Wonder Woman!
This third book in the series moves at a quick pace with a perfect blend of history and mystery though more mystery, admittedly. The finale is a bit predictable but full of enough turns to keep it fresh.
This third book in the series moves at a quick pace with a perfect blend of history and mystery though more mystery, admittedly. The finale is a bit predictable but full of enough turns to keep it fresh.
January 22, 2013
There are some books that when you finish them you are content or uplifted or angry or inspired. Then there are books that you just don't want to end because they are so good. The Begger King is one of those for me. This third in The Hangman's Daughter series is the best so far. The hangman goes to a large city to help save his dying sister. When he gets there he finds she and her husband with their throats cut. He is arrested for the crime and finds what it is like to be on the receiving end of the torture he inflicts on those criminals in his community. When his daughter and her lover become so outraged at being continually ostracized because of their unaccepted romance they run to the same large city in hopes of finding refuge with her father's sister. This sets the scene for a complex plot that could bring down the German Empire. And, of course, threaten the lives of all. Such historical detail and the descriptions of the cities, the streets, the people, the politics is extraordinary. I can hardly wait for the next one The Warlock.
May 10, 2013
I'd give this 3 and 1/2 stars if that were an option, but obviously it ain't.
Not a bad book at all, but Potzsch falls into the trap of having his villains spill everything out all wicked-like at the end; I could just imagine them twisting their mustaches and cackling wildly while doing so. Not cool. More SHOW, less TELL, please...
Not a bad book at all, but Potzsch falls into the trap of having his villains spill everything out all wicked-like at the end; I could just imagine them twisting their mustaches and cackling wildly while doing so. Not cool. More SHOW, less TELL, please...
February 5, 2023
Mis see siis nüüd on? Plagiaat? Ideed on õhus? See raamat on kirjutatud 2008 , Hargla alustas 2010...
Kuigi peategelased - agarad ogarad käisid närvidele, siis väga põnev oli.
Ma ei teadnudki, et ravimtaimed suudavad selliseid imesid teha :) :) endiselt ei meeldi mulle keskaeg ( tegevus oli ca 1660), aga esimest korda tekkis mul seos, ma tean oma esivanemaid, kes elasid samal ajal. Andis kõvasti mõtteainet.
Kuigi peategelased - agarad ogarad käisid närvidele, siis väga põnev oli.
Ma ei teadnudki, et ravimtaimed suudavad selliseid imesid teha :) :) endiselt ei meeldi mulle keskaeg ( tegevus oli ca 1660), aga esimest korda tekkis mul seos, ma tean oma esivanemaid, kes elasid samal ajal. Andis kõvasti mõtteainet.
April 26, 2015
The Beggar King was uber-fun to read, not to mention thrilling. I got off to a slow start because life happens, but once I got on a roll I finished the book in two days. As with all good things, the time it takes to read a great book flies too fast. I always get to the end of the book and wish there were more pages to turn. Then there are the books I have to drag myself through. Those loathsome buggers feel like this: You know that feeling when you awake on a Wednesday morning, thinking it's Friday, and you get out of bed ready to conquer the day? You're just a happy smiling fool as you get ready for work. Then, as you're belting out some tunes as you drive, something jogs your memory and...BAM! Freakin' Friday is suddenly two days away, instead of right now. Your disappointment is a huge letdown and more than annoying, and the rest of the week now feels like a year. Just like the start of each new chapter in a tedious tome of bound boredom, you fear it will never end.
All I can say is thank you, The Beggar King, for being a true Friday, with free Dunkin' Donuts thrown in for even more happiness. I was so engrossed in the story’s plot that neither Wednesday nor Thursday stood a chance. This book's mystery was weaved so well, I just had to know who dun it! The ending was very satisfying.
Ok, ok, it's not all donuts and coffee. Or bagels and lattes. Or whatever. I did get annoyed about two-thirds of the way in when the author, Oliver Pötzsch, had reached a point where he'd introduced too many superfluous characters. It was obvious they weren't going to be part of the mystery, either, yet he added them anyway. They were just too much, given the fact that there was already a large number of people who were essential to the story. What I did like was how the author described the majority of the other, indispensable individuals. I felt like I could see them as if they were in front of me, just as I felt I was walking along streets of the beautiful city with the characters, or running from murderers in dark, dank, or disgusting places, because I could "see" the pictures the author was so clearly drawing for us with his words.
Another enjoyable thing about this book is the history embedded in it. I have no knowledge of Germany in the 17th century, so I cannot tell you if there are any holes in the facts, but it was fascinating to me. This is the second book I've read in The Hangman's Daughter series, and I love the fictional characters developed by Mr. Pötzsch (based on his ancestors, the Kuisl executioners) intertwined with not only Germany's past, but also strange and mystical things that were the wonders of many.
I recommend this book as much as I endorse my beloved Raspberry Iced Tea (with added sugar...yes, I know that's bad), perfected by Dunkin' Donuts. That makes this a four-star book. Had it been a five-star, it would have been equated to a steaming mug of chamomile or mint tea with lemon and honey, my ultimate book-reading accessory.
By the way, it's really the ice that makes the Raspberry Iced Tea so wonderful. It's just the right amount to make it absolutely refreshing. Unless a newbie makes it. Then I wouldn't even throw it at a one-star book on a Monday morning.
All I can say is thank you, The Beggar King, for being a true Friday, with free Dunkin' Donuts thrown in for even more happiness. I was so engrossed in the story’s plot that neither Wednesday nor Thursday stood a chance. This book's mystery was weaved so well, I just had to know who dun it! The ending was very satisfying.
Ok, ok, it's not all donuts and coffee. Or bagels and lattes. Or whatever. I did get annoyed about two-thirds of the way in when the author, Oliver Pötzsch, had reached a point where he'd introduced too many superfluous characters. It was obvious they weren't going to be part of the mystery, either, yet he added them anyway. They were just too much, given the fact that there was already a large number of people who were essential to the story. What I did like was how the author described the majority of the other, indispensable individuals. I felt like I could see them as if they were in front of me, just as I felt I was walking along streets of the beautiful city with the characters, or running from murderers in dark, dank, or disgusting places, because I could "see" the pictures the author was so clearly drawing for us with his words.
Another enjoyable thing about this book is the history embedded in it. I have no knowledge of Germany in the 17th century, so I cannot tell you if there are any holes in the facts, but it was fascinating to me. This is the second book I've read in The Hangman's Daughter series, and I love the fictional characters developed by Mr. Pötzsch (based on his ancestors, the Kuisl executioners) intertwined with not only Germany's past, but also strange and mystical things that were the wonders of many.
I recommend this book as much as I endorse my beloved Raspberry Iced Tea (with added sugar...yes, I know that's bad), perfected by Dunkin' Donuts. That makes this a four-star book. Had it been a five-star, it would have been equated to a steaming mug of chamomile or mint tea with lemon and honey, my ultimate book-reading accessory.
By the way, it's really the ice that makes the Raspberry Iced Tea so wonderful. It's just the right amount to make it absolutely refreshing. Unless a newbie makes it. Then I wouldn't even throw it at a one-star book on a Monday morning.
February 5, 2013
The third book in the series and I am still enjoying reading about the 1660s. This time the hangman, Jakob Kuisl, goes down the river to a large city to help his ailing sister. The ruse that brought Jakob away from home unfolds immediately and he is imprisoned. For various reasons his daughter and her lover, the medicus, run away from home and also go to the same city.
Two story threads run through this book, the one about Jakob trying to uncover why he has been set upon and the other involving political intrigue that the daughter and medicus get caught up in. Both story threads are interesting and provide the basis for giving us more information about life in the 1660s – big city life, caste system within the city, politics, and because of Jakob’s need to be tortured for a confession, much more about the gruesomeness of the devices used. As he notes, this city can afford many more devices than he uses as hangman in his small town.
I continue to like the stories and see there is a fourth book in the works. Good.
Two story threads run through this book, the one about Jakob trying to uncover why he has been set upon and the other involving political intrigue that the daughter and medicus get caught up in. Both story threads are interesting and provide the basis for giving us more information about life in the 1660s – big city life, caste system within the city, politics, and because of Jakob’s need to be tortured for a confession, much more about the gruesomeness of the devices used. As he notes, this city can afford many more devices than he uses as hangman in his small town.
I continue to like the stories and see there is a fourth book in the works. Good.
December 26, 2020
Once again, the combination of sublime ridiculousness and sheer awesomeness driven by admirable chutzpah makes for an unputdownable read that keeps you going even as you cringe on occasion at some of the literary tropes used. Pure entertaining fun, and with a nice short guide to Regensburg and its historical sites as a bonus.
March 22, 2020
Not the best in the series, but,once again, there is a keen view into life in Germany in the mid 1600s. Fascinating how early drug smuggling was a thing and also the various herbs that were successfully used for all manner of medical issues back then.
August 12, 2020
Nicht ganz so grandios wie Teil 1 und 2, trotzdem wieder eine geniale Reise durch Regensburg und Umgebung im Jahre 1660!
4,5 Sterne, aber hier runde ich gerne auf
4,5 Sterne, aber hier runde ich gerne auf
February 6, 2013
I am a big fan of Oliver Potzsch's "Hangman's Daughter" series of bloody detective novels set in mid-17th-century Bavaria. Whatever skills Potzsch may lack as a stylist (which may or may not be more the responsibility of the translator, Lee Chadeayne, who translated the German novel to English) he more than makes up for with his ability to create gut-busting, bloody detective stories in a world where he has mastery over the setting.
In "The Beggar King," we retun to the small Bavarian village of Schongau, following a violent prologue set several years prior to the novel's present-day 1662. Jakob Kuisl, the village hangman, remains at the bottom of the social barrel even though he's probably the single most important and competent person in town. But he must high-tail it to the big city of Regensburg following a cryptic letter from his beloved sister. On the way, he gets the feeling that someone may be watching him . . . but why?
Back in Schongau, Kuisl's daughter Magdalena continues her flirtation with the medicus (read - almost-doctor) Simon. Condemned by her status as a social untouchable, Magdalena cannot marry Simon - a condition that she endures with simmering fury. The righteous Magdalena calls out a local cad, which only exposes her to more injustice and prejudice. Frustrated beyond endurance, Magdalena and Simon also race off for Regensburg.
Suffice it to say that what ensues in Regensburg is a tale of revenge, murder, political intrigue, and above all, pain. Kuisl, Magdalena, and Simon each face sinister threats and gruesome fates with every passing hour - and their foes are playing for the highest stakes.
Potzsch keeps the pages flying as our heroes jump from one crisis to another, often passing within a few steps of each other without knowing it. All too often, a trapped hero escapes via a Deus Ex Machina, and one wishes that Potzsch could be less literal in his dialogue ("This is exactly what I'm thinking right now" is a fair summary of what is said), and there are a few anachronistic lines that clang - would a 17th-century villain really say "Enjoy your flight" before lighting a fuse intended to blow one of our heroes sky-high? I think not.
But all in all, "The Beggar King" is an enjoyable book because of Potzsch's love for Regensburg and his ability to throw the reader into the middle of this vibrant city. Potzsch even includes a handy travel guide to Regensburg as an appendix - definitely the high-water mark for this particular book.
I look forward to Potzsch's next offering in the series - "The Warlock."
One quibble I have with Potzsch - his titles are odd. (Mild spoilers ensue.) For one thing, the first novel is called "The Hangman's Daughter." While Magdalena is a fascinating character in her own right - strong-willed, gorgeous and brave in the face of her bottom-caste status - it's clear that the story revolves around her father - the actual hangman. Why is it called "The Hangman's Daughter" I'll never know, other than it sounds cool. Similarly, this novel is entitled, "The Beggar King." While the BK is an important, intriguing character, he's far from the most compelling or important. Perhaps this is a red-herring that is perfect for a detective novel, but I find it odd.
In "The Beggar King," we retun to the small Bavarian village of Schongau, following a violent prologue set several years prior to the novel's present-day 1662. Jakob Kuisl, the village hangman, remains at the bottom of the social barrel even though he's probably the single most important and competent person in town. But he must high-tail it to the big city of Regensburg following a cryptic letter from his beloved sister. On the way, he gets the feeling that someone may be watching him . . . but why?
Back in Schongau, Kuisl's daughter Magdalena continues her flirtation with the medicus (read - almost-doctor) Simon. Condemned by her status as a social untouchable, Magdalena cannot marry Simon - a condition that she endures with simmering fury. The righteous Magdalena calls out a local cad, which only exposes her to more injustice and prejudice. Frustrated beyond endurance, Magdalena and Simon also race off for Regensburg.
Suffice it to say that what ensues in Regensburg is a tale of revenge, murder, political intrigue, and above all, pain. Kuisl, Magdalena, and Simon each face sinister threats and gruesome fates with every passing hour - and their foes are playing for the highest stakes.
Potzsch keeps the pages flying as our heroes jump from one crisis to another, often passing within a few steps of each other without knowing it. All too often, a trapped hero escapes via a Deus Ex Machina, and one wishes that Potzsch could be less literal in his dialogue ("This is exactly what I'm thinking right now" is a fair summary of what is said), and there are a few anachronistic lines that clang - would a 17th-century villain really say "Enjoy your flight" before lighting a fuse intended to blow one of our heroes sky-high? I think not.
But all in all, "The Beggar King" is an enjoyable book because of Potzsch's love for Regensburg and his ability to throw the reader into the middle of this vibrant city. Potzsch even includes a handy travel guide to Regensburg as an appendix - definitely the high-water mark for this particular book.
I look forward to Potzsch's next offering in the series - "The Warlock."
One quibble I have with Potzsch - his titles are odd. (Mild spoilers ensue.) For one thing, the first novel is called "The Hangman's Daughter." While Magdalena is a fascinating character in her own right - strong-willed, gorgeous and brave in the face of her bottom-caste status - it's clear that the story revolves around her father - the actual hangman. Why is it called "The Hangman's Daughter" I'll never know, other than it sounds cool. Similarly, this novel is entitled, "The Beggar King." While the BK is an important, intriguing character, he's far from the most compelling or important. Perhaps this is a red-herring that is perfect for a detective novel, but I find it odd.
September 3, 2025
La Figlia del Boia è un meraviglioso viaggio attraverso la Baviera del XVII secolo, il secolo più buio della nostra storia.
Tra caccia alle streghe, stregoni, omicidi ed esecuzioni, Jakob Kuisl ha il suo bel da fare per mantenere la giustizia all'interno della sua Schongau. Ad affiancarlo nelle indagini infatti, ci sono la figlia Magdalena, aspirante levatrice del paese e il suo futuro genero, figlio dello scettico cerusico, Simon Fronwieser. Chi meglio di un boia, potrebbe far luce sui delitti che imperversano in tutta la Baviera?
Acculturato, illuminato, progressista, ottimo guaritore ed eccellente boia, Jakob Kuisl grazie al suo senso dell'olfatto e alle moderne conoscenze dell'anatomia (proibite ai cerusici per bene) riesce ad arrivare prima di tutti alla soluzione, impedendo che degli innocenti finiscano giustiziati e scongiurando pericolosi ritorni di roghi, cacce alle streghe e sospetto. Il tutto, con un tocco alla Sherlock Holmes: la pipa sempre pronta per schiarirgli le idee.
La sua famiglia, una famiglia di boia da generazioni vanta tra le sue discendenze Jörg Abriel conosciuto da tutti e diventato leggenda. Eppure, proprio questa celebre parentela finirà per mettere nei guai la famiglia Kuisl.
Preparatevi ad immergervi nell'atmosfera gotica e spettrale di Schongau.
E se vi dicessi che la famiglia Kuisl è veramente esistita e ha operato come boia da generazioni proprio a Schongau? Non vi resta che appurarlo da voi.
Buone indagini in compagnia del boia investigatore più celebre della letteratura!
Tra caccia alle streghe, stregoni, omicidi ed esecuzioni, Jakob Kuisl ha il suo bel da fare per mantenere la giustizia all'interno della sua Schongau. Ad affiancarlo nelle indagini infatti, ci sono la figlia Magdalena, aspirante levatrice del paese e il suo futuro genero, figlio dello scettico cerusico, Simon Fronwieser. Chi meglio di un boia, potrebbe far luce sui delitti che imperversano in tutta la Baviera?
Acculturato, illuminato, progressista, ottimo guaritore ed eccellente boia, Jakob Kuisl grazie al suo senso dell'olfatto e alle moderne conoscenze dell'anatomia (proibite ai cerusici per bene) riesce ad arrivare prima di tutti alla soluzione, impedendo che degli innocenti finiscano giustiziati e scongiurando pericolosi ritorni di roghi, cacce alle streghe e sospetto. Il tutto, con un tocco alla Sherlock Holmes: la pipa sempre pronta per schiarirgli le idee.
La sua famiglia, una famiglia di boia da generazioni vanta tra le sue discendenze Jörg Abriel conosciuto da tutti e diventato leggenda. Eppure, proprio questa celebre parentela finirà per mettere nei guai la famiglia Kuisl.
Preparatevi ad immergervi nell'atmosfera gotica e spettrale di Schongau.
E se vi dicessi che la famiglia Kuisl è veramente esistita e ha operato come boia da generazioni proprio a Schongau? Non vi resta che appurarlo da voi.
Buone indagini in compagnia del boia investigatore più celebre della letteratura!
March 27, 2013
This was the first of the series that I read and I'll definitely go back and read the previous ones. It's historical fiction though real characters aren't prominent - and tend to be people you haven't heard of anyway.
The series concerns the family of a Hangman - in the Germany that was set in, someone who was pretty near the bottom of society and functioned as the hangman, torturer, trash (umm to put it politely) remover and also a healer. Strange brew.
This novel finds the hangman's daughter and her lover, who is from higher up in society - a match disallowed by the authorities - leaving their hometown in search of freedom. When they arrive at the city of Regensburg they find her father has been captured, suspected of murdering his sister and brother-in-law. It becomes obvious he has been set up - but by who, and why?
In the sometimes squallor of Regensburg unfurls a great tale of corruption on many levels, a story of revenge and a wonderful painting of everyday and not so everyday life in seventeenth century Germany. We move between the beggar's guild, bishop's palace, ambassadors, brothels, dives and so on with great aplomb. Very enjoyable.
The series concerns the family of a Hangman - in the Germany that was set in, someone who was pretty near the bottom of society and functioned as the hangman, torturer, trash (umm to put it politely) remover and also a healer. Strange brew.
This novel finds the hangman's daughter and her lover, who is from higher up in society - a match disallowed by the authorities - leaving their hometown in search of freedom. When they arrive at the city of Regensburg they find her father has been captured, suspected of murdering his sister and brother-in-law. It becomes obvious he has been set up - but by who, and why?
In the sometimes squallor of Regensburg unfurls a great tale of corruption on many levels, a story of revenge and a wonderful painting of everyday and not so everyday life in seventeenth century Germany. We move between the beggar's guild, bishop's palace, ambassadors, brothels, dives and so on with great aplomb. Very enjoyable.
January 30, 2013
I love this series. Magdalena, the Hangman's Daughter, is a delight. She is not perfect, but she is beautiful, which she finds out when she finally is put in front of a good mirror in the house of an evil man. As an outcast, someone whom the entire town disdains because of her position, she is forced to be introspective and perceptive, in spite of her natural disposition to be assertive and a handful. Simon, the son of the town doctor, is her brilliant, learned, and less than courageous companion who gets sex and learning from the Kuisl household. Together they trail Magdalena's father, Jakob, whose unwavering morality and intelligence manage to overcome the barriers continually erected by his bigoted and superstitious fellow townsmen. This book is filled with information about the Renaissance in Germany, which seems a lot like the Dark Ages to the modern man. Still, it is a portrait of a wonderful trio of people who find adventure and love in a dark quest in one of the major cities of Germany.
February 20, 2015
I bought all three when they were on sale, and now I'm really regretting that decision. What was mildly annoying but tolerable in the first book, is now pretty much unbearable by the third - basically, our heroes are so headstrong, rash, and stupid, it's a wonder how any of them manage to stay alive. It's like a medieval Scooby-Doo adventure, written in some of the clunkiest prose out there, filled with awful metaphors and similes, all drawn out in an exasperating, overlong manner. It's the kind of book where two lovers can suddenly be consumed by fits of jealousy WHILE RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES. (Seriously, if you do that, you're a real contender for a Darwin Award) It's not Fifty Shades of Grey or Twilight bad, but close. I will never, ever read anything else written by this author again.
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