ABOUT THE BOOK:
Magdalena, the clever and headstrong daughter of Bavarian hangman Jakob Kuisl, lives with her father outside the village walls and is destined to be married off to another hangman’s son—except that the town physician’s son is hopelessly in love with her. And her father’s wisdom and empathy are as unusual as his despised profession. It is 1659, the Thirty Years’ War has finally ended, and there hasn’t been a witchcraft mania in decades. But now, a drowning and gruesomely injured boy, tattooed with the mark of a witch, is pulled from a river and the villagers suspect the local midwife, Martha Stechlin.
Jakob Kuisl is charged with extracting a confession from her and torturing her until he gets one. Convinced she is innocent, he, Magdalena, and her would-be suitor race against the clock to find the true killer. Approaching Walpurgisnacht, when witches are believed to dance in the forest and mate with the devil, another tattooed orphan is found dead and the town becomes frenzied. More than one person has spotted what looks like the devil—a man with a hand made only of bones. The hangman, his daughter, and the doctor’s son face a terrifying and very real enemy.
MY REVIEW:
The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver PötzschMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an excellent historical thriller, set in Germany in the 1600s. The story is centered around a hangman and his family.
When a midwife is accused of witchcraft, the hangman tries to solve the mystery of who is killing young orphaned children, all bearing a strange symbol on their bodies.
The politics and superstitions of the time felt authentic and the mystery is impossible to guess. The suspense builds until you are on the edge of your seat!!
The book was translated from German to English. Very unique.
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/The-Hangmans-Daughter/dp/B005FIPLVA/
https://www.amazon.com/Hangmans-Daughter-Kindle-Motion-Tale-ebook/dp/B003P9XMFI/
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE KINDLE UNLIMITED STORE!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Oliver 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.
