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Liked It3 of 3 members found this review helpful “To have this review be as helpful as possible I just wanted to mention that Oliver Potzsch named, as far as I know, this series of books he is writing The Hangman's Daughter - this is the first in the series. This point is to alleviate any concerns one might have when discovering that the...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“An historic all novel set in medieval Bavaria, translated from German, we are drawn into a world of superstition and intrigue.”
Julie W wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I had read various blurbs about this first of (so far) three books and finally decided to give it a go. While it was entertaining, it really wasn't one of those books that made me want to drop other things I was doing to in order to get back to the story of Simon and Jacob.
Don S. wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The title is a bit misleading since Magdalena, the hangman's daughter, while a prominent character is neither the protagonist, the antagonist, nor really a central character. While her described beauty and flirtatious ways certainly made her a character you'd be interested in reading more of, she was absent from much of the book. I would have titled this "The Hangman" or "The Hangman's Apprentice," As it is Jacob and Simon who are central.
Apparently the author is a descendant of the Kuisl line (real hangmen.) f we assume that the historical references are researched, they add a good amount to the book overall.
Not sure if I'm going to give the next book in the series a go or not”
“I really enjoyed this book. It is a historical piece with mystery and adventure. Well written and intriguing. I have uploaded the next book in the series to my Kindle. ”
Melissa M wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“If you enjoy historical fiction that's action packed and contains a good mystery or two, then this book is worth reading. I don't read much historical fiction, but this book kept my attention with likeable characters, a few good villains, and several plot twists as the story unfolds. One of the things I liked best about this book is that the main character is a hangman and it demonstrates how even though he's considered outside of society because of his job, he's also essential to society and understands it better than anyone.”
Amy Neftzger wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Intriguing story, but the title suggests a different main character. The hangman himself is the star, together with the young doctor.
Dirk B wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The historical and situational descriptions are interesting, but I sometimes skipped them because they were too long. The last 10% of the book is drawn out; the reader already knows the outcome but the writer wants to bring the book to a smooth finish.”
“Really enjoyed this one. It's the story of a seventeenth-century executioner who is an intelligent and compassionate healer when he's not performing his day job meting out torture and death sentences. When children are murdered in the village, he searches for the real culprit before he is forced to execute a friend who is accused as a witch. The only thing that I found irritating was the repetitive use of a phrase during the chase scenes...someone was always running until he or she 'tasted metal in his mouth.' I just found it kind of odd. But this was translated from German, so maybe that was just a side effect of the translation.”
Kathleen S wrote this review Saturday, April 20, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I think the English translation could be done better. At many spots throughout the book I was surprised at the bluntness and lack of style in much of the wording. I enjoyed a good portion of the book but there were many parts where I struggled to keep going as the plot dragged. It wasn't a bad book but I didn't enjoy it quite enough to continue on to the other books in the series”
Michael A S wrote this review Thursday, April 18, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Follow the local hangman and his family as he attempts to unravel the murder of town orphans, keep the local midwife alive and find local treasure. This is a great story that keeps the reader guessing too! Suspenseful and entertaining. Highly recommended.
Maggie wrote this review Monday, April 8, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“Really great book. So different than what I thought it would be - very entertaining! I agree I loved every page. ”
Sit Stay Read wrote this review Wednesday, April 3, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A passable 17th c. thriller with some predictable twists ... interesting at times not profound ... I did learn about the 30-Year-War (from Wikipedia) and would not have otherwise needed to know about this interesting period in European history if I had not read this book ... ”
R.C. Jones wrote this review Wednesday, March 27, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No