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on February 26, 2016
I really enjoy historical fiction and this one brought me to a time and place I haven't found myself before. We are introduced to a young Jakob helping his father the hangman in what turns into a gory execution gone wrong. After the shock wears off we are re-introduced to Jakob, years later, now the hangman himself with his own family. In this small little town the mysterious murder of a young boy with a suspicious mark opens the doorway to a impending witchhunt and the deaths of numerous other children.
Hmmm.... This book tore me in different directions. There were parts that really hooked me, parts that put me off and some that just plain confused me. I wonder if some of these downfalls were actually due to translation and if I was able to read it in it's original German, might not find them so bothersome.
First off, the title, is very misleading. While there was a section of the book that focused heavily on his daughter, she was far from a main character. She poked up now and then, but definitely didn't play such a role that called for her to be the title of the book.
I loved being transported to a different time and place. Schongau, 1659, felt very real, however, having no direct knowledge of this time or area, not sure of it's accuracy. But it was set well. I could visualize and smell the streets of this poor small town. I really loved getting a feel of society and the mindset of the people after the Thirty Years War and the atrocities that accompanied witch trials and hunts during that time. While disturbing, some of the council meetings really enlightened me to what the typical view was at that time. I love historical fictions that drive me yet teach me at the same time.
The characters felt real and well rounded. I would definitely place the Hangman, Jakob Kuisl and and the Doctor, Simon Fronwieser as the main characters. I got a real feel for Jakob, a man who was born to lead a life with a profession he deplored and attempted to drown out in alcohol. He was a man who did the best he could with what he was given. While knowing the accused midwife is innocent, he couldn't shirk his responsibility knowing they would simply find another hangman to take on his responsibility and possibly more painfully. I can't imagine how hard that would be. I could feel the weight on his shoulders, and also could easily see his motive for finding the true murderer. The young doctor was a nice contrast to the heavy weight Kuisl carried. I liked how open minded he was and while being an educated man, still rather naive in a lot of ways. A lot of the other characters were rather deplorable, but that was pretty much the point. Women were very minimized at this time, and so their roles were very small in this one. I liked how the hangman's daughter was very strong-willed and assertive, but she does play a very small role. I also liked Sophie, a young firecracker orphan really stepped up and fought for herself.
The mystery was a pretty good one, but towards the end something happens. It starts to really drag and the same thing gets retold in different ways. I'm not sure if this was due to the translation, or perhaps some more editing was needed, but it felt like there was some sort change and not in a good way. There were some pretty gory scenes. The torture is a given. The description of the boy's death also disturbing. What really shocked and appalled me is the flashback to Jakob's time during the war, there is a scene that is just so upsetting I still want to vomit thinking about it. For those with a weak stomach or sensitivity to babies, I am of the latter, it is perhaps worth skipping over since it still gives me nightmares thinking about it.
The best part of this book was the obvious dedication and research that was put into it. You can tell Oliver didn't give a few good guesses or read one or two paragraphs. I appreciate historical fiction authors that really teach you through stories. Oliver is definitely of this variety, learning about his genealogy was intriguing as well.
All in all this was a good book, perhaps even better if read in the traditional German, which unfortunately I am unable to do. I will keep my eyes open for his future books which I am hoping will have a cleaner translation.
Hmmm.... This book tore me in different directions. There were parts that really hooked me, parts that put me off and some that just plain confused me. I wonder if some of these downfalls were actually due to translation and if I was able to read it in it's original German, might not find them so bothersome.
First off, the title, is very misleading. While there was a section of the book that focused heavily on his daughter, she was far from a main character. She poked up now and then, but definitely didn't play such a role that called for her to be the title of the book.
I loved being transported to a different time and place. Schongau, 1659, felt very real, however, having no direct knowledge of this time or area, not sure of it's accuracy. But it was set well. I could visualize and smell the streets of this poor small town. I really loved getting a feel of society and the mindset of the people after the Thirty Years War and the atrocities that accompanied witch trials and hunts during that time. While disturbing, some of the council meetings really enlightened me to what the typical view was at that time. I love historical fictions that drive me yet teach me at the same time.
The characters felt real and well rounded. I would definitely place the Hangman, Jakob Kuisl and and the Doctor, Simon Fronwieser as the main characters. I got a real feel for Jakob, a man who was born to lead a life with a profession he deplored and attempted to drown out in alcohol. He was a man who did the best he could with what he was given. While knowing the accused midwife is innocent, he couldn't shirk his responsibility knowing they would simply find another hangman to take on his responsibility and possibly more painfully. I can't imagine how hard that would be. I could feel the weight on his shoulders, and also could easily see his motive for finding the true murderer. The young doctor was a nice contrast to the heavy weight Kuisl carried. I liked how open minded he was and while being an educated man, still rather naive in a lot of ways. A lot of the other characters were rather deplorable, but that was pretty much the point. Women were very minimized at this time, and so their roles were very small in this one. I liked how the hangman's daughter was very strong-willed and assertive, but she does play a very small role. I also liked Sophie, a young firecracker orphan really stepped up and fought for herself.
The mystery was a pretty good one, but towards the end something happens. It starts to really drag and the same thing gets retold in different ways. I'm not sure if this was due to the translation, or perhaps some more editing was needed, but it felt like there was some sort change and not in a good way. There were some pretty gory scenes. The torture is a given. The description of the boy's death also disturbing. What really shocked and appalled me is the flashback to Jakob's time during the war, there is a scene that is just so upsetting I still want to vomit thinking about it. For those with a weak stomach or sensitivity to babies, I am of the latter, it is perhaps worth skipping over since it still gives me nightmares thinking about it.
The best part of this book was the obvious dedication and research that was put into it. You can tell Oliver didn't give a few good guesses or read one or two paragraphs. I appreciate historical fiction authors that really teach you through stories. Oliver is definitely of this variety, learning about his genealogy was intriguing as well.
All in all this was a good book, perhaps even better if read in the traditional German, which unfortunately I am unable to do. I will keep my eyes open for his future books which I am hoping will have a cleaner translation.
on June 17, 2014
I happened upon Oliver Potzsch's The Hangman's Daughter one day when I opened up my Kindle to find Amazon pushing it on the splash screen. Hoping for something closer to Iain Pear's Stones Fall, but with fresh memories of Orhan Pamuk's abominable My Name is Red, I waded once again into a historical mystery.
The devil is afoot in the Bavarian town of Schongau in 1659. Orphans are being murdered and the superstitious burghers of the town have accused a local midwife of witchcraft and complicity in the murders. The law dictates, however, that the accused must confess before she can be burned at the stake. Enter Jakob Kuisl, the town's executioner and torturer. The town council wants Kuisl to extract a confession from the midwife. Kuisl is not only the town's headsman, he's also an amateur apothecary, medical practitioner and detective. He believes the midwife is innocent and tries to stall for time while searching for the true killer.
The premise is intriguing and it's what drew me to the book. The start was promising, but The Hangman's Daughter soon became bogged down by very bad writing and a poor, improbable plot.
The prose is hackneyed, banal and clumsy, if not awkward. The banter is thick with that kind of cheesy bravado one finds in badly dubbed martial arts movies of the 70's. Grown men, supposedly tough hombres, call each other "rascals", "brats" and (one cringes at the memory) "little know it all"'s. It seems that the entire novel is filled with dialog along the lines of "I know you are but what am I?". Life and death played out on an elementary school playground.
Much of the criticism leveled at this book for the anachronistic writing is spot on. I love well written historical fiction because it takes me to a place I've never been and holds me there. When, as in The Hangman's Daughter, one character asks another "Are you nuts?" or another explains to his partner that they can't search a field because "This area is under surveillance.", the reader is jolted out of what the author would like you to think is 17th century Bavaria.
The plot is a sieve. Potzsch habitually writes a paragraph and then directly contradicts himself in the next. For example, we learn that the body of a highwayman has been prominently left hanging on the gallows tree to serve as an example for those passing by on their way to Schongau. In the very next paragraph the author tells us that a band of criminals has chosen the area around the gallows tree as a hideout because no one ever ventures there.
At one point the hangman is able to beat some important information out of one of the criminal ringleaders because, he says, "In the end, they all talk." Unfortunately during the interrogation, the hangman forgot to ask his victim the most important question: who paid to have the murders done.
I haven't read many mysteries, but in those I have, the guilty party is usually forced into confessing because they've been outsmarted into doing so or there is some threat to their physical well being. At the climax of the novel, the perpetrator does indeed reveal himself. With absolutely no reason to do so, he blurts out a full confession to a man who has no credibility, influence in town and no power to coerce such a confession.The man, a doctor, simply walked into the house of the guilty man and said something like "I know you're guilty" and the criminal started singing.
As if the plot and writing weren't bad enough, the characters were either one dimensional or not very likeable. One theme which runs through the book is the ignorance and superstition of people living in this time and place. It seems that characters are fall into one of two groups. Most are superstitious knuckle draggers who see the devil behind every tree and want to burn as a witch any woman who exhibits suspicious behavior, like laughing. Then there are the hangman, his daughter Magdalena and the aforementioned doctor, Simon. These three enlightened beings are ahead of their time and they know it. They spend much of the time smirking (or "grinning", a word Potzsch likes) at the ignorance of their neighbors. Such condescension makes them thoroughly unlikeable. I wondered, as the hangman laid back in the grass for the umpteenth time to smoke his pipe and grin at the great unwashed going about their business in complete ignorance, how the hell it took this legend in his own mind more than 400 pages to catch the perps.
Although I obviously can't say for sure, my feeling is that back in that day, anyone open-minded enough to swim against the tide of backwardness of those times did so, out of necessity, with a bit of caution and humility.
Read to the end of the story and prepare for yet more frustration. Oliver Potzsch writes a postscript in which he goes into some detail about the history of his family (a historical clan of executioners) and 17th century German history. The postscript is really well written. I really had trouble understanding how the man who wrote about his family in that last chapter was responsible for the mess that was The Hangman's Daughter. Perhaps Oliver should stick to nonfiction.
The devil is afoot in the Bavarian town of Schongau in 1659. Orphans are being murdered and the superstitious burghers of the town have accused a local midwife of witchcraft and complicity in the murders. The law dictates, however, that the accused must confess before she can be burned at the stake. Enter Jakob Kuisl, the town's executioner and torturer. The town council wants Kuisl to extract a confession from the midwife. Kuisl is not only the town's headsman, he's also an amateur apothecary, medical practitioner and detective. He believes the midwife is innocent and tries to stall for time while searching for the true killer.
The premise is intriguing and it's what drew me to the book. The start was promising, but The Hangman's Daughter soon became bogged down by very bad writing and a poor, improbable plot.
The prose is hackneyed, banal and clumsy, if not awkward. The banter is thick with that kind of cheesy bravado one finds in badly dubbed martial arts movies of the 70's. Grown men, supposedly tough hombres, call each other "rascals", "brats" and (one cringes at the memory) "little know it all"'s. It seems that the entire novel is filled with dialog along the lines of "I know you are but what am I?". Life and death played out on an elementary school playground.
Much of the criticism leveled at this book for the anachronistic writing is spot on. I love well written historical fiction because it takes me to a place I've never been and holds me there. When, as in The Hangman's Daughter, one character asks another "Are you nuts?" or another explains to his partner that they can't search a field because "This area is under surveillance.", the reader is jolted out of what the author would like you to think is 17th century Bavaria.
The plot is a sieve. Potzsch habitually writes a paragraph and then directly contradicts himself in the next. For example, we learn that the body of a highwayman has been prominently left hanging on the gallows tree to serve as an example for those passing by on their way to Schongau. In the very next paragraph the author tells us that a band of criminals has chosen the area around the gallows tree as a hideout because no one ever ventures there.
At one point the hangman is able to beat some important information out of one of the criminal ringleaders because, he says, "In the end, they all talk." Unfortunately during the interrogation, the hangman forgot to ask his victim the most important question: who paid to have the murders done.
I haven't read many mysteries, but in those I have, the guilty party is usually forced into confessing because they've been outsmarted into doing so or there is some threat to their physical well being. At the climax of the novel, the perpetrator does indeed reveal himself. With absolutely no reason to do so, he blurts out a full confession to a man who has no credibility, influence in town and no power to coerce such a confession.The man, a doctor, simply walked into the house of the guilty man and said something like "I know you're guilty" and the criminal started singing.
As if the plot and writing weren't bad enough, the characters were either one dimensional or not very likeable. One theme which runs through the book is the ignorance and superstition of people living in this time and place. It seems that characters are fall into one of two groups. Most are superstitious knuckle draggers who see the devil behind every tree and want to burn as a witch any woman who exhibits suspicious behavior, like laughing. Then there are the hangman, his daughter Magdalena and the aforementioned doctor, Simon. These three enlightened beings are ahead of their time and they know it. They spend much of the time smirking (or "grinning", a word Potzsch likes) at the ignorance of their neighbors. Such condescension makes them thoroughly unlikeable. I wondered, as the hangman laid back in the grass for the umpteenth time to smoke his pipe and grin at the great unwashed going about their business in complete ignorance, how the hell it took this legend in his own mind more than 400 pages to catch the perps.
Although I obviously can't say for sure, my feeling is that back in that day, anyone open-minded enough to swim against the tide of backwardness of those times did so, out of necessity, with a bit of caution and humility.
Read to the end of the story and prepare for yet more frustration. Oliver Potzsch writes a postscript in which he goes into some detail about the history of his family (a historical clan of executioners) and 17th century German history. The postscript is really well written. I really had trouble understanding how the man who wrote about his family in that last chapter was responsible for the mess that was The Hangman's Daughter. Perhaps Oliver should stick to nonfiction.
on July 12, 2014
The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch is an historical novel set in Bavaria in the mid seventeenth century. I had never really thought about an executioner as a career, but the book opened my eyes to a lot of things about the job. What kind of person becomes an executioner? How are they trained? How are they regarded in the community? These are just a few of the questions covered in the book. By the way, the author is a descendent of one of the most well known executioner families in Bavaria. He used family histories and archives to give a true sense of what the job entailed. In addition to being pretty informative, Potzsch weaves a fairly interesting mystery.
The book starts out with a young boy of about 10 being pulled from the Lech river. He is found to have several stab wounds and a mark on his shoulder which the townspeople take as a witch"s mark. Since the boy and several other orphan children were known to play at the house of the local midwife, Martha Stechlin, she immediately comes under suspicion and is arrested and charged with being a witch. Jakob Kuisl, the hangman, and the doctor's son Simon, examine the body and find several inconsistencies. During this time in history, there were many witch purges going on, and the town clerk did not want that to happen again. Fear and accusations would spread like wild fire and it needed to be nipped in the bud. Jakob Kuisl was ordered to "question" Marta (ie. torture) and get a confession so the town would be spared the ordeal.
Kuisl, however, does not believe the Stechlin woman is a witch, nor does he believe she killed the boy. He does everything in his power to postpone the torture so he and Simon could find the real culprit(s). Shortly after Martha's arrest, more children turn up dead and the pressure to get a confession and burn Stechlin at the steak becomes even greater.
The character of Jakob Kuisl is very interesting. Although he tortures and kills for a living, he shows a soft and compassionate side. Also, he is shunned by the general population, but is more learned than some of the wealthy patricians, and townspeople often come to him for remedies rather than going to the town doctor.
I thought the book was very interesting, but the dialog left much to be desired. It was forced and simple. I am giving Potzsch the benefit of the doubt and blaming this on the translater. I wish I could read German so I could know for sure, but I am subtracting a star for the translation.
The book starts out with a young boy of about 10 being pulled from the Lech river. He is found to have several stab wounds and a mark on his shoulder which the townspeople take as a witch"s mark. Since the boy and several other orphan children were known to play at the house of the local midwife, Martha Stechlin, she immediately comes under suspicion and is arrested and charged with being a witch. Jakob Kuisl, the hangman, and the doctor's son Simon, examine the body and find several inconsistencies. During this time in history, there were many witch purges going on, and the town clerk did not want that to happen again. Fear and accusations would spread like wild fire and it needed to be nipped in the bud. Jakob Kuisl was ordered to "question" Marta (ie. torture) and get a confession so the town would be spared the ordeal.
Kuisl, however, does not believe the Stechlin woman is a witch, nor does he believe she killed the boy. He does everything in his power to postpone the torture so he and Simon could find the real culprit(s). Shortly after Martha's arrest, more children turn up dead and the pressure to get a confession and burn Stechlin at the steak becomes even greater.
The character of Jakob Kuisl is very interesting. Although he tortures and kills for a living, he shows a soft and compassionate side. Also, he is shunned by the general population, but is more learned than some of the wealthy patricians, and townspeople often come to him for remedies rather than going to the town doctor.
I thought the book was very interesting, but the dialog left much to be desired. It was forced and simple. I am giving Potzsch the benefit of the doubt and blaming this on the translater. I wish I could read German so I could know for sure, but I am subtracting a star for the translation.
on June 6, 2016
Not sure what to say about this one. So many 'murder mystery' styles out there and the idea of setting them back in the distant past is nothing new. I didn't really like the protagonists - the hangman or his sidekick. And I will echo others reviews to ask why was it called 'The Hangman's Daughter' when she hardly appeared in it and was not the one who figured out what was happening. Definitely feel that there must have been something lost in translation. I struggled to get through this over long novel and only the need to know who the main culprit was kept me reading. Not a great read, and certainly not a series I feel compelled to dash out and buy the next one for, though I think I made that mistake already having been deceived by great reviews.
on May 25, 2017
I hate to admit this. I have read the entire series available for English translation. They are horrible. They are wonderful. It is like a heroin addiction. You know it is very bad for you, but you cannot resist.
The translation is clunky and I think probably pretty bad. The characters are predictable until they are not. But seriously? A hangman who is a well known healer, intellectual, and a lover of books? How can that NOT drag you in? Then we have Simon, the midget, who may or may not be a partial doctor type. And then we have the daughter of the hangman, who is loud, passionate, disobedient, and thoroughly delightful except when she is acting like a complete clueless idiot.
Supposedly, these stories are based on the author's own ancient ancestor being the town hangman with this office being a legacy among families.
The translation is clunky and I think probably pretty bad. The characters are predictable until they are not. But seriously? A hangman who is a well known healer, intellectual, and a lover of books? How can that NOT drag you in? Then we have Simon, the midget, who may or may not be a partial doctor type. And then we have the daughter of the hangman, who is loud, passionate, disobedient, and thoroughly delightful except when she is acting like a complete clueless idiot.
Supposedly, these stories are based on the author's own ancient ancestor being the town hangman with this office being a legacy among families.
on June 23, 2017
I just got through reading "The Hangman's Daughter" and immediately ordered the second book in the Hangman series "The Dark Monk" If it is as good as the first, I will be ordering the whole series. One at a time of course. Throughout the book I got to know Jakob Kuisl and his rebellious, but devoted, daughter, Magdalena. Throw in her timid, at first, suitor, Simon Fronweiser and their pursuit of the devil, (And his pursuit of them at times) you have a pretty good rip snortin' page turning adventure. Just so you are warned, there are some graphic scenes and violence involving children but it is a history of those times that sadly happens even today and has been an atrocity from the earliest times. Then, you have some witchcraft that turns out to be an early history of the pharma what with the herbs and salves and whatnot. I almost gave it a four star because of the names which sometimes are hard to pronounce but I got over it. I would highly recommend this novel. I have also read Oliver Potzsch's "The Castle of Kings," which I also liked very much but I think this one edged it out. .
on May 3, 2014
I am going to be very generous here and blame the bad writing and lame brained plot of this extremely overrated book on it's American translator. Mostly because I don't want to blame Mr. Potzsch, who at least according to his profile, makes a living writing screenplays (though not in English) and as such should know better, but perhaps hasn't had the displeasure of reading the English version of his own book. I usually keep bad reviews to myself but I've read better plotting and more believable characters in Hardy Boys books, to which this lunkheaded "novel" has been compared to, and not favorably, by more readers than just myself. You know as a reader that you are in trouble when you are constantly asking yourself if the dialogue you are reading sounds even a little like what people would have used in the year 1624 (the quick answer is that it does not) or if you are groaning over the never ending (and completely unbelievable) chase scenes, which are, like I said, endless (and pointless). I will say the illustrations were nice. How's that for damning something with faint praise? Amazon customers, your money would be better spent elsewhere, I suffered through this book, you do not have to.
on January 13, 2011
Another book I found via Kindle browsing, this is a historical mystery that revolves around witchcraft, the hangman's trade (complete with his requisite torture), searching for stolen money, and missing orphans.
Set in Bavarai in 1659, two orphan children go missing and are discovered dead, both with what is described as a witch's mark inked on their shoulder. The local midwife is immediately thrown into the jail, presumed guilty until proven innocent. Suddenly, other orphans suddenly disappear, and things don't look good for the midwife, who pleads innocent. She only has a short amount of time before she'll be burned at the stake.
The hangman is unexpectedly likable and kind at heart. He doesn't want to torture a "confession" out of the midwife, but it's his job and he faces his own demise if he doesn't do has the burghers demand. He surreptitiously doses the midwife with some sort of narcotic so she doesn't feel the pain of the thumbscrews; at least, not until a couple of days later.
The 20-something son of the local "doctor" is a friend of the hangman and is in love with the hangman's daughter. (It should be noted that the hangman, like the midwife, has more herbal knowledge and medical knowledge than any of the doctors of that time.) A match between the young doctor and the hangman's doctor is pretty much forbidden, though, as the hangman's family, while providing a necessary service, is shunned, and only marry into other hangmen's families from other towns.
The reason I didn't give the book Four Stars was at times it went a bit slow. This could have been a "lost in translation" bit as the book was translated from the native language. It was still worth reading, and I wish the afterword had actually been a foreward, as I found out the author was related to the hangman in the story -- or at least, his name. While the book is fiction and a novel, it pulls upon current events and the actual duties and practices of the time, and I found the genealogical study the author and his family did fascinating -- it just should have been at the front of the book to peak the interest!
If you want something different, try this one.
Set in Bavarai in 1659, two orphan children go missing and are discovered dead, both with what is described as a witch's mark inked on their shoulder. The local midwife is immediately thrown into the jail, presumed guilty until proven innocent. Suddenly, other orphans suddenly disappear, and things don't look good for the midwife, who pleads innocent. She only has a short amount of time before she'll be burned at the stake.
The hangman is unexpectedly likable and kind at heart. He doesn't want to torture a "confession" out of the midwife, but it's his job and he faces his own demise if he doesn't do has the burghers demand. He surreptitiously doses the midwife with some sort of narcotic so she doesn't feel the pain of the thumbscrews; at least, not until a couple of days later.
The 20-something son of the local "doctor" is a friend of the hangman and is in love with the hangman's daughter. (It should be noted that the hangman, like the midwife, has more herbal knowledge and medical knowledge than any of the doctors of that time.) A match between the young doctor and the hangman's doctor is pretty much forbidden, though, as the hangman's family, while providing a necessary service, is shunned, and only marry into other hangmen's families from other towns.
The reason I didn't give the book Four Stars was at times it went a bit slow. This could have been a "lost in translation" bit as the book was translated from the native language. It was still worth reading, and I wish the afterword had actually been a foreward, as I found out the author was related to the hangman in the story -- or at least, his name. While the book is fiction and a novel, it pulls upon current events and the actual duties and practices of the time, and I found the genealogical study the author and his family did fascinating -- it just should have been at the front of the book to peak the interest!
If you want something different, try this one.
TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon January 6, 2013
I had heard a lot of good things about "The Hangman's Daughter" before I was finally able to read it. It is good, well worth reading just for the historical information alone. The book was exciting at the beginning and the end but it dragged in the middle. I liked the main characters of the book - the hangman and his daughter (Jakob and Magdalena Kuisl) and the physician's son (Simon Fronweiser), who also was Magdalena's love interest. And I liked the children in the book. Pötsch developed his characters very well (and there were a lot to keep track of). Quite a few were unsavory.
And maybe that's MY main problem with the book - and it's my problem, not the book's. I just don't LIKE this period in history. It was unenlightened. Women and children were treated abominably. Most of the book was depressing. Well-written - yes. Translated well by Lee Chadeayne - it seems to be and it flows well. Interesting especially knowing the book is based on the author's ancestors. I learned a lot about the hangman's trade and medical practices of 1624 and 1659. The illustrations were lovely but I wish they, along with the map at the front of the book, could have been enlarged. But if you are looking for a cheery book, this isn't it. If this review sounds ambiguous, that's because I can't decide how much I really do like the story.
And even though I'm not fond of the time period. I did like the main characters and I plan on reading the next two books in the series - The Dark Monk and The Beggar King.
And maybe that's MY main problem with the book - and it's my problem, not the book's. I just don't LIKE this period in history. It was unenlightened. Women and children were treated abominably. Most of the book was depressing. Well-written - yes. Translated well by Lee Chadeayne - it seems to be and it flows well. Interesting especially knowing the book is based on the author's ancestors. I learned a lot about the hangman's trade and medical practices of 1624 and 1659. The illustrations were lovely but I wish they, along with the map at the front of the book, could have been enlarged. But if you are looking for a cheery book, this isn't it. If this review sounds ambiguous, that's because I can't decide how much I really do like the story.
And even though I'm not fond of the time period. I did like the main characters and I plan on reading the next two books in the series - The Dark Monk and The Beggar King.
