The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch

The Hangman's Daughter Series, Book 1

Publisher: AmazonCrossing (December 2010)

448 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $3.99)

Book Rating: 5 Stars
Content Note: Includes Swearing and Violence

Despite the title, this is a story more about the hangman, Jakob Kuisl, then the hangman's daughter, Magdalena, but she and her suitor, Simon (the physician's son), do help the hangman in his quest to exonerate the town midwife of the charges of witchcraft and murder that have been wrongly leveled against her. A great murder mystery with a bit of social commentary leads to an interesting partnership that develops between two men who have been pushed to the fringes of society, the hangman because of his occupation and dabbling in medicinal elixirs and the physician's son because of his interest in controversial modern medical theories and practices as well as his interest in the hangman's daughter. The hangman was a great character, stoic, introspective and largely free to do as he likes due to his social outcast status, yet holding a position in society that grants him access to many places without question and a fearful respect that avoids needless hassle. Great read and I can't wait to read his next adventure! The next book in this series is The Dark Monk.