Historical Thriller Review: The Hangman's Daughter (Die Henkerstochter #1)

The Hangman's Daughter (Die Henkerstochter #1)
by Oliver Pötzsch


Description:
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:
I quite enjoyed this story, but I think the title of it is a bit misleading. The hangman’s daughter, Magdalena, is hardly the main character. She’s one of the three folks trying to clear Martha, the accused witch, and solve the mysterious deaths of the orphans.

There some rather exciting sequences and the images really pop. It makes for a great thriller.
I also find it interesting that the author is basing the story on his own family history, though I’m pretty sure the exact scenario in this book is fiction.

Overall, I loved the story and recommend it to folks who enjoy historical fiction and thrillers.

I purchased my copy of this book.


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.


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