The Beggar King

Another fine book in the series

Great book for a causal read. Granted Magdalena is a bit harsher in this one. But I really enjoyed that this was set in a different town. And the characters are written so well. Wether it is the Milanese dignitary or the beggar king himself. I kind of hope we get to see these characters again in a future novel. Keep up the great writing can't wait to see where the next book take us. If you like an almost Bond like book set in medieval Germany, this series may be for you

Another fine book in the series

Great book for a causal read. Granted Magdalena is a bit harsher in this one. But I really enjoyed that this was set in a different town. And the characters are written so well. Wether it is the Milanese dignitary or the beggar king himself. I kind of hope we get to see these characters again in a future novel. Keep up the great writing can't wait to see where the next book take us. If you like an almost Bond like book set in medieval Germany, this series may be for you

This was another fun tale from The Hangman's Daughter series that doesn't take place entirely in Schongau, but in the city of Regensburg. Here we finally get to see more of Jakob's past during the war and an event that will come back to haunt him nearly 25 years later. Of course Simon and Magdalena get tangled up in what happens to Jakob in Regensburg without even trying, but the action gets interesting, and there's a lot you have to pay attention to. Of course you might be able to figure out who the real bad guys are early on, but you still want to know what they are up to. I think one part of the ending was wrapped up a little too neatly, but in a historical context it makes sense. Still, I wouldn't have minded it going another way.

The series still seems to be going strong, so I am curious how the next book will hold up.

While probably the best book in the series (so far), it took the longest for me to read. For some reason, the 2nd third of the book was a mountain for me to climb. It's also strange because I think that was the best part! Unlike the climax of the first 2 books, which can arguable be considered the same concept, the climax of The Beggar King was able to give me a multiple-climax scenario with villains whose deaths I really wanted to read about as Potzsch did a great job of making me hate the villains, once revealed.

I was almost thinking about stopping the series after this book, but the lives of our three protagonists are about to change significantly, if the end is to be dealt with in the next book, and I really want to know how they turn out!

I cracked open the pages of The Dark Monk with a certain amount of satisfaction and glee - to be rejoining a world I lost myself in with The Hangman's Daughter - to catch up with characters I'd fallen in love with some months ago - is always a heady feeling. I reviewed The Hangman's Daughter on my blog already, and mentioned I'd be looking for the sequels. On my last trip to the library, I happened to see all three of them, (The Dark Monk, The Beggar King, and The Poisoned Pilgrim - there are more after these three) so I snagged them with a grin that made my husband laugh. Pötzsch has continued his amazing storytelling in these three books, and I'm still amazed that books originally written in German can flow so well - lyrically, even - in English. I'm sure that's in large part due to the excellent translation work of Lee Chadeayne.

Jakob Kuisl (the hangman of Schongau), his daughter Magdalena, and her beau Simon Fronweiser are again up to their old tricks in these three books, letting their curiosity lead them into mysteries they perhaps should have stayed clear of. In The Dark Monk, the three find themselves embroiled in the hunt for lost Templar treasure. In The Beggar King, Jakob is framed for the murder of his sister, and must prove his innocence with the help of Magdalena and Simon. The Poisoned Pilgrim takes place a few years after The Beggar King, and involves the three attempting to prove the innocence of one of Jakob's oldest friends. Woven throughout the mysteries are portrayals of everyday (and not so everyday!) life in 17th century Bavaria, from taking care of the sick to child-rearing to executions.

One thing that continues to impress me about the books is how they treat torture. Torture to achieve a confession is a regular duty of a Hangman, but it's not treated lightly in these books. It's described, and it's treated as a horrible thing, but it's also not so descriptive that it crosses the line into gore. It's a mark of Pötzsch's skill that he can take a man that does this regularly - tortures and executes people, even people he knows are innocent, if he can't get out of it - and makes him likable. He makes us sympathize with him.

I enjoyed these three books just as much as I did the first. The action is well-paced, the plots are well-thought out and complex, and the characters are rich and enjoyable. It's easy to see the amount of research Pötzsch has put into his setting, and the books are richer for it. I love this series.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.