The Hangman's Daughter

A Hangman's Daughter Tale, Book 1

By: Oliver Pötzsch, Lee Chadeayne - translator

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Germany, 1660: When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play in his small Bavarian town. Whispers and dark memories of witch trials and the women burned at the stake just seventy years earlier still haunt the streets of Schongau. When more children disappear and an orphan boy is found dead - marked by the same tattoo - the mounting hysteria threatens to erupt into chaos.

Before the unrest forces him to torture and execute the very woman who aided in the birth of his children, Jakob must unravel the truth. With the help of his clever daughter, Magdelena, and Simon, the university-educated son of the town’s physician, Jakob discovers that a devil is indeed loose in Schongau. But it may be too late to prevent bloodshed.

A brilliantly detailed, fast-paced historical thriller, The Hangman’s Daughter is the first novel from German television screenwriter Oliver Pötzsch, a descendent of the Kuisls, a famous Bavarian executioner clan.

©2011 Oliver Pötzsch, Lee Chadeayne (translation) (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good Historical Fiction

It definitely puts a different spin on an executioners life. I enjoyed the book. I had to read it because of all the hype.

I would also recommend Speaks the Nightbird for historical fiction.

great narrator

enjoyed the story line,narrator made the book come alive,author created wonderful protagonist,you can visualize easily

Really great series

I love the medieval era books. This first book was jst a shot in the dark as i dont have a new author yet to follow. This one was suggested on the home screen as a must read so i gave it a chance and have since listened to the whole series. You wont b disappointed! if you are a fan of Ken Follett i really think you will like this. If you do like this and have not had the chance to read ken follett i advise you to do so.

What a disappointment

I love learning everything about German history, so this was right up my alley. I did learn about life in the mid-1600s. It was a rough period in history - witchcraft and serious misguided understandings of how the body works abounded. Luckily there were people, who were onto to something with their herbal remedies and who were suspicious of bloodletting and wary of the accepted belief about the humors of the human body.

Other than that, this book really offered nothing. I was completely let down by this story. I only gave it the two stars I did, because I really liked the hangman and the physician characters. (Why the author named the book after the hangman's daughter I don't know.) I also thought the narrator did a good job presenting the hangman's dialog, although at first it bothered me that he didn't speak with a German accent.

The story was way too long for the simple plot and in the end it fizzled out. I don't think I will read the next book in the series.

Dark historical fiction

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, I didn't particularly love this book, but it was an enjoyable story. It's dark and violent and starts with a detailed execution. It's got what should be an interesting story, but it didn't grab hold like I hoped it would.

Would you be willing to try another one of Grover Gardner’s performances?

Maybe, but not set in Europe. He doesn't have a European accent and that distracted me from the story. He was well spoken and seemed to be engaged in his performance, but for a book set in Germany, he didn't have any German speech or mannerisms.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, but I'd stream the movie. I don't think this would need to be seen on the big screen, but it could be a solid movie or miniseries.

Any additional comments?

It's not a bad historical fiction novel, but it didn't grab me like I had hoped. I won't be listening to more in this series, but it holds up as a standalone novel, so stopping after 1 book won't leave the user hanging.

Some slow spots but a great listen regardless

This book was very good. The author tells an interesting story and the narrator was very pleasant. There are a few slow spots in the story but over all it's worth the listen.

A 1600's classic!

What did you love best about The Hangman's Daughter?

The story was descriptive without being overly wrought with details. The pace of the story and narrative was top-notch. The Narrator....brilliant!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes....lot's a twists and turns.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

Words can't explain how good his performance was!

Sweet taste of history and fiction

A shot in the dark that I truly enjoyed. I enjoy books that can give you a real taste of what a time must have been like and this delivers. A 17th century back drop full of greed, suspicion and mystery. A tale of poverty, hardship and witchcraft. Only a few of the characters live by their wits and not their fears and up until the end you aren't quite sure which group of citizens of this small European town will win.

Slow start but worth the wait

I attempted to listen to this book 3 times before I made it through. I’m not sure what it was that didn’t hold my interest. But, it was a good listen in the end. I was most pleased with the epilogue/post script that revealed it to be based on true events.
My only other comment is that I do not understand why it is named “the hangman’s daughter” when she is really a side character.

Dark and realistic

I enjoyed this book, but mostly toward the end. I struggled to remember the names of the various characters in the Audible version; something that wouldn't have been a problem had I read the book. For the first probably 20 chapters I found myself bored now and then with the way the way the author unveiled the clues throughout the story and I think my interest waned even more by the dark nature of the setting in the Middle Ages. I did think it was well written and for that I kept listening but it is not a story I'll recommend to my friends. It held a bit more realism than I was comfortable with.