Oliver PötzschRecensioni

Read 200 of the 500 pages and gave up. The characters were not at all appealing to me and, at least in translation, speech was sometimes annoyingly modern.

So good... I lost sleep. I like how Potzsch makes historical figures come alive in their time period, yet they're relatable. I love how he wove two timelines together, and his villain and the conclusion of book were very creative.

I LOVE Ludwig II of Austria, and this book was very satisfying.

Leopold Herzberg ermittelt in einem weiteren Fall - und wieder benötigt er die Hilfe des Totengräbers Augustin Rothmayer. Bei einer Mumie, die in einem Sarkophag im Kunsthistorischen Museum gefunden wurde, handelte es sich nicht etwa um einen altägyptischen Pharao, sondern um einen berühmten Professor für Ägyptologie. Und wer könnte mehr über die Konservierung von Leichen wissen als Rothmayer, der bereits an einem weiteren Buch schreibt.
Parallel dazu ermittelt er in einer Reihe von Morden an Stricherjungen, die im Genitalbereich verstümmelt wurden. Julia ist als Polizeifotografin ebenfalls in einen Fall verwickelt.

Das Buch ist ein gelungener Krimi, aber auch ein Sittengemälde der damaligen Zeit, das den Leser durch verschiedene Teile des damaligen Wiens führt. Es knüpft nahtlos an Band 1 an und die Figuren bleiben keineswegs statisch, sondern entwickeln sich weiter. Ich bin schon sehr gespannt auf Band 3.

Anmerkung: Den Titel des Romans habe ich wirklich nicht verstanden. Der Totengräber spielt nur eine Nebenrolle, eine wichtige zwar, aber er steht nicht im Mittelpunkt. Und das Mädchen noch viel weniger. Allerdings ist dies nur eine verwirrende Kleinigkeit, die diesem großartigen Buch nicht wirklich schadet.

a fairly solid plot with the usual characters and some superstitious fun mixed in. the author also dealt with the serious issue of anti-immigrant hostility. A timely and thought provoking slant, saddening to think that of all the things that have changed since back then, this isn't one of them

I liked it, but not as much as his hangman's daughter series. Somehow in modern times, the plot becomes harder to believe.
spoilers
Why does the bookseller agree to leave a murdered man in his shop and just run away, when it is fairly obvious that will make him look guilty.
why does the King look alike to let a man he knows is a suspected murderer into his home and then take him right to his most treasured secret place
why doesnt the bookseller question it when a powerful corporate woman instantly takes a liking t o him and invites him to a private party. It all just seemd a bit implausible. Nice intro to the history and the buildings, though

A must for lovers of historic mysteries in exotic locales .love to see priests corner

Historical Fiction

A mystery set in 17th c. Bavaria -
A young boy’s corpse is discovered with a mark drawn on his body and the local midwife is quickly arrested on charges of witchcraft. The hangman, Jakob Kuisl (who also serves as an instrument of the interrogation as a torturer) believes the woman to be innocent but unless she confesses, a full-blown witch hunt in which many more women will be accused and executed will commence. Soon, two more children’s bodies are found and the pressure to convict the midwife increases even as a darker conspiracy starts to emerge.
The author has written this historical fiction based on the real-life figure of his forefather and incorporated family folklore, extensive research and his own imagination in creating a vivid if somewhat unsavory picture of life in a small town in present day Germany. The main protagonist is the executioner with a progressive town doctor and the eponymous hangman’s daughter playing secondary and tertiary roles respectively (which makes the title of the book seem odd). There are a few repetitive points made (e.g. the consequences of a full blown witch hunt) and overall the story comes across as rather prosaic (Author‘s writing style? Translator?) but an interesting look at a corner of the world rarely if ever depicted in fiction.

In 1659 Bavaria children are being killed, found with a mysterious sign on their bodies. Could the local midwife also be a witch?

It took me a long time to get through this as I found myself unable to concentrate on it for more than few pages at time. I will probably continue with the series but not for now.

This series is heavy reading. The majority of the characters are misogynist, closed-minded, uneducated, and almost entirely un-likeable. Magdalena is ok, but I have to believe that the only reason she is in love with Simon is that there is no one better in her small, horrible village. Sure, I know that life in small European villages in the 1600's was full of misogyny and superstition, and that the churches were pushing back against secular forces, and that they encouraged mistrust of all things intellectual for anyone not born to a wealthy, elite family. Still, I find it hard to enjoy these books, or to be sympathetic towards most of the characters. I was rooting for the hangman and his whole family and Simon to emigrate to the New World (which was an option by the latter half of the 1600's) so that their whole rotten village could enjoy life without their favorite scapegoats, only I don't like the hangman either. Unfortunately, when the hangman vanished in Regensberg and the village was turning against his family in his absence, they didn't just pick up and emigrate without him. That would have been a far better outcome than the actual novel. Oh well.

I loved this book (I read the Kindle version). Interesting historical detail of Schongau (Germany), and well-drawn sympathetic characters. I'm requesting my relatives send me the other books by Poetzsch from Europe (since they are not available here in the US).

The author clearly fell in love with his research and the subject of the conspiracy (loosely based on real events), but the story itself is horribly hackneyed and full of clichés including a groanworthy romance subplot. I don’t remember [b:The Hangman's Daughter|9496240|The Hangman's Daughter (The Hangman's Daughter, #1)|Oliver Pötzsch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327868295l/9496240._SX50_.jpg|14381730] being like this and I was quite fond of both story and characters there. Maybe the detail of the mystery story is richer to someone already read into the history and case of Ludwig (ie. the original German audience).

Wien, 1895: Während sich der technische Fortschritt ausbreitet, ist in Wien der Aberglaube noch weitverbreitet. Spiritismus und Séancen sind beliebt und dabei wird allerlei Schwindel betrieben. Dem wollte der Naturwissenschaftler Dr. Lichtenstein entgegenwirken. Doch dann machen Touristen bei einer Führung durch die Gruft des Stephansdom einen grausigen Fund. Zwischen den alten Knochen liegt eine männliche Leiche. Das Gesicht ist verzerrt. Was hat den Mann so entsetzt? Der Tote ist Lichtenstein und ein Freund des Oberpolizeirat Stukart. Der beauftragt Inspektor Leopold von Herzfeldt die Sache zu untersuchen.
Anna, dem Mündel des Totengräbers Augustin Rothmayer, ist aufgefallen, dass aus dem Waisenhaus im 5. Bezirk in Wien immer wieder Kinder verschwinden. Ein ermordeter Junge hatte Anna noch vor dem Nachtkrapp gewarnt. Doch Leos Kollege Leinkirchner zeigt sich nicht besonders interessiert, handelt es sich doch meist um Straßen- oder Waisenkinder, die angeblich weggelaufen sind. Aber dann verschwindet ein Junge aus einer gutsituierten Familie.
Dies ist nun bereits der dritte Band um das ungewöhnlicher Ermittlerteam. Auch dieses Mal konnte mich der Autor Oliver Pötzsch wieder fesseln. Er entführt mich mit seiner Geschichte in ein Wien, das sehr atmosphärisch dargestellt ist. Dabei gibt es nicht nur die schönen Seiten der Stadt, sondern auch viel Not und Hoffnungslosigkeit.
Die Charaktere sind gut und sehr individuell beschrieben. Leopold von Herzfeldt hat in Graz Kriminalistik studiert, kommt aber mit seinen modernen Methoden nicht gut bei den Kollegen an. Auch dass er Jude ist, wird ihm angekreidet. Der Totengräber Augustin ist kauzig, aber ein kluger Kopf. Dieses Mal verfasst er ein Buch zum Thema Spuk- und Geisterscheinungen. Auch die Tatortfotografin Julia Wolf ist wieder mit von der Partie. Sie hat eine kleine Tochter, für die sie nur das Beste will. Inzwischen verbindet sie mit Leo mehr als nur das berufliche Interesse, doch das darf niemand wissen. Es gibt also alle Hände voll zu tun für unsere Ermittler. Doch dann taucht Leos Mutter auf, weil sie Zeit mit ihrem Sohn verbringen möchte, bis sie im Hotel dem Schriftsteller Arthur Conan Doyle begegnet.
Es gibt immer wieder Wendungen, welche die Spannung hochhalten. Lange habe ich im Dunkeln herumgetappt, wer wohl hinter allem steckt.
Es ist ein informativer und sehr spannender historischer Krimi, der mir wieder gut gefallen hat.

Absolutely gripped for 3/4 of the story, but the ending left me dissatisfied. Also, I don't understand why it's called "The Hangman's Daughter" when she doesn't do anything except serve as sexual interest to other characters. So 4 stars is a little high, really more like 3.5, but a galloping plot really counts for a lot with me. Also, I like the postscript where the author recounts his connection to this tale.

While I liked the historical fiction aspects of this mystery, the mystery itself was only okay. I figured out who was behind the killings by halfway through. I also thought that the novel would have been improved by some trimming - the story could have been told (and in my opinion improved) in 100-150 pages less.

I also was annoyed with the clerk Lechner repeatedly claiming that if only the midwife would confess to being a witch and let them kill her, everything would go back to being fine. Only an idiot or an ignorant superstitious person could believe that. Lechner is supposed to be clever and yet he repeats this idea even at the end when the truth is known. I could perhaps buy that argument for a single murder but that is clearly not the case here, especially after the second boy is found murdered and then a girl disappears.. So that character didn't seem believable to me.

On the plus side, I thought that the hangman Kuisl and his friend the physician's son Simon were very well done and I liked the way the various practices of healing were shown. The misogynistic view of midwives was a bit upsetting even though it was probably historically accurate.

Enjoyable but would have benefited from editing to tighten up the writing, shortening the book and eliminating some of the repetitive phrases.

As with the previous books in this series, I felt that this was overly long but I did like the fact that the hangman's daughter played a bigger role in this entry.

3 1/2 Stars. This is another book in the Hangmans daughter tales. The author is descendant of that particular Hangmans dynasty and a lot of information he obtained from family documents. When i first read about the sequel to be released in the USA I was thrilled since i tremendously enjoyed the first book. The author is, at times, very descriptive of surroundings. If you have ever been to Bavaria in Germany or seen pictures, you can imagine the places the author takes you. I hope that there will be a sequel in the future. I can only recommend reading the first book [b:The Hangman's Daughter|10846479|The Hangman's Daughter|Oliver Potzsch|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327985944s/10846479.jpg|14381730]. Don't get me wrong, the second novel is totally stand alone, but you are missing out on a lot interesting information about the hangman and their status in the society.

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The Hangman’s Daughter (Die Henkerstochter) by Oliver Pötzsch is a murder/mystery novel which takes place at the Bavarian town of Schongau in 1659. Mr. Pötzsch is a German writer and filmmaker.

A dying boy, crudely tattooed, is pulled out from the river. The town’s hangman/unofficial medic, Jakob Kuisi, is asked to investigate. The townspeople are sure that witchcraft is involved, and arrest the town’s midwife, Martha Stechlin and Jacob is charged with torturing her to extract a confession.

A learned man, Jacob doesn’t believe in witchcraft and investigates the boy’s murder himself. He has a tight timeline, if the religious witch hunter arrives, many women will be charged and executed. He must either fine the killer, or execute an innocent woman to prevent more being killed.

I bought this book when it was on sale, and it took me a few years to read it. I’m sure many bibliophile know exactly what I’m talking about. Nevertheless, it was the right time, and I had the right book.

I enjoyed the story very much, the author put in just enough history to make it enjoyable but didn’t dwell on the details to make the narrative drag. The murder/mystery played second fiddle to the excellent descriptions of the executioner’s job, as well as small burg life in 17th Century Germany. I enjoyed reading about the town’s politics, way of life, governance, as well as collective fears of both the citizens and the Aldermen.

I don’t understand why the author decided to give the book its title. Magdalena, whom the book is named after, doesn’t play a big role in it. I can think of at least five characters that are more engaging. Even her physician/boyfriend Simon Fronwieser was more interesting, actually The Hangman’s Daughter’s Boyfriend would probably be a more apt title, but not as marketable.

And even though I should know better, I didn’t understand the whole social-media hoopla around this book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an enjoyable journey, and I certainly recommend reading it, but I’ve read much better books which didn’t get a fraction of traction this book got.

The author did a good job relating the hysteria behind the witch hunts, the religious hypocrisy, and the courts duplicity play a central role in the plot. The book is good example of entertaining historical fiction, which is what I hoped it would be.

Alemania, 1659. En Schongau, un pequeño pueblo bávaro, rescatan del río a un niño agonizante con una extraña marca en el hombro. Jakob Kuisl, verdugo y depositario de la sabiduría, debe investigar si el brutal ataque está relacionado con alguna clase de brujería. En las calles de Schongau todavía resuenan los siniestros recuerdos de pocas décadas atrás de cazas de brujas y mujeres ardiendo en estacas.
Pero, cuando desaparecen otros niños y un huérfano es hallado muerto con el mismo tatuaje, el pueblo cae presa de una histeria que amenaza con reeditar aquellos terribles suceesos. Entre la multitud cobra fuerza la teoría de que Martha, la comadrona, es a la vez una bruja sanguinaria y asesina. Antes de que lo obliguen a torturar y ejecutar a la mujer que trajo a sus hijos al mundo, Jakob debe descubrir la verdad. Con la ayuda de Magdalena, su hija, y de Simon, el médico del pueblo, Jakob se enfrenta al verdadero demonio que se oculta tras los muros de Schongau.

Good story but much too short. Felt rushed. While I did enjoy it and gave it 5 stars I really would have liked a tad more

I've fallen in love with the characters in Oliver Pötzsch's series - hangman Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and the physician's son Simon. this third book felt a bit like a rehash of the last with some villain roles reversed, but I still enjoyed it. fast paced, historically rich, and still leaves me wishing for more. hoping there's a fourth in the works.

I've fallen in love with the characters in Oliver Pötzsch's series - hangman Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and the physician's son Simon. this third book felt a bit like a rehash of the last with some villain roles reversed, but I still enjoyed it. fast paced, historically rich, and still leaves me wishing for more. hoping there's a fourth in the works.

history, mystery, and great characters. I loved The Hangman's Daughter and The Dark Monk did not disappoint. looking forward to the 3rd next month

history, mystery, and great characters. I loved The Hangman's Daughter and The Dark Monk did not disappoint. looking forward to the 3rd next month