The Dark Monk

The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch

This is the second book in the Hangman's Daughter series.  There is a third book and I will be reading it.

This is really fun historical fiction.  Potzsch began his story with his own geneology.  His ancestor Jacob Kuisl who was the hangman of Schongau in Bavaria.  His own family had many generations of hangmen from which he could draw information.

This book begins in 1648.  Potzsch has once again created a great murder mystery while combining the historical information of the area, some of the people who actually lived then and there as well as what life would have been like during that time.

At the end of the book, Potzsch lets his readers know which characters and scenes are historical and which are fiction.  He also gives us a walking/biking tour of the region and the settings in the book.  If I ever get to Bavaria, I will definitely check it out.