The Beggar King

The Beggar King by Oliver Potzsch

This is the third book in the Hangman's Daughter series and it does not disappoint.

I really enjoy this series.  There is intrigue and mystery as well as the peek into life in a historical world.  I'm not sure if I'll ever need to know about various forms of torture or the implements used in torture but it is interesting nonetheless.  Also interesting is that the hangman would need to be able to heal his victims so that they could endure more torture the next day.  Just proves what sick creatures humans are to come up with that idea.

The hangman's daughter, Magdalena, and her secret lover, Simon, get themselves into trouble as usual but this time they are also having to save Magdalena's father, the hangman.  Complete with politics, medicines, poisons and social commentary, this book offers it all.

At the end of the book, just like the last, the author provides a modern guide through the city of the story.  He takes you through the streets of the novel and gives you information on the main buildings that you can see if you were to travel to Regensburg Germany.

I highly recommend this book but if you haven't read the others, start with The Hangman's Daughter and then read them in order.

Face of the Earth

Face of the Earth by Doug and Linda Raber

This is a modern medical/spy thriller. It is currently only available as an e-reader.

This was a fairly fast paced and interesting thriller. It combines politics, military and medicine very well. I was impressed, and sometimes disturbed, by all the excerpts from actual government documents - all of which are cited at the end of the book.

I don't want to give anything away so here's a very brief blurb. What a doctor in the four corners area thought was chicken pox, was actually small pox. This book is a story of how it happened and what happened afterwards. The book addresses what our government policy is in certain situations and what might happen if that policy is not followed.