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The Hangman's Daughter Audiobook
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Publisher Description
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.
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“A brilliantly-researched and exciting story of aformative era of history when witches were hunted and the inquisitors hadlittle belief in their methods beyond their effect in pacifying superstitioustownspeople…Pötzsch, actually descended from a line of hangmen, delivers afantastically fast-paced read, rife with details on the social and powerstructures in the town as well as dichotomy between university medicine and thetraditional remedies, which are skillfully communicated through characterinteractions, particularly that of Magdalena and Simon. The shockingmotivations from unlikely players provide for a twist that will leave readersadmiring this complex tale from a talented new voice.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“Readers who like a plot-driven story with identifiable heroes and villains will be drawn to this ambitious novel. And unlike some stories in the genre, The Hangman’s Daughter only gets better as the climax approaches—an exciting duel between the hangman and his nemesis. It truly delivers the thing so many of us look for in our novels: entertainment.”
— BookPage -
“[Pötzsch’s] novel reads quite vividly…Based on the author’s family history, this excellent story brings 17th-century Bavaria alive with all its fears, superstitions, and politics. Jacob Kuisl is not your ordinary hangman, and readers will root for him and his search for the truth. There’s enough ‘unreality’ in the evil of superstitions that this novel may appeal to fantasy readers, and the twists and turns of the plot will appeal to mystery fans.”
— School Library Journal -
“The translator has done very well by the author; both setting and characters are vividly drawn, making for a compelling read…Based on the author’s research into his own family history, this novel offers a rare glimpse into a less commonly seen historical setting. If you liked Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, give this a try.”
— Library Journal Xpress -
“This work seamlessly merges brutality and compassion, and its elegant plot, appealing characters, and satisfying conclusion will keep the reader wide awake and turning pages well into the night.”
— Shelf Awareness -
“Readers who like a plot-driven story with identifiable heroes and villains will be drawn to this ambitious novel. And unlike some stories in the genre, The Hangman’s Daughter only gets better as the climax approaches—an exciting duel between the hangman and his nemesis. It truly delivers the thing so many of us look for in our novels: entertainment.
— BookPage -
This work seamlessly merges brutality and compassion, and its elegant plot, appealing characters and satisfying conclusion will keep the reader wide awake and turning pages well into the night.
— Shelf Awareness -
The translator has done very well by the author; both setting and characters are vividly drawn, making for a compelling read…Based on the author’s research into his own family history, this novel offers a rare glimpse into a less commonly seen historical setting. If you liked Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, give this a try.
— Library Journal Xpress
Awards
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A 2012 Barry Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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About Oliver Pötzsch
Oliver Pötzsch worked for years as a journalist and scriptwriter for Bavarian television. He is the author of seven books in the international bestselling Hangman’s Daughter historical series, the Black Musketeers series, and several stand-alone novels. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages.
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.