I finally gave up on this book halfway through. I had forced myself to keep reading it in hopes it would get better. I found the writing - which I guess was a translation - distracting. It just didn't hold my interest.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is engaging in a way that historical fiction often isn't, with well developed characters and a plot that kept me guessing. It has the ambiance of Geraldine Brooks and the intrigue of Dan Brown. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
This was a really good book, very interesting, never have read a book where the protagnist is a hangman, a hangman who takes his job seriously and also knows a lot about herbs as a matter of fact, the town's doctor's son who is a doctor is his own rite is always coming over and borrowing books, there's also the matter of the attraction between the doctor's son and the hangman's daughter which would be a scandal if they married. This was a fast read and was anxious to read the next book.
Was really wishing I had enjoyed this book but sadly for me, I did not. The writing was very bland and not engaging enough for me. The plot was a great one but was so bogged down in writing style that it was hard to stay connected the to it. It was a translation so that could have something to do with it. Was just too muddled and slow and non descript enough for my taste. Maybe it is your cup of coffee.
Very well written account of a town in Bavaria that has seen multiple murders of children no less, and who do they blame, the local midwife, oh and its in the 1600s. Loved the history, the detail, could have done with less gore. The 3 main characters are incredibly interesting, not just the hangman's daughter. If you're into history and suspense give this a try.
The story had a lot of interesting and fascinating history, However, I felt it dragged a little bit especially after the first couple of chapters. I found myself skimming just to get through the book. An ok read but not one of my favorites.
Very entertaining novel centered around a hangman/executioner/torturer in 17th century Bavaria. While you could consider this an historical novel, it is really a very good mystery that takes place at that time. It involves the death of three children and accusations that the local midwife killed them via witchcraft. The hangman does not believe the allegations and sets out to prove them wrong. In the mean time, he must act upon the allegations by torturing the wrongly accused midwife. To solve the mystery, he is helped by the local physician as well as his daughter. Although the daughter does play a role in the novel, the focus is really on the hangman so the title is somewhat misleading. The novel includes descriptions of 17th century life in Bavaria including love, murder, political intrigue, witchery, and superstitions. I would highly recommend this one and will be looking for the others in the Hangman series.
Cameron B. (cameron55) - 
Joan W. (justreadingabook) reviewed The Hangman's Daughter (Hangman's Daughter, Bk 1) on + 1726 more book reviews 
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed The Hangman's Daughter (Hangman's Daughter, Bk 1) on + 1223 more book reviews 