Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 3/28/2023 + 1223 more book reviews

This is Potzsch's followup to THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER, which I read and enjoyed a few years ago. This was another very enjoyable and compelling novel set in 17th century Bavaria. The story starts out with the poisoning of a parish priest. This draws the attention of the local hangman-executioner, Jakob Kuisl and Simon Fronwieser, the town doctor's son who is also practicing medicine and healing. The priest had sealed something beneath a crypt in the church before he died and a clue he left leads Simon to discover an old tomb of what may have been a knight's templar. Legend had it that the templars amassed a large treasure that was never found after the templar's were banished by the Catholic Church. The tomb has a clue that leads Simon on a chase to other locations hoping that in the end the treasure will be found. The dead priest's sister, a wine merchant, comes to the small village after receiving a mysterious letter from her brother which motivates her to also seek the treasure. But there are also some others very interested in this including a group of mysterious monks who have been lurking in the village. So who killed the priest and is the templar's treasure real? And what exactly is the treasure. Jakob, Simon, and Magdalena, the hangman's daughter, all get involved in trying to solve the puzzle which leads them to several locations and a host of enemies along the way.

This was an intriguing and exciting historical mystery novel. It relates a lot of history of Germany in the 17th century including the superstitions, ignorance, and brutality of the time. The novel was originally written in German and is translated into modern English. Some of this was a little amusing with the characters saying such things as "kiss my ass" which I'm sure would not have been a phrase from the 1600's. But overall I did really enjoy this and would recommend it. This is the second in Potzsch's Hangman series and I'll be looking forward to reading more of these.

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