The Hangman's Daughter: A Tale of a Beggar King in the United States

Maria-Anne: I liked the first two books but so far this is the best one. The stubbornness of both father and daughter gets themselves in some hot situations. I managed to listen to the book in one day because I just couldn't put it down. We meet a slew of new characters. Politics, intrigues, and plenty of new murders. This time, the hangman himself is jailed and tortured .

United States on Oct 08, 2023

Barb8: I enjoyed both reading and listening to this kindle unlimited book which included audible. I’m not convinced anyone could live through the grisly parts of the book.

United States on Sep 19, 2023

Carl E. Ahlm: “The Beggar King” quickly establishes strong local color of this historical period; the well-crafted plot draws the reader into the story. This is another excellent offering from Oliver Pötzsch. This book is the third in the series and has a greater role for his daughter Magdalena. The series offers a wonderful historical look at this era of history; it has been well researched.

In 1662, Alpine village hangman Jakob Kuisl receives a letter from his sister calling him to the imperial city of Regensburg, where she is suffering from a serious illness. When Jacob gets to her house, he is sadly greeted with a gruesome sight: his sister’s throat has been slit. The city guards find him there, and Jacob is arrested for the murder of his own sister and her husband. Jakob’s daughter, Magdalena, and a young medicus named Simon hasten to his aid in the big city. With the help of an underground network of beggars, a beer-brewing monk, an Italian playboy, and a Beggar King, they discover that behind Jacob’s false accusation is not only a plan for revenge, but also a plan that will endanger the entire German Empire.

This fast-paced plot in “The Beggar King” keeps the...

United States on Aug 06, 2023

Lora S.: The things I especially like about the Hangman’s Daughter tales are how completely immersed in the period (the 1660s) you feel, the interesting atmosphere (even when it is sometimes unpleasant) especially when the action moves to an underground setting and the author’s compelling descriptions of such things as the use of herbal remedies in healing and the torture methods of the times. In The Beggar King, he even includes a traveler’s guide with a description of the sites of the story as they appear in modern-day Regensburg, in case you are fortunate enough to be able to travel to see them in person.

The grain fungus known as ergot plays a starring role in The Beggar King, the third book in the Hangman’s Daughter Tales. Ergot has famously been used to cause abortions for hundreds of years. Because people with a knowledge of herbs have known of this use for so long, it has often been used on purpose to do just that. I suspect that, since it sometimes grows on food grains, such as wheat and rye, small quantities have intermittently found their way into the food supply over the years without being noticed and have been responsible for the loss of many unborn children...

United States on Dec 03, 2022

Books R Best: This author knows how to paint a scene with words, which, as an ex-screen writer is not easy - I should know! Turning the pages I could see, smell and experience 17th century Bavaria and only wonder at the mindset of the people at the time. I’m a great fan of Potzsch who writes page-turning exciting and adventurous books.

United Kingdom on Jan 13, 2022

Love Reading: This is the third in the series and I enjoyed the first two, so the third story didn't disappoint. The Beggar King puts Jakob, the hangman, into the same situation as his victims when he's tortured and nearly hanged on trumped up charges in a tale that was intriguing and kept me turning the pages.
Again, rather modern language was used and I always think medicus is a strange word for Simon when perhaps physician would have been more appropriate.
The author certainly gives a good account of seventeenth century Bavaria; its sewage filled streets and the grinding poverty of the beggars. Having said that, the beggars have a certain dignity and cunning that adds to the story as they help Magdalena and Simon to save her father.
I particularly enjoy the postscripts when the author gives an account of his travels in modern day Germany when he describes the places featured in his stories. A well deserved four stars.
I'm now reading the fourth book in the series.

United Kingdom on Oct 10, 2019

kenben: This is the third book I've read in the Hangman's Daughter series and I enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed the previous two -- the Hangman's Daughter and the Poisoned Pilgrim. Quite simply this is a marvelous series. This volume, like the first two, is a thrilling adventure, an intriguing mystery, a fascinating history lesson, filled with wonderful characters. Heavily based on fact and on the author's family history (which includes a hangman of the same name as the main character) it is a fascinating look at Germany (and much of Europe) in the mid-1600s. Lives were indeed short, nasty and brutish. I would suggest you start with the first book and work your way along. Though not absolutely necessary, the journey is well worth it. I'd put it right up there with Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth.This really is a marvelous series and I am looking forward already to book four though I must admit some regret because at the end of four there are no more (yet).

Canada on Apr 25, 2014

Maddy: This is the third instalment about the Hangman of Schongau and having never heard of Oliver Potzsch previously I was a little apprehensive and wondered what to expect. However, one does not need to have read the other books in the series to immediately be dragged into the wonderful world of the 1600s. The translation is beautiful and Jakob, our Hero, has a charm which comes over well during his fight to find out what happened to his sister and her husband in Regensburg. The various characters met during his quest for answers are both colourful and funny and anyone with a sense of humour will very much enjoy this sometimes cruel, but always interesting, book.

United Kingdom on Feb 13, 2013

Fred Bear: This is the third in the Hangman's daughter tales and while it is helpful to have read the others it isn't really necessary and the book would stand by itself. The stories centre around Jakob the hangman, his daughter Magdelena and her lover Simon who is a doctor and therefore his relationship with Magdelena is not considered respectable. This story starts with Jakob going to visit his sister who lives in the city of Regensberg, as he believes her to be ill. He arrives to find that she and her husband have been murdered and he is arrested and tortured to confess to the murder. It is obviously a set up but who is behind it? Magdelena and Simon also arrive in Regensberg to escape the treatment they have been receiving from their own townsfolk. They are aware that at times they are followed and they also become friends with the beggars and the freemen. Magdelena also becomes friends with a Venetian gentleman, but Simon is extremely jealous. However all is not what is seems and there are unexpected twists and turns in the story. Eventually we do find out who is behind it all. The descriptions of the city and the places are really good, so that you have an excellent flavour of what...

United Kingdom on Jan 26, 2013