The Dark Monk (UK Edition) (A Hangmans Daughter Tale Book 2)

The story starts out well - a fat, gluttonous priest falls dead on top of the slab covering a crypt, people think that he has simply overeaten. However, the hangman, also a talented "doctor" - oftentimes a secondary occupation of a hangman according to the book, although, of course, people would never admit to visiting him - determines that the priest has been poisoned. When he and Simon open the crypt and descend, they discover the tomb of a Knight Templar. Eventually, they discover that they are being given clues to the location of something. That something appears to be the missing treasure of the Knights Templar which disappeared when they were persecuted and driven out of France.

And so the journey starts. It seemed that the author suddenly decided his book was turning out to be too long - it's pages as it is - and decided to hurry. But it is interesting. I won't read either of the other books currently in the series, but I'm not sorry I read this one. Very engaging historical mystery set in th century Bavaria. Characters are defined well and the plot line is interestingly circuitous. Monk-Templars and others are in search of a hidden treasure. Murder, treachery, and moderate suspense pervade the work. Well worth the read for insight into the era in which the book is set.

Dec 10, Lori rated it it was amazing Shelves: I really enjoyed this second book in the Hangman's Daughter series. I think I found it more enjoyable since I feel like I knew the main characters now. This story involved the Templers and a hidden treasure! Loved this book and I'm so happy that I already have the next book loaded and ready to start!

Nov 14, Matt Schiariti rated it it was amazing. The Dark Monk was every bit as good as the Hangman's daughter. This one hits the ground running right out of the gate when a local priest is found murdered. Simon is summoned to the scene in order to help the portly old man but by the time he gets there too late but the priest left a clue.

Simon thinks there's a bigger mystery than the murder of the priest and ends up enlisting the help of Jakob the hangman. What follows is a whirlwind mystery rich in ancient societies, historical detail, misplac The Dark Monk was every bit as good as the Hangman's daughter. What follows is a whirlwind mystery rich in ancient societies, historical detail, misplaced intentions, murders, subplots, well drafted characters and great dialogue.

Magdalena takes a more prominent role in this second effort. While he's still featured prominently, many of the subplots and the main plot feature Jakob's daughter much more than the first book. Still, it seems that Simon is more the feature of this book than the Kusils but they're all intimately tied together.

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One of the aspects I liked about this one especially were some of the insights we get into Jakob's past from when he was a mercenary, before he became the town hangman. With tantalizing little flashbacks, the author reveals a little bit more about what makes Jakob Kusil tick. In addition, both Magdalena and Simon are shown to be coming into their own.

Magdalena remains a strong woman who's shunned in a man's world simply for who fathered her and Simon is ever at odds with his old fashioned and stubborn doctor father. The three get into tight spots both singularly and as a collective and they use their brains and natural talents to address the problems.

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This leads to some great character moments and some very well written action sequences. Potzsch plants bread crumbs throughout and is very deft at revealing clues without calling showing his hand until he wants to. The plot and all the interwoven subplots are razor sharp and paced very well. There are no slow spots in this novel and each scene is all part of the bigger tale. Just about every character in this book, even the minor players, are integral to the overall picture. It's difficult to summarize the plot any more without giving too much away so I won't ; Just know that if you liked the first one you should like this one equally as much and for anybody that may happen upon this review who hasn't read either one yet, I can't recommend the series highly enough.

A great historical mystery with characters that are anything BUT cookie cutter and are interesting and fun to read every time they show up on a page. Also comes with a preview of his next novel, The Beggar King which is just enough to whet the appetite for the next in the series! By all accounts I should like this book. The setting is interesting, the historical details are interesting, the mystery is interesting. So why didn't I like it?

It all comes down to the characters and their relationships with each other. The titular character, Magdalena, actually got a bit more plot in this book which is nice but the way she was treated by her father and the man who claims to love her just made me really angry. They're not abusive or anything but they are incredibly dismissive By all accounts I should like this book. They're not abusive or anything but they are incredibly dismissive and condecending. She goes missing and her father's reaction is to suggest she's just having some fun.

When he finally meets her again, clearly having been in a fight, his only comment is that she missed her sweetheart too much. At one point he suggests she should just flirt with some workers since that's what she does all the time anyway. Maybe it's because I have a very affectionate father but that's no way to treat you child especially not when you claim to love her.

And Simon is hardly better, he blames her for the trouble their relationship is in because he's been running around with another woman. When she runs away in tears, he just lets her leave and joins the other woman And to make it all worse, he doesn't even decide for her out of his own free will, he does it because she's the only one left in the end. Which was lazy and disappointing. Magdalena should've just married the hangman from Augsburg. At least he seemed to be really interested in her and was helpful, not to mention rich.

Another minor detail that bugged me was Clara. She is a little girl Simon met in the first book. In this book he has suddenly fatherly feelings for her. He hardly interacted with her in the last book. She was mostly unconscious. She actually had interactions with Simon and she was the more interesting character. Additionally she had the worse home life and could have used someone who has fatherly feelings for her.

But she just disappeared and wasn't mentioned again. I'm not gonna continue this series which is unfortunate because I was hoping it would become one of my new favorites. Jun 21, Jane rated it really liked it. Taking place in the 15th century the second book in, I hope will be, a continuing series about the hangman and his daughter in a small village in Bavaria.

Wonderful historical plus mystery story. This one has them on the hunt for the treasure of the Knights Templar - showing the greed and hypocrisy of the Catholic Church and its minions. Surprises and many side stories included with the history of the time period. Aug 08, Faith rated it it was ok Shelves: This is a reminder to myself not to read any more of this series. The story is too slow moving, the translation is full of anachronisms, and the characters have the emotional depth of teenagers.

The book is about pages too long - one long scavenger hunt. Mar 12, Catherine Mustread rated it liked it Shelves: Second in the Hangman's Daughter series, full of interesting characters, suspense, intrigue and authentic historical s details. Aug 16, Lori rated it liked it. This second in the Hangman's Daughter series opens with the poisoning of the parish priest. The hangman has his work cut out for him in this story featuring a Knights Templar tale, thieves, and more. Once again, the hangman's daughter Magdalena and Simon a doctor endanger themselves in the course of the story.

This story lacks the quality the first in the series possessed. It was easily put down. The plot seemed contrived, and there was too much going on. I have at least one more installment dow This second in the Hangman's Daughter series opens with the poisoning of the parish priest. I have at least one more installment downloaded to Kindle, but I may or may not read it. I actually enjoyed the author's comments at the end about his relation to the story more than the story itself. Jul 23, Duffy Pratt rated it it was ok Shelves: I didn't like this book anywhere near as much as I liked The Hangman's Daughter.

The setting is the same: Bavaria several years after the thirty years war. The hangman, his daughter, and the town medicus again play the prominent roles. And I like all three of these characters. But I don't think they developed much in this book. Nor did the book play to the strength of the first book by showing interesting aspects of life in a small German town in the 17th century. Rather, the book decided to focu I didn't like this book anywhere near as much as I liked The Hangman's Daughter.

Rather, the book decided to focus almost entirely on the mystery aspects of the first book. And for me, it was the worst sort of mystery. I've never much liked scavenger hunts, and I like reading about them even less. Some Templar monk has created a series of indecipherable clues that will inevitably lead to the greatest treasure in Christendom.

We get led from one clue to the next, and each one is a little more boring and impenetrable than the last. In comparison to this, there is a side story about the hunt for some bandits who have been terrorizing the local merchants. Highway robbery was a very big deal in those days, and the human jetsam from the Thirty Years war increased the ruthlessness and desperation of lots of people, thus making the occupation more attractive. The way the hangman deals with the robber chief in this book is the part I liked the most.

It was simple, dramatic, and moving. There wasn't much mystery to it, but it felt much stronger and more real to me. I think Potzsch has the talent to write really good stories with these characters, and I wish, in this book at least, that he didn't lean so heavily on a gimmicky mystery plot to drive things along.

Finally, there were a few moments in this where I was struck by seeming anachronisms. At one point, one of the characters is surprised that a woman could "curse like a longshoreman. Why was I bothered? Bavaria is landlocked, so how likely is it that anyone would have experience with longshoremen? But, you may object, its just a commonplace expression.

It turns out that the word longshoreman wasn't coined until or so. The older word, "stevedore," which is from Spanish or Portugese didn't find usage until the mid s.

That by itself is not so bad, because perhaps the ideas involved pre-date the words. But even here, it seems like the occupation of a longshoreman arose in the American Colonies by people who unloaded goods from ships that came from the Old World, and the occupation itself probably comes after the time setting of this book. That's one of the dangers of writing historical fiction. Sep 24, EDian rated it it was amazing. First read The Hangman's Daughter by the same author. That is the first in the series and this one is the second. The author is a descendant of the legendary hangman, Jakob Kuisl and his books are translated into English.

It's the 's in Bavaria. The three main characters appear in both novels. But he is a hangman with First read The Hangman's Daughter by the same author.

But he is a hangman with a heart and in the first novel wants to prove the innocence of the midwife accused of being a witch and murdering the children of the town. He is added by his headstrong, beautiful and smart daughter Madgelina who falls in love with the young town doctor Simon Fronwieser and he with her. Simon also helps solve the mystery partly because of his love for Madgelina, who he can never have because the society of the time deems the hangman's family as the lowest class, and because of his admiration of Jakob Kuisl and his knowledge of healing and library of books.

The second novel begins with the death of a priest who has found something indicating a treasure left from one of the Knights Templar. He has notified his sister who arrives shortly after his death and the church. It seems there are at least three groups following the hangman, his daughter and the young doctor as they follow the clues to reach the treasure.

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It is riveting reading to figure out the clues and move to the next exciting part of the mystery. I can't wait for the next one. Dec 16, Scot rated it liked it. Second in this series, historical murder mystery suspense fiction set in Bavaria--in the winter. I actually liked the first book more: In this sequel, I fear that the great success of the first volume influenced decisions to dash off another more rapidly, and so the care and precision I saw in the first volume, with regard to establishing character and mood, is not as prevalent here.

S Second in this series, historical murder mystery suspense fiction set in Bavaria--in the winter. Sure, it offers a great topic, and this one goes in for a lot of Gothic Romance in the 19th century sensibility of the term components: But I don't see much character development of any of the characters I came to appreciate in the first volume. Several times I felt the author was slowing down the flow of the pleasingly complicated plot by including dialogues where earlier exposition was repeated unnecessarily yet again.

This is a pleasant way to learn about some of the churches and monasteries in the Priest's Corner of Bavaria, though, and anyone interested in the Knights Templar should enjoy this book. At the end the author, who bases the hangman on research he has done on his own family history in Schongau, provides a charming personal tour guide set of hints and summary should one want to visit this beautiful area and visit in person all the sites mentioned in the novel.

Sep 10, Doug rated it liked it Shelves: A man digs into his genealogy and finds he's decended from a long line of hangmen - and proceeds to write mysteries based on it. As he says - ".. The history of my family was.. I just embelleshed it a bit and put it down on paper. In this case it didn't take much imagination - real people lived this story in one way or another sans embellishments ; A man digs into his genealogy and finds he's decended from a long line of hangmen - and proceeds to write mysteries based on it.

In this case it didn't take much imagination - real people lived this story in one way or another sans embellishments ; and that in itself brought the story alive for me.

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Enough to make it enjoyable and want to read his previous stories of this family. And one more quote from the author Sep 07, Tim The Enchanter rated it it was amazing Shelves: I have had difficulty getting to my reviews. I will provide a more in depth review if I can remember to get back to it. The Dark Monk is the second book in the Hangman's Daughter series. They are historical mysteries with thriller aspects. It would be a mistake to call them "cozy" but they do not qualify as a "dark". They provide a pleasing and entertaining read somewhere in between. The second installment is, in my opinion, even better than the first.

The charactes are entertaining and vibrant. Each character has their own list of vices and unashamedly themselves. This themes in recent years has had much paly and has mostly lost my interest. In this case, the mystery is approached from characters in the 17th century. Their perspectives, beliefs and methods of solving the mystery are different than any of the similar storylines.

Overall, this makes for an exciting historical thrill ride. Jun 18, Jessica rated it really liked it. I really love this series. The premise of this book reminded me a bit of the Da Vinci Code, except the main characters are a million times better. Set in Bavaria during , the unlikely sleuthing trio is comprised of a "dishonorable" hangman, his strong-willed daughter, and a medical school drop-out, who at 5' tall is still considered the local ladies man. Each character is completely flawed, which makes you love them even more. I can't wait until the 3rd book is translated into English.

Note- I really love this series. Note- while this is a series, the cases are solves in each book. Enjoyable but would have benefited from editing to tighten up the writing, shortening the book and eliminating some of the repetitive phrases. The dark monk is killing for god, well, also maybe a bit for his own sake, to tell the truth. It means a hot time is in store for Schongau's hangman, Jakob Kuisl, and his daughter, Magdalena! In book two of the Hangman's Daughter series, Simon Fronwieser, town medicus, finds himself attracted to two women.

Magdalena won his heart in the previous book, but he cannot marry her. As beautiful and 'The Dark Monk' is the the scariest antagonist in this exciting mystery series so far! As beautiful and excitingly tempestuous as she may be, she is of an unclean social class since her father is the hangman. According to the accepted mores of the time, Bavaria, Magdalena can marry another hangman only.

However, a gorgeous rich widow, Benedikta Koppmeyer, has come to town to bury her murdered brother, the parish priest, Andreas Koppmeyer. She is a fair damsel in distress as far as Simon is concerned, so he accompanies her to St. Lawrence Church where her brother's body lies.

Why would someone poison the harmless priest? Clues left behind by Andreas soon point to something hidden years ago by the Templars, a rich order of the knights during the Crusades! Full of hope, the Kuisls, the doctor and the widow decide to go treasure hunting. But after some serious attempts to kill them happen in separate incidents, always when monks in black seem to be slinking around, they know whatever the riddles left behind by the Templars mean, it is a dangerous hunt. Meanwhile, Magdalena, has something even more of a concern to her than murderous monks - that pretty widow Benedikta has turned Simon's attentions away from Magdalena!

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If Jakob knew how jealous his daughter was feeling, he'd step in and calm things down, but the town clerk, Johann Lechner, has given the hangman an assignment and a demand. Hunt down robbers attacking merchant wagons and stop looking for clues to the priest's death! Has someone asked Lechner to derail the investigation? What is going on? Jul 18, Ariel rated it really liked it Shelves: I have previously read the first entry in this series, The Hangman's Daughter, and enjoyed it enough to want to read further about hangman Jakob Kuisl, his family and the inhabitants of Schongau, a hamlet in 17th century Bavaria.

The novel begins with the poisoning death of priest, Andreas Koppmeyer. Simon, the physicians son and beau to the hangman's daughter Magdalena, soon finds himself investigating the death with the help of Koppmeyer's beautiful and wealthy sister Benedikta. Of course this I have previously read the first entry in this series, The Hangman's Daughter, and enjoyed it enough to want to read further about hangman Jakob Kuisl, his family and the inhabitants of Schongau, a hamlet in 17th century Bavaria.

Of course this does not sit too well with the jealous Magdalena who soon finds herself considering other romantic prospects with the rich hangman of Augsberg, Philipp Hartmann. While Magdalena and Simon reconsider their future as a couple, Simon and Benedikta pursue a treasure hidden by the Templar Knights. It's all very reminiscent of Indiana Jones as the two race from church to church to search for clues to the location of the treasure. Meanwhile Jakob Kuisl, the hangman is left to deal with a band of thieves who are terrorizing and killing the traveling merchants of the area.

I always find it fascinating to read how Kuisl who is presented as a moral man is able to torture and ultimately kill people he likes. Even though he would rather be healing people he functions admirably in his role as executioner. I am really enjoying reading this series. The mystery aspect of the story is always very interesting and historical detail is never boring.

Kuisl is a bit of a riddle. He is a hardened veteran of the battlefield but is also a devoted family man with a soft spot for his children. At the same time he is also a cold blooded killer and torturer when his job demands it. He would hang the children of bandits if the town demanded it although he tries to negotiate around it if at all possible.

The dichotomy of his character makes for fascinating reading. I look forward to learning more about the background of the hangman in the next novel in this series, The Beggar King.

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Feb 04, Joyce Lagow rated it liked it. Second in the series of The Hangman's Daughter. A crushing responsibility Dan Brown must bear for The Da Vinci Code is the number and usually poor quality of the subsequent knockoffs. And yes, folks, here we have another one--yes, the hidden treasure of the Templars shrouded in code that take our protagonists Jakob, Magdalena, and he more-or-less lover Simon, a physician, on a journey around the villages, monasteries and towns of the Priest's Corner of Bavaria, trying to locate the treasure.

An Second in the series of The Hangman's Daughter. And of course, it's not just the treasure, but starting with a poisoned parish priest, murder raises its ugly head, dragging Magdalena her father, and Simon into a dangerous morass. I struggled to find this interesting but barely did so. The difference is that Potzsch places his story in the midth century rather than in modern times, but other than that--different locale, same story. Potzsch's characterization is good but not that good that the characters themselves can carry the story. Plus, there is now a competition for criminal abuse of verb forms; running neck and neck with "mumbled" is "grumbled.

There is a wonderful tour guide as an appendix in which Potzchm who lives in Munich, takes us on a walking-bicycle car if you must tour of the towns and monasteries mentioned in the story, all of which exist--as do many of the characters mentioned. Really, this is for fans of the series, of which I am one, but it is by no means as good as the first novel.

Jun 19, Aimeekay rated it it was amazing. I enjoyed the historical part as well as the mystery part. I really enjoyed getting to see my favorite characters again from the first book. However, as in the previous novel, there were still some secondary characters that I would have enjoyed finding out more about. One in particular would be the hangman's wife. She comes across as being an extremely strong person, but the author really doesn't introduce her as more than just the hangman's wife.

I also loved the riddles and how the author connected all of them in the different locations. There's even a nice addition at the end that walks the reader through modern day Bavaria and the sites that were used in the story. Two monks at the monastery experiment with cutting-edge technology, including a method of deflecting the lightning that has previously set the monastery ablaze.

In , hangman Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and her husband Simon are traveling to the town of Bamberg. But what was planned as a family vacation soon becomes a nightmare: When rumors quickly spread that the murders are the work of a werewolf, Jakob Kuisl must prove the superstition wrong and embark on a search for the "devil of Bamberg". It is and Simon Fronwieser is in the town of Oberammergau to bring his seven-year-old son to boarding school.

As he bids his boy a tearful farewell, news comes of a shocking murder: As there is no doctor in town, Simon is brought in to examine the body. The opportunities to spend more time with his son and to investigate the murder quickly convince him to stay. The year is But something dark is happening behind the scenes: At first the authorities assume they are a rash of suicides, but when Kuisl notices that each woman possesses a matching amulet, suspicions arise that someone is murdering them.

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