I finished reading The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch over the typhoon when we had no electricity. It was the perfect way to spend a sleepless night over. I’ve started it a while back but I had difficulty finishing it due to anxiety over what’s going to happen next.

The story revolves around the town’s hangman named Jakob Kuisl and a series of deaths that occur in the small town of Schongau in the 17th century. The townspeople suspect that this was caused by witchcraft, and the witch – an old midwife who these children hung out with prior to their deaths. Jakob then proceeds to investigate the details of the events to prove the midwife innocent and prevent another witch hunt.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I’ve read that it is historically accurate so reading about life back in the 17th century is interesting in many ways. How they treat sickness, how they implement the law (and execute people) and the fear of “witches”. It is a thriller, and there are some parts which gave me anxiety and scared me especially when I read in the middle of the night. I don’t get the why the title is The Hangman’s Daughter, though, when his daughter didn’t really have much to play in the story (except towards the end). The encounter between the Hangman and The Devil towards the end was intense and had me reading faster than my mind could interpret the words. Everything unfolds at the end so rest assured, without spoiling the ending, there is proper resolution and you won’t be left wanting for more.

There is a series of books after this, although I’m unsure if the story continues – so I’ll be checking the others when I can. No promises given the backlog of books I have on queue but, we’ll get there.

I got this book for free during an Amazon Kindle event – it’s an annual event where they give away several books for free for one day (I’m not sure if it’s World Book Day or something).

Have you read this book? If you haven’t you can click on the image below (affiliate link) and let me know your thoughts!