Book Review: The Dark Monk by Oliver Potzsch

Last month, I reviewed The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch. This month I'm reviewing the next book in the series, The Dark Monk. 

As I've mentioned, I'm a fan of historical fiction, so this series of books, set in 17th century Bavaria, is right up my alley. I love the dark element - one of the main characters is the town hangman, after all. Besides being realistically historical, both books are mysteries, with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

In The Dark Monk, the mystery involves the Knights Templar (You know, King Arthur? Knights of the Round Table?). The hangman Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and Simon the physician are on the trail again, putting their heads together to solve crimes around their little German town of Schongau. This time they learn that first impressions can be deceiving. As they each head off on their separate adventures and missions, each of them is in for more than he (or she) has bargained for!

Potzsch includes a cast of characters at the beginning of the book, which I didn't realize until I was done with it. But it would have been really helpful in keeping everyone straight, considering that there are quite a few characters, most with names I can't pronounce. I love when authors are so considerate of their readers.

Many of the characters and locations in The Dark Monk are based on real people and places. Potzsch is an actual descendant of the real life hangman Jakob Kuisl. This just makes the book even more fun to read, knowing some of the events may have really happened, even if they are written with generous artistic license. Potzsch also includes a travel guide at the end of the book for anyone who might want to hunt down the locations that helped inspire the book. I thought that was a really thoughtful addition, and one readers don't find very often.

I'm hooked on this series, and I look forward to reading the next, The Beggar King: A Hangman's Daughter Tale. I'm almost afraid to read the excerpt of the new book that is included at the end of The Dark Monk because I know I'll have to wait to read the book in its entirety!

The Dark Monk and The Hangman's Daughter are both available on Amazon.

I received a complimentary Kindle copy of The Hangman's Daughter thanks to BzzAgent. All opinions are my own.