The Hangman's Daughter

On the upside, The Hangman’s Daughter nails 17th century Germany in a way that say, 1632 absolutely did not. The world of this small German town, its dense web of rumor, honor, misdeeds, piety, and magic felt very alive and very real. The protagonists were more ‘modern’ in the sense they wanted evidence for their actions, to marry for love, and the like, but they were not just 20th century attitudes implanted in the 17th century.

The story concerns a series of murdered children, and allegations of witchcraft which could tear this city apart. It’s up to the hangman, Jakob Kuisl, the physician’s son, and the hangman’s daughter Magdalena, to get to the bottom of the matter before Walpurgisnach, and an innocent woman dies. Another review described the plot as a “scooby-doo”, and it’s basically that. Old men, (admittedly lethal) scares, and a fair amount of money at the bottom of everything. I thought the translation was basically fine, and that the problems with the novel were more structural.