Sequel Review: Even Better on the Second Try

The Dark Monk by Oliver Pötzsch (Author) and Lee Chadeayne (translator): Angels & Demons Gone Renaissance

Flashplot: In this historical fiction suspense novel, a sequel to The Hangman’s Daughter, our three main characters, the town executioner Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and the young physician Simon Fronwiesser, return to solve yet another mystery in the small 17^th century German town of Schongau. Starting with the suspicious death of a local priest and leading to a full-blown conspiracy involving religious riddles, relics, and a search for the Templar’s treasure, this plot truly could be summed up as the Angels & Demons of the 1600s.

As a reader: As much as I enjoyed the characters of the first book in this series, the sequel was even better. In The Dark Monk Pötzsch rectified the plot pacing problems he had in book one. The story here unfolds fast enough to hook the reader, but without the lagging middle chapters, and ends with an action-packed climax. The mystery itself was also more artfully revealed, with enough clues to get the reader guessing, but enough unknown to create the suspense that made this a page-turner. And though it did seem to borrow a bit from the ideas of Brown’s modern-day best-seller, what makes this perhaps a more interesting tale is its historical setting. Pötzsch weaves in his research of his family, the Kuisls, the time period, the section of Germany known as Priests’ Corner, and the history of the religious disputes that brought devastating war to the area.

As a writer: The Dark Monk confirmed what I found to be true in my own writing: the only way to learn how to write a novel is to write a novel. Pötzsch’s first book was entertaining, but had some obvious flaws (as most debut novels do). His second tale took all the best parts from the first, the enhancing historical details, the dark commentary on the town and the times, and the captivating main characters, while improving his story-telling and pacing.

Bottom line: The Dark Monk is a great historical suspense novel worth pulling out the flashlight for. Though readers who like knowing as much as possible about a character might want to start with the first book, The Hangman’s Daughter, Pötzsch alludes enough to the important parts of book one that most readers would be fine reading this as a stand-alone piece. Not me, I already pre-ordered book three!

August Review: Despite Some Hang-ups, a Good Read

The Hangman’s Daughter 
by Oliver Pötzsch (Author) and Lee Chadeayne (translator)

Flashplot: Set in 1650’s Germany, this historical fiction mystery tells the tale of a small town which is rocked by a series of odd events. Children are turning up dead, marked with the ‘witches mark’ and the town leaders want a swift execution in order to prevent the hysteria and ruin that befell the town after similar events decades ago. They’re not too concerned with who swings, so long as it quiets the townspeople. Lucky for the accused midwife, the town executioner Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and the young physician Simon Fronwiesser set out to find the real culprits.

As a reader: The opening line of the novel reads, “October 12 was a good day for a killing.” It’s hard not to be hooked by a line like that. The rest of the prologue was paced well and created immediate compassion for the main character, the young son of the hangman. With emotions tied to this young boy, I was a little miffed to realize the rest of the book takes place thirty-five years later, with the scared child now the surly hangman. That said, I was soon hooked again by the main characters, the town, which has character of its own, and by the action that unfolds relatively quickly. The first third of the book balances plot, description of the historical setting, and character development of the book’s many characters.

Then things get a little hung-up. (Sorry, I never pass up a pun!) The middle third of the book slows down considerably. The events of plot and the clues unfolding seem to be a bit redundant. The story’s point of view changes characters frequently, which is fine, except when readers have to hear different characters come to the same conclusions. Since the story was rich and had a great many characters, perhaps the author thought this was needed. In most cases, though, I felt the reader should have been given the benefit of the doubt to keep track of clues and characters in exchange for a faster-paced plot.

By the end, Pötzsch picks up the pace again and the story moves along well as the main characters begin to unravel the mystery. Though parts of the end could be predicted along the way, there was enough unexpected material to provide a very satisfactory ending.

As a writer: Perhaps it’s because of the anti-prologue propaganda that agents drill into writers’ heads, but I wasn’t a fan of the prologue in this instance. It was important backstory about Jakob, backstory that helps the reader be sympathetic to him early on­–perhaps too early on. Most readers like a flawed protagonist. Pötzsch should have trusted that his readers, due to his strong writing, would connect with Jakob even before this glimpse into his past. It would have been just as interesting and perhaps more appreciated a little further into the story.

Other than the prologue and the pacing problem in the middle of the book, this was a terrific mystery. I’m always in awe of good historical fiction writers for the way they weave historical facts into their plots in such unobtrusive ways. Pötzsch did this masterfully, so that when I reached the end I was thrilled to see there was a postscript that explained what was researched and what was purely his fantasy. I also liked the descriptions in the book, which were often unique and felt like part of the plot as opposed to mere window dressing. I’m sure some of the credit for this belongs to the translator, Chadeayne, for his ability to make even the figurative language seem fluent and meaningful in its translated form.

Bottom line: A good book for history lovers and mystery lovers, so long as you’re a little patient. With my soft spot for gruff, yet lovable guys, I downloaded the sequel as soon as I finished.