the hangman's daughter.

Germany, 1660: When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play in his small Bavarian town. Whispers and dark memories of witch trials and the women burned at the stake just seventy years earlier still haunt the streets of Schongau. When more children disappear and an orphan boy is found dead—marked by the same tattoo—the mounting hysteria threatens to erupt into chaos.

Before the unrest forces him to torture and execute the very woman who aided in the birth of his children, Jakob must unravel the truth. With the help of his clever daughter, Magdelena, and Simon, the university-educated son of the town’s physician, Jakob discovers that a devil is indeed loose in Schongau. But it may be too late to prevent bloodshed.

I really enjoyed this book. After a couple of chapters, I was so captivated that I could not put it down. It was a real page turner. I have no idea why it is called The Hangman's Daughter, since she is not a huge part of the book. I am a sucker for a good mystery, and I mean GOOD mystery. I hate cheesy predictable mysteries with stupid love triangles and crap twisted into them. I like the ones that really make me think and keep me guessing. The romance in this book was very minimal, so it was okay with me.
I really liked this book, but I'm glad it only cost me a few bucks. [thank you  amazon kindle :)]

Oh, and awesome side note: This book is historical fiction! The author of this book is actually a descendant of the Kuisl family, who were famous executioners, and he wrote it after taking a long dive into his family history! I loved this book a little more after I found that out. Neat :)