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The Ludwig Conspiracy by Oliver Pötzsch

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Susan
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The Ludwig Conspiracy by Oliver Pötzsch

Post by Susan » Sat November 16th, 2013, 2:51 pm

Oliver Pötzsch has a series of mysteries (four so far), the Hangman's Daughter mysteries, that take place in 17th century Bavaria after the 30 Years War. I enjoyed those and having visited Bavaria in 2011, that increased my connection to the novels. Pötzsch's "The Ludwig Conspiracy" comes forward in time to two time periods, the present and the reign of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, better known as crazy Ludwig or the Fairy Tale king who built Neuschwannstein Castle, the model of the castle in Disneyland. Through a (fictional) diary, we go back in time to Ludwig's Bavaria in the 1880s. The present day characters are dealing with a plot a la Dan Brown's novels. Coming through in both time periods is the plot to depose Ludwig because he is insane and the questions about whether he really was insane and about Ludwig's mysterious death. He was found dead in the shallow part of a lake along with a doctor. There was no water found in Ludwig's lungs. It is a fact (mentioned in the novel) that the present Wittlesbach family (who were the Bavarian royal family) will not allow their family archives to be opened nor will they allow an examination of Ludwig's body. I always like to read about places I have visited and the fact that a character is a royal is an extra bonus for me. Oliver Pötzsch is a native Bavarian (he is a descendant of the hangman in the Hangman's Daughters mysteries) and his books are originally published in German. Some readers have had issues with translations, but I did not find any problems.

The tomb of King Ludwig II of Bavaria taken by me in August of 2011
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Last edited by Susan on Sat November 16th, 2013, 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Sat November 16th, 2013, 3:39 pm

I hadn't heard of these books. I recall my parents visited one of his other palaces when they traveled there years ago.
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Susan
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Post by Susan » Sat November 16th, 2013, 8:25 pm

I didn't visit any of Ludwig's palaces. Neuschwanstein is full of tourists. There can be over 10,000 tourists visiting on a summer day and sometimes the line to get in can be hours long. It's basically a palace where no one lived as it was completed after Ludwig's death. I like to visit castles and palaces that have a history. Instead, we visited the Residenz in Munich where Bavarian royals actually lived.
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Sat November 16th, 2013, 8:35 pm

Crowds like that would turn me off. I'll have to see if I can find the palace the folks visited.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Sat November 16th, 2013, 8:41 pm

Besides, Neuschwannstein, Ludwig's other palaces were Linderhof Palace and Herrenchiemsee.
~Susan~
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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Sat November 16th, 2013, 10:37 pm

It's Linderhoff. I remember the stories about the dining room and the dumbwaiters used.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Rowan
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Post by Rowan » Mon November 18th, 2013, 2:10 pm

So, with the fact that it's a little Dan Brown-esque, would you recommend this book or not, Susan?

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Mon November 18th, 2013, 3:25 pm

[quote=""Rowan""]So, with the fact that it's a little Dan Brown-esque, would you recommend this book or not, Susan?[/quote]

I liked it, but I did like the parts about Ludwig better than the present-day plot.
~Susan~
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Rowan
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Post by Rowan » Mon November 18th, 2013, 10:31 pm

Thank you. :)

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Mon November 18th, 2013, 11:27 pm

And the Dan Brown-esque part is a code the present-day characters must crack.
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

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