This is the fourth in the series of mysteries involving an actual real Bavarian hangman of 17th century Bavaria, Jakob Kuisl, and his family. Author Oliver Pötzsch is a descendant of Jakob. Oliver Pötzsch writes and publishes these books in German and then they are translated into English. They sell for very reasonable prices on Amazon. I think I paid 99 cents for this one. I really like the characters and the way they interact with each other. I've learned a lot about the time period, the Thirty Years War (which Jakob fought in during his younger days), and about the culture of the hangman. Hangmen were shunned, had to live in the tanners' section of town and could only marry those from dishonorable professions, usually other hangmen's children. When I was in the old part of Nuremberg last summer, the guide showed us the hangman's house and told us some of the background, but that was before I had read any of the books. I Googled the setting, Andechs Monastery, and got the official website. There is an English translation. There are several videos (including one of the Feast of the Three Hosts) that gave me the flavor of the setting.
http://www.andechs.de/en/andechs-monast ... enter.html
Photo of the hangman's house in Nuremberg. Most of Nuremberg was destroyed during World War II, but the city has done carefully researched reconstruction. I like the sign!
