The Dark Monk - Oliver Poetzch

We interrupt these already late comic reviews for. . . a book review! I still have one more Mark Mills book to read, but I thought I'd step away for a moment, which brings us to The Dark Monk. It's the second book is Poetzch's* "Hangman's Daughter" series of books, which follow the Kuisl family, from which he is descended. The Kuisls were apparently a pretty well known family of hangmen/executioners. if you're wondering how you get an entire family known for that, it's because the job sort of stays in the family. The average European citizen considered executioners unclean or possibly cursed, so you could pretty much only marry people from other families of executioners.

In this story, Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and the Schongau medicus Simon (also Magdalena's boyfriend, despite the disapproval of pretty much everyone except the Kuisls) are drawn into the poisoning of the local priest. That anyone would bother to poison him is strange, until they discover a hidden crypt beneath the church, one which houses a Templar grave, and a riddle. So yes, there's lots of running about trying to decipher riddles and find the Templar's hidden treasure. Which could get old, but Poetzch wisely includes several other plotlines. He introduces the dead priest's sister, whose worldly sophistication drives a wedge between Magdalena and Simon. He has not one, but two groups of mysterious sorts following our heroes on their quest. There's also a fever running rampant through the village, and bandits besieging all trade coming into and out of the town.

What I enjoyed most was the character of Jakob Kuisl himself. He takes his responsibilities as hangman seriously, but takes no particular joy in it. While people's tendency to fear or avoid him can irritate, it's also something he uses to his advantage. He's considerably more well-read than one might expect for 1660, and knows quite a bit about medicines and healing himself, to the extent Simon often turns to him for help in those matters. What I like best about him is his approach to life. Jakob Kuisl firmly believes in taking responsibility for his actions, and holds others to similar standards. If you choose to become a highwayman, regardless of the reasons, you had best be prepared to be executed someday if you're caught. If you hurt a loved one, don't expect them to forgive just because you want it to happen. And if Jakob gives someone his word that they'll receive mercy, he has to keep that promise, even if other people have gone back on their word to him.

Certain elements of the plot are fairly predictable, but Poetzsch keeps things moving with sufficient momentum that I didn't mind. The characters are generally interesting, as he makes sure secondary characters get a chance to have their motivations and goals examined. And some of the villains are overzealous religious assholes. You know the types, where anything they do is OK because it's in service of God. I hate those people, so they make excellent villains. I can read about guys like that getting shot through the back with crossbows all day.

* His last name is spelled with an umlaut over the O, but as I don't have that symbol on the keyboard, I'm using "e" behind it instead. It's phonetically equivalent, but it does change the spelling a bit, in case you were planning to look him up.