The Beggar King

A Hangman's Daughter Tale, Book 3

By: Oliver Pötzsch, Lee Chadeayne - translator

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

1662: Jakob Kuisl, the hangman of a village in the Alps, receives a letter from his sister calling him to the imperial city of Regensburg, where a gruesome sight awaits him: her throat has been slit. When the city constable discovers Kuisl alongside the corpse, he locks him in a dungeon, where Kuisl will experience firsthand the torture he’s administered himself for years.

As nightmares assail him, Kuisl can only hope to prevail on the Regensburg executioner to show mercy to a fellow hangman. Kuisl’s steely daughter, Magdalena, and her young doctor paramour, Simon, rush to Regensburg to try to save Jakob, enlisting an underground network of beggars, a beer-brewing monk, and an Italian playboy for help. Navigating the labyrinthine city, they learn there is much more behind the false accusation than a personal vendetta: a plan that will endanger the entire German Empire.

Chock-full of fascinating historical detail, The Beggar King brings to vibrant life another tremendous tale of an unlikely hangman and his tough-as-nails daughter, confirming Pötzsch’s mettle as a storyteller at the height of his powers.

©2010 Oliver Pötzsch (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Boring

These books get worse the further into the series that I read. The author has a gift to bore his reader. There are piece of this book that peaks the reader’s interest but as a whole it isn’t very good. One think that I can promise after completing this series is that I will never read another book from this author. He definitely researches his topic which is close to his heart since his ancestors encompassed a lineage of hangmen. He researched and walked the streets of the villages he writes about, but as a whole his book lacks the ability to captivate the reader losing the reader in mundane dribble. I would not suggest this series to anyone.

Great history lesson. The narrator is great

The author really takes u back to the 1600 s. . A really well written book

Better than the first two

I found this book to have more suspense, and greater stakes for the main characters. In addition it was intriguing to not know who the villains were till the very end.

A great story.

What made the experience of listening to The Beggar King the most enjoyable?

The feeling of the past, bad and good people, bad and good deed.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, it did keep me awake and listening intensely.

What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?

His lively and sincere reading is very much to my liking.

Who was the most memorable character of The Beggar King and why?

As before it is the hangman and his daughter who sit still with me.

Any additional comments?

Just to recommend this tales to anyone who likes past tales of these ages where evil thrived but good people lived as well. Endless battle of good and evil.

I love the Hangman and his daughter!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Assuming historicall correctness, I would recomend this to a friend. One who isn't too squeamish about the filth, and vermine of the time period. The Hangmans integrity, determination, and apparent indestructability, are nothing less than super human, yet believable. I enjoy the foibles and funniness of his daughter and her lover/boyfriend. You wouldn't think there could be anything about those years that could be funny, but the added humor help make the rest readable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Hangman of course.

Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

His daughter, who generally acts first then thinks SECOUND, is truly his daughter.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it a bit at a time, or I could go right through.

Any additional comments?

I have one more to go, then I hope Mr. Potzsch will write more.

disappointing story.

A lot of gratuitous violence. A certain sameness to the over long chase scenes. after the rich storytelling in the first two novels, this disappointed me.

The descriptions of the town and its people

Very little of this book was a disappointment. It was easy to imagine the different individuals in the book

great book

I love the travel guide at the end of the books. a great extra bonus.

Another excellent story

The mysteries are very believable, the characters ring true. I love the fact that the author writes a travelog after the mystery is solved. He tells us what we might see if we visited the locations in the story and even recommends eateries and points of interest.

a terrific series

I like this series very much. I especially look forward to the authors note where he talks us through the actual history of the town and of his ancestors of which he writes.