The Hangman’s Daughter, a highly reviewed and marketed English translation from its native German, has been talked about quite a bit on Amazon and Goodreads. I expected it to be this blockbuster of a historical fiction thriller. I was greatly disappointed.
Set in Germany, The Hangman’s Daughter is about Jakob Kuisl, town hangman, charged with the torture and so called trial of a supposed witch, accused of killing several children in the village. Jakob, his daughter, and the town’s doctor become absorbed in the case, and discover that not everything is what it seems.
About ¾ of the way through the book, I was still waiting for it to get interesting. In the end, I skimmed through the last 50 or so pages, just to see who the culprit was. Where was the thrill? I can’t even describe how disappointing the book was. I’m not sure if it’s the translation or what, but instead of being edge of your seat suspenseful, it came off boring and overly detailed.
Initially on Goodreads I gave this a 3, thinking that I really hadn’t minded reading it, and it was ok. But a few weeks removed, when all I can think to talk about is the bad parts of it, I have to drop it to a 2. So disappointing.
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