The Werewolf of Bamberg (A Hangman's Daughter Tale, 5)

In 1668, hangman Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and her husband, Simon, are traveling to the town of Bamberg to celebrate the wedding of Jakob’s estranged brother, a fellow hangman. But what was planned as a family vacation and reconciliation soon becomes a nightmare: a murderer in Bamberg is leaving the victims’ severed limbs outside the city. When rumors quickly spread that the murders are the work of a werewolf, Jakob Kuisl scoffs at the notion and embarks on a mission to unmask the real “werewolf of Bamberg.” But as he learns more about the city and its long-buried secrets, it appears that discovering the killer’s identity might be just as dangerous as facing a true werewolf. Can he stop the killings while navigating the city’s turbulent political waters, and his own volatile family members?
 
It is nothing new for a hangman to be the object of scorn and anger, but Jakob has always managed to rise above it all in order to solve the mysteries he encounters, blustering and bullying his way past his opponents with the help of his equally stubborn and clever family. But never have they faced a killer so depraved. This chilling addition to the Hangman’s Daughter series will leave even the bravest readers looking over their shoulder.

OLIVER PÖTZSCH was for years a radio personality for Bavarian radio and a screenwriter for Bavarian public television. He is a descendent of the Kuisls, the well-known line of Bavarian executioners who inspired his novels. In addition to the best-selling Hangman’s Daughter series, he is the author of the contemporary thriller, The Ludwig Conspiracy. He lives with his family in Munich.
 
LEE CHADEAYNE, translator, is a former classical musician and college professor. He was one of the charter members of the American Literary Translators Association and is editor in chief of the ALTA Newsletter.