August | 2014 | Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

The Hangman’s Daughter: A Novel
by Oliver Pötzsch
Historical Mystery
Book 1 in The Hangman’s Daughter series

This book is set in Schongau, Bavaria c. 1660, an era and area I’m not familiar with, so I borrowed it from Amazon’s Kindle Owner’s Lending Library. The main characters are Jacob Kuisl, the town executioner, his nineteen-year-old daughter Magdalena, and the young doctor Simon Fronwieser. In the first chapter, a young boy named Peter is stabbed and thrown into the river. The townsfolk rescue him, but he dies shortly afterwards. A symbol is found painted on his back so everyone’s first thought is WITCHCRAFT!

The mid-wife, Martha Stechlin, immediately comes under suspicion and is arrested and charged with murder. Jacob and Simon don’t believe she is guilty, but the town authorities want the matter settled quickly. When another child dies while Martha is in jail, Jacob knows she isn’t guilty, but those who believe in witchcraft aren’t dissuaded, apparently thinking a witch could kill someone while locked in a dungeon. Rolling eyes here.

Aware that he will be expected to torture her into confessing, whether she is guilty of not, Jacob sets out to solve the murder with help from Simon who is sweet on Magdalena. It takes them a while to figure out what is going on, since the motivation for the murders isn’t revealed until well into the book. I had fingered the “moneybags” behind the murders early on, but not the reasons why he did it.

I found the book interesting and exciting, if a little gory at times. It was a brutal period, poised between the Middle Ages and the modern world. The better educated townsfolk have thrown off the superstitions of the past, but most people haven’t.

I liked the three main characters, esp. Jacob who is a thoughtful and somewhat reluctant executioner. At the time, the job was hereditary, and while it was necessary, the hangman was considered dishonorable, which meant that his daughter could not aspire so high as to marry a doctor, no matter that Simon never finished his education.

This is the first in a series, and I may read more. Jacob Kuisl was a real person and the author is one of his descendants.

My guest today is M. J. Schiller, author of Damage Done, another Rocking Summer Romance. Welcome, M.J.

Linda asked me to share four facts about myself or my book, so here goes:

Damage Done opens in Cork, Ireland. I had the pleasure of visiting Cork back in 2002. My feelings about the city are very similar to Tess’s. I may have even been asleep in the car when we arrived, like she was. After visiting a number of smaller towns in Ireland, Cork seemed every bit the thriving metropolis that Tess saw it as.

I gave many of the characters names from my own family. Two of the main characters are Michael and Teddy McKee, from my mom’s maiden name. There is a Dr. Callahan, who makes a paragraph appearance, and that is my grandmother’s maiden name. Michael is big in our family. My dad was named Edward Michael, but many of his friends would not know his first name as they called him Mike. Patrick Michael is my brother, and Michael Patrick is my nephew. It was fun writing characters with family names!

I was a junior Olympic synchronized swimmer, earning gold medals when that was the highest form of competition. Synchronized swimming became an Olympic event in 1984, right after I left the sport.

I have a nineteen-year-old, and seventeen-year-old triplets. Hmm…I wonder if that will ever make it into a book…

Damage Done (Real Romance Collection Book 3)
Genre: Romantic Suspense

“Even through bloodshot eyes he could see she was different.”

But can Michael leave behind the bottle, and his womanizing ways, to win over the lovely Tess Flanagan? Tess has sustained some damage of her own. Can she and Michael overcome the terrors of the past and learn how to love each other?

And if they do, will they be able to elude those after them who want to create their own damage?

On the run after an altercation leaves their boss in a pool of blood, will Michael and Tess be able to stay one step ahead of their pursuers? Or is it simply too late to correct the damage that has been done?

*This book is part of a COLLECTION not a series, different characters, different settings. They all center around people with “real” jobs, (teachers, firemen, construction workers, roadies…) unlike my other collections which feature rock stars and royalty. They can be read in any order.) *

You can find DAMAGE DONE at:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00LU7719K

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/damage-done-mj-schiller/1119955011

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/damage-done-1

Excerpt:

“Tessie…” He offered again. “We have to get out of here.”

She remained frozen in her spot, staring blindly over the cliff. He moved a step closer and gently grasped her elbow. “Tess—”

She whirled around and his heart caught in his chest as he stared into her wild green eyes. Tears shone on her damp cheeks, glimmering in the moonlight like trails of scattered diamonds. “Nay, Michael,” she said, her words coming out choked. “I have to tell them the truth. It’s my fault. …I k-killed him.” She sobbed.

He looked at her sadly, begging her, “Let me help you.”

The back door creaked open and light spilled out from the bar across the grass, startling them. He saw Jimmy Flynn’s outline in the doorway. “They’re out here!” he yelled.

Without waiting for a response, Michael took Tess’s arm and steered her along the cliff’s edge. He stepped over the railing and helped her to the other side as well. They stood on a narrow ledge. To the left a trail dropped off toward the sea. He led her skittering down the path, loose rock pebbling the beach far below. He had taken the pathway many a night when he was drunk and feeling particularly reckless. Tonight he hurried over it with only self-preservation and Tess’s safety in mind.

They heard voices above them, coming from every direction as searchers fanned out along the top of the cliff. Their eyes met. They hardly dared to breathe. A flashlight beam ventured over the railing and along the cliff face. She clutched his hand, squeezing it until he lost feeling in his fingers. He tried to flatten himself even more tightly against the rock face, wishing it would somehow melt and absorb them. Several seconds passed and the beam of light was joined by another, and another, each swinging away, and then toward them again.

He grabbed a quick look at the churning sea below then closed his eyes for a second, and his stomach dropped. He took a deep breath before turning his head to look at Tess. Her eyes were closed and her lips were moving fervently, but she emitted no sound. He swallowed, wondering again why the sight of her affected him so. After several minutes a voice called out, “You won’t get away with this, Mikey.” Had someone seen them? He heard Jimmy Flynn mutter, “Wherever they are, we won’t find them tonight.” One by one the lights disappeared until only a solitary beam shone.

Thank you for having me, Linda! It’s been fun!

You can find M.J. at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Schiller-Romance-Author/286382241460365?ref=hl

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mjschiller/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjschiller

Tumblr: http://mjschilz.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/mjschiller

Google + : https://plus.google.com/u/0/110797684036386240402/post

Don’t you love that gorgeous cover? I do.

Leave a comment for me or M. J. to be entered in my monthly drawing for a $15 Starbucks gift card.

Linda / Lyndi