The plot is set in motion when a poisoned priest uses his dying wits and strength to leave a clue that proves a gateway into a bigger mystery, drawing in the stalwart trio of hangman, executioner, and healer Jakob Kuisl; his somewhat stubborn but attractive daughter Magdalena; and the town physician's son who is a bit of a dandy but smart as a whip, Simon. But while this mystery is the story's center, other events are also crucial, cheifly, a group robbers are preying on travelers, particularly merchants and their cargos, and a deadly illness is killing many of the villagers.
Along with the murdered priest's sister, this group follows a trail of various clues and riddles, each leading to more answers and more questions. Tracking this core group is a trio of murderous monks (not sure which one is actually dark monk of the title), various church leaders, and another trio of soldiers-for-hire. As you might imagine, murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and so forth ensue.
The story seems as though the scenes were staged for a play or graphic novel with characters tripping over each other in unexpectedly places. I thought that the plot and resolution hinged on a series of increasingly unlikely coincidences playing out and bringing the characters back together in, for me, an ultimately unsatisfactory resolution. In other words, my "willing suspension of disbelief" could only go so far before I felt like the author was winking at me instead of making the story really resolve itself.
I thought "The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale" was a fun but not convincing tale. The characters seemed a bit cartoonish to me, the settings a bit too sketchy, and the plot a bit too twisted.
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