The Dark Monk book review

Typically I don't read too many books like this, but it's nice to read something out of your element every now and again.
I have to say that I was captivated by the story and characters. I read The Hangman's Daughter preceding this one and they are both well crafted. In both novels the story lines flow easily, and aside from the main plot there are always other little situations throughout the novels. They flow languidly without tripping over each other which makes the novel that much more enjoyable and you don't feel lost at all.

In The Dark Monk a priest finds clues while renovation to his church is taking place. However things fall into the wrong hands and the town takes another turn for the worst. As the priest uncovers more than he can hope for he finds himself poisoned and dying. Upon his death the priest leaves clues to a mystery that leads our characters into the world of the Knight's Templar and...treasure! The same characters reappear as in The Hangman's Daughter including, but not limited to Jakob (the hangman), Magdalena (the hangman's daughter), and Simon (physician's son and Magdalena's lover). Together as a team acting as detectives their skills are unmistakably sharp, and there's a sense of intelligence about them all you wouldn't expect. It just brings the characters to life even more and makes them that much more unique.

The story is fast paced and once you start reading it, it will draw you in immediately. Some of the events in the book are predictable, but what makes this bearable is the characters charm.
Jakob is by far my favorite. He shouldered his hangman duties early even though it isn't what he wanted, and despite his career he is intelligent, smart, witty, and caring. And as always I was swept right in by Magdalena and Simon which despite their forbidden love for each other seem to balance each other out quite nicely.

If you are into the Knights Templar, the Crusades, mystery, and the 17th century time frame this would be a good book for you. It holds a bit of everything that a good book should: intriguing characters, mystery, romance, suspense, intellect, etc.
To give you some more background on the novel you can even check out this short video clip I found:

You should also check out The Hangman's Daughter which is equally as thrilling, but I would also like to warn you that it is also a bit more gruesome in details from my own personal opinion...

The Dark Monk is available on:: Kindle   Paperback   Nook   Audio Audible Edition     Disclaimer: As a BzzAgent I have been provided with the complimentary kindle books listed above for review purposes. All opinions expressed are solely my own.