What do you think?
Rate this book
Holy Rage
A gripping short story by the author of the bestselling Hangman’s Daughter series.
June 16, 1692. Relic dealer Georg Ayndorfer is found slain in the Chapel of St. Quirinus of Tegernsee. Was it the holy rage of St. Quirinus himself, or was Ayndorfer murdered by jealous colleagues?
Georg Asam, a famous artist commissioned to paint a fresco in the chapel, feels compelled to investigate.
26 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2014
169 people are currently reading
607 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Pötzsch
42 books2,231 followersOliver Pötzsch is a German writer and filmmaker. After high school he attended the German School of Journalism in Munich from 1992 to 1997. He then worked for Radio Bavaria. In addition to his professional activities in radio and television, Pötzsch researched his family history. He is a descendant of the Kuisle, from the 16th to the 19th Century a famous dynasty of executioners in Schongau.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
April 26, 2014
I read this booking in one sitting. It is very short and has a good plot. The author's interesting Bavarian history has got me hooked on his "Hangman's Daughter" series.
March 5, 2021
Any mystery only twenty pages long is naturally going to be limited in complexity. Too limited, quite frankly, to be particularly interesting. Also too limited to be able to say much in a review since in order to avoid spoilers one has to stick only to the first few pages. So I'm going to be very brief here.
The setting was interesting. A chapel in the Bavarian Alps during the late 17th century where a relic dealer has been murdered. Can't say I get much of a feel for the place, but the clergy seems quite preternaturally dumb. A dead body on the altar isn't necessarily going to produce quite the reaction we would have (pollution of the holy building would be more a concern than the murder) but it seemed unbelievable that they would class it as a miracle.
Of Asam we know next to nothing except that he's a painter and an observant man. Again, this is an area where the story could really use more length. The pool of suspects is pretty small too. You don't even meet the killer until you're more than halfway through, and the only reason that's not a spoiler is that you don't meet any suspects until you're halfway through. The case is solved on a single comment. Pretty basic.
So no real characters, a simple mystery, and an underdeveloped setting. I know nothing about the original publication details, but even for a short story this is short so I can't imagine this couldn't have been longer. Even forty pages would have been enough to give enough life that this could take off. I confess I can't see the point.
The setting was interesting. A chapel in the Bavarian Alps during the late 17th century where a relic dealer has been murdered. Can't say I get much of a feel for the place, but the clergy seems quite preternaturally dumb. A dead body on the altar isn't necessarily going to produce quite the reaction we would have (pollution of the holy building would be more a concern than the murder) but it seemed unbelievable that they would class it as a miracle.
Of Asam we know next to nothing except that he's a painter and an observant man. Again, this is an area where the story could really use more length. The pool of suspects is pretty small too. You don't even meet the killer until you're more than halfway through, and the only reason that's not a spoiler is that you don't meet any suspects until you're halfway through. The case is solved on a single comment. Pretty basic.
So no real characters, a simple mystery, and an underdeveloped setting. I know nothing about the original publication details, but even for a short story this is short so I can't imagine this couldn't have been longer. Even forty pages would have been enough to give enough life that this could take off. I confess I can't see the point.
December 31, 2014
Good quick read
I normally don't read short stories but I had to read this one since it was written by Oliver Potzsch. I read his Hangman Daughters books and really enjoyed them. Looking forward to reading more works by this author.
I normally don't read short stories but I had to read this one since it was written by Oliver Potzsch. I read his Hangman Daughters books and really enjoyed them. Looking forward to reading more works by this author.
February 25, 2022
I love the Hangman's Daughter series by this author so I wanted to give this short story a try. I am so glad I did. I read it during a quick break at work (it's that short). It reminded me a bit of a Sherlock Holmes tale. A mystery solved using reasoning and keen observation.
June 11, 2017
If only for the Authors note at the end this was worth the read. I always end up learning more than I can imagine from his work. Now I'm off to Wikipedia to research Georg Asam.
May 11, 2014
A short tory that gives the reader a fair taste of the author's style. Reasonable introduction to his series of books.
May 17, 2014
Cute little short story from the dude that brought you 'The Hangman's Daughter' series. Sure would love to read a George Asam whodunit series!
July 21, 2015
Good story but much too short. Felt rushed. While I did enjoy it and gave it 5 stars I really would have liked a tad more for my $2
Read
March 6, 2016Shortest short story I have ever read. Took like 15 minutes or less to read
December 5, 2025
High-speed Hangman
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Hangman's Daughter series and was glad to revisit. We don't have the same characters and Asam is not quite as earthy as Jakob but we still have the quick mind that does not start by assuming a miracle (or the Devil.)
I would be glad to rejoin Asam for a full-length exploration. The brevity cut down on some of the things that I like about this author. The imagery here was only enough to move the plot and we only really see the one character in 3D. That said, it was an enjoyable short read.
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Hangman's Daughter series and was glad to revisit. We don't have the same characters and Asam is not quite as earthy as Jakob but we still have the quick mind that does not start by assuming a miracle (or the Devil.)
I would be glad to rejoin Asam for a full-length exploration. The brevity cut down on some of the things that I like about this author. The imagery here was only enough to move the plot and we only really see the one character in 3D. That said, it was an enjoyable short read.
May 9, 2018
A short, entertaining murder mystery set in 17th century Germany by the author of the "Hangman's Daughter" series. The mystery itself is straightforward --who killed the merchant in the church?-- but the star is the setting itself, which assumes a world in which the most usual explanation for something unusual is a miracle. A nice read over lunch, recommended for fans of the author or genre.
February 23, 2021
This short historical fiction mystery is shorter than some of the chapters in Oliver Potzsch's Hangman's Daughter series. It's a quick read and the clues come quickly. It keeps you in the environment of Bavaria in the late seventeenth century.
October 25, 2023
I guess I didn't realize this was a short story, in spite of that being right in the description. I thought he got into the investigation awfully fast. But, short or not, I enjoyed it very much and would certainly read more from this author if more were ever available.
June 24, 2017
Very brief storey, enjoyable though, obviously in the style of The Hangmans Daughter tales. Medieval deduction!
July 10, 2017
Ok book
For a short story. I love the Hangman series and this is pretty much the same type of book. This seems to me to be more of an essay than even a short story.
For a short story. I love the Hangman series and this is pretty much the same type of book. This seems to me to be more of an essay than even a short story.
July 13, 2017
too simple
July 4, 2020
Short Story
A very short story. Good, but short. I'm glad I got it for free. I'd have been disappointed if I'd paid for it. A fast pace mystery.
A very short story. Good, but short. I'm glad I got it for free. I'd have been disappointed if I'd paid for it. A fast pace mystery.
Read
November 30, 2020Smart thinking
A quick tale of murder and greed. Deductive logic found the killer and brought him to justices. A good fast read.
A quick tale of murder and greed. Deductive logic found the killer and brought him to justices. A good fast read.
June 9, 2021
eh. kinda dumb. I have enjoyed all of his books so far, but this was nothing...just nothing.
August 9, 2021
Audible Audiobooks Short Story
June 13, 2022
Beautiful. Color me impressed with this short story. Little investigation that was solved simply by being observant.
July 2, 2022
An intriguing mystery
A painter is tasked with finding out who killed a relics dealer in the church. Very entertaining and intriguing mystery!
A painter is tasked with finding out who killed a relics dealer in the church. Very entertaining and intriguing mystery!
Read
June 9, 2023A fast read
Not all is as it seems to be the monk's would have lost out on everything if not for the artist
Not all is as it seems to be the monk's would have lost out on everything if not for the artist
September 28, 2024
Way too short
April 17, 2020
Short and sharp
As a short story it was quite good,although as in most such stories,the solution is a little too neat and contrived. As a reader, you feel like you are swept upon a quick ride and presented with the solution, before you even had a chance to get into the skin of it or form your own impressions. However, this may be just my take on it and if you are looking for a well written, objective tale, this book will satisfy you . I will sign off with the comment that I have read the author in the past and have liked his work enough to come back for more later and this short story has not changed my view. That, I think is a compliment in itself.
As a short story it was quite good,although as in most such stories,the solution is a little too neat and contrived. As a reader, you feel like you are swept upon a quick ride and presented with the solution, before you even had a chance to get into the skin of it or form your own impressions. However, this may be just my take on it and if you are looking for a well written, objective tale, this book will satisfy you . I will sign off with the comment that I have read the author in the past and have liked his work enough to come back for more later and this short story has not changed my view. That, I think is a compliment in itself.
Read
December 23, 2016My first
This is the first book by Oliver Pötzsch the I have read. It is a good short story. On to his other works.
This is the first book by Oliver Pötzsch the I have read. It is a good short story. On to his other works.
July 27, 2016
Nice Little Story
A short, accidental detective story about a murder in a cathedral. Our accidental detective is a painter, and I suppose the idea is that he sees more clearly than our other characters and is able to tease the reality from the illusion to announce and apprehend our murderer in the nick of time. I like Pötsch's work, this is the first time I've read him in German. May have to read one of his longer works in German because I've been having issues with the translations.
A short, accidental detective story about a murder in a cathedral. Our accidental detective is a painter, and I suppose the idea is that he sees more clearly than our other characters and is able to tease the reality from the illusion to announce and apprehend our murderer in the nick of time. I like Pötsch's work, this is the first time I've read him in German. May have to read one of his longer works in German because I've been having issues with the translations.
December 12, 2015
I got this book because I have enjoyed reading the entire Hangman's Daughter series by him. I was somewhat disappointed that it isn't a book, but only a short story. I managed to read the entire thing over my lunch break. It was very good and the story was interesting with a mystery that was quickly solved by the main character. I can see that this could lead to another series of novels if he wanted to branch out from the Hangman's Daughter series.
August 7, 2014
A bit basic for what I've come to expect from his work, but just as detailed and entertaining. (And it's an earlier work translated and reprinted, and a short story, so not a surprise the plot's simpler.)
June 4, 2016
Shortest short story ever. Felt like the author was dabbling with a story but never fully envisioned it. Not bad but just not really good either. I do love, however, Oliver Potzch's historical mystery series, "The Hangman's Daughter."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews