An Age of Winters
In 1625 the Franconian village of Eisbach, already ravaged by plague and famine, is in the grip of the Little Ice Age during the Würzburg witch hunt and trials. The widow Katarin Jaspers is housekeeper for Reverend Felix Stern, an austere, unlikable man, who has a mental breakdown while investigating the mysterious deaths of young children in the village. Reverend Zacharias Engel is assigned to replace Stern and continue the investigations. Engel’s dress and demeanor commands respect and esteem from the villagers, especially Katarin. He is revered as their protector as he works to root out the source of evil. But the prince-bishop, Philipp Adolf von Ehrenberg, feels his authority threatened as Engel methodically investigates. More murders fuel more unsubstantiated accusations, and Ehrenberg interferes to order more innocent people arrested, tortured, and hanged or burned.
Katarin sees Engel as a complex man who protects his thoughts and possibly some secrets as he disappears for days, but she is blinded by her attraction to him even though she covertly follows him and sees nothing amiss. She is jealous and suspicious of the beautiful Margaretha, who attracts his eye. With each execution, new hope arises that evil has been destroyed. But the murders continue and the problem remains unresolved.
Liviero brilliantly creates an atmosphere of fear, suspicion, and helplessness for villagers locked in an icy landscape, fearful of a slip of the tongue and the knock on the door to be arrested. Fabricated evidence or hearsay, always taken as fact, is a death sentence; torture exorcises the devil and reveals the ‘truth’ of sorcery and murderous acts. Who is committing these heinous murders in the village? This question – along with characters, both malicious and blameless – keep the pages turning to an unforgettable ending. This book will disquiet and unsettle you in the best way as only a deft writer can.
