Just before he's brutally tortured and murdered an elderly gent hides a secret diary in an antiquarian used bookstore in Munich. The bookstore is owned by Steven Lukas, a young man who just wants to lead a quiet life among his tomes. Before long the old gent's niece, Sara Lengfeld, shows up. She and Steven soon discover that the diary - which is written in code and has some undecipherable passages in an even more mysterious cipher - was written by Theodor Marot, mad King Ludwig II’s medical assistant. King Ludwig was a well-known 'eccentric' who spent all of Bavaria's money building elaborate castles for himself before he died rather suddenly in 1886: broke, bloated, toothless, and friendless. Was old King Ludwig murdered? Was he gay? Does the diary explain his sudden death? It seems a lot of people want to know. Thus when Sara and Steve race out of Munich and rush hither and thither looking for clues to decipher the diary they're chased by a variety of cut-throats and gangs who want to grab the book for themselves. As Steven and Sara decode the diary we learn a bit about King Ludwig's life as well as political machinations in 19th century Bavaria.Though there a couple of surprising twists, all the clue hunting and deciphering eventually lead to a reveal that's less spectacular than I'd hoped. Still it's a pretty good thriller/mystery with a little bit of romance, some interesting characters, and some intriguing blather about secret codes. I'd give it 3.5 stars. Steven is an antique bookseller in Munich; unfortunately, there isn’t much interest in old books anymore so his passion is slowly becoming his undoing. He has continued to purchase books while the customers have stopped coming to his store. One evening while contemplating a beloved old book of Grimm’s fairy tales, an older man comes into his store asking about Samuel Pepys. While Steven looks for his copy of Samuel Pepys’ diary, the old man leaves the store leaving behind a mysterious package. This package catapults Steven into the mystery of King Ludwig II’s death. This package my just contain the missing bit of information to aid in figuring out if King Ludwig II was murdered or committed suicide and Steven isn’t the only one curious about what this “box” contains. With a mysterious cult-like group following him and threatening him, he must be aware of his surroundings and careful about who he trusts.Mr. Pötzsch has the incredible ability of bringing Bavaria and its history to such real life that even those readers who have only seen pictures can imagine life in this world where fairy tales were born. A big fan of his Hangman’s Daughter series, I thought that this stand alone novel sounded like a wonderful adventurous read and it was definitely that! He has thoroughly researched Ludwig’s life and impact on Germany and the tourism trade, incorporating various conspiracy theories into a wonderful historical, mystery/adventure. Steven is well-written and developed. As an American-German, his character utilizes his American background in order to gather clues throughout this story and I particularly enjoyed some amusing scenes between him and the other characters where he plays up his American side. While fantastical (not really realistic) this is a very enjoyable story. I was able figure out a few of the “secrets” before Mr. Pötzsch revealed them, there were plenty of twists and turns that kept me reading and curious. Rich with culture and history this is a wonderful novel that only makes my desire to visit Bavaria that much stronger.
What do You think about Ludwig Conspiracy (2013)?
Fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it but now want to take a trip to Bavaria to see all the castles.
—alia
An excellent book of historical fiction. I enjoyed reading past day and the past.
—Lulu
If you are a Steve Berry fan this is a must read!
—Madton110
