The Ludwig Conspiracy

The Ludwig Conspiracy
by Oliver Pötzsch

Munich antique bookseller Steven Lukas is enjoying his quiet life until people began to show up, asking questions about a diary he does not know he possess. A woman, Sara, asks if he has seen her uncle, Steven does recall the elderly man who talked over a book of poems and then vanished from the shop. Steven then accidently finds an odd box on one of his shelves he knows he did not purchase. Inside is the historic diary of Doctor Theodore Marot, which accounts the last days of the fairy tale king Ludwig's life. One evening a group of mysterious thugs try to break in and take the diary, Sara saves Steven and they are both quickly thrust into an adventure that will take them across Germany in an effort to solve the century old mystery surrounding Ludwig's death. The Ludwig Conspiracy, by German author Oliver Pötzsch, is a very intriguing novel with the mysterious King Ludwig II playing an integral part. Before reading about this book I had never heard of the fairy tale king Ludwig and was immediately drawn to the historic aspect of the mystery. Pötzsch comes off very well researched in his accounts of the King and in the brief glimpses into the past with Theodore as the narrator are both thrilling and lush with historical accounts. The present day setting with Steven and Sara however does leave a little to be desired. I found the plot to be much what you would expect of the genre and many of the plot twists which should have come as a surprise were both expected and a bit cliched. Pötzsch is a very good writer however predictable I may have found the plot to be, and I will most definitely be checking out his Hangman's Daughter series. -- recommended by Wyatt P. - Gere Branch Library

[ publisher's official Ludwig Conspiracy web page ]

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