Appel, Gritta, and Efi, the three alewives of Colmar, are enjoying the calmness of brewing after solving the deeply unsettling mystery of the severed hands (Sleight of Hand, book 2). But as to be expected in Colmar, peace is not destined to last for long; two novice monks in the care of Brother Wikerus have disappeared, and a lowly street sweeper is terrorized. All signs point to a mysterious monster that has been spotted, driving the town into a frenzy of fear and suspicion.
Theories of demons from the pits of hell, or monsters born from the horrors of the plague run rampant. Could the plague have returned? Or is this a punishment sent by Heaven due to the citizens of Colmar and their behavior? The three alewives would rather not involve themselves, but everything changes when a body turns up near their canal; now the threat is too close to home to ignore. (Spoiler: to no one’s surprise, Grita’s family is once again accused of being in the middle of it all.)
Standing here and giving testimony for my neighbor Gritta and her family is becoming a regular occurrence, Sheriff. How shall I find time to do my work if you are always attempting to execute them?
Appel, Gritta, and Efi will have to put their sleuthing skills to good use – while ensuring they don’t also fall prey to the supernatural menace, and that everyone they care for comes through on the other side.
This was probably better than the second book (slightly), but still not close to the first one; the first one remains in my opinion the best of the series. In this one, the motives for the murders are very convoluted, and it is in no way neatly wrapped up by the end of the book. Which I know is far more realistic, yet I found it slightly frustrating.
The women remain the most endearing and likable characters in the book; taking out Brother Wikerus, Prior Konrad, and Helmut the young guard/shepherd, there is not one man who is really worth a bucket of warm mash.
Silence!” Brother Tacitus screeched. “You have unshod the men of God! You have rendered our feet with blisters! There is no place in the depths of hell deep enough for you!
I am sorry to Gritta, but I still think that her life would be far better off if Jorges, Lionel, and quite possibly the majority of her children, fell into the canal and were unable to be fished out. Efi has grown from the first book; she’s still a bit of a ditz, but she has quickly grasped the ability to have a fiery temper. Appel remains the heart and soul of the friend group; she’s probably the most interesting character, if for nothing else than the dichotomy of her severe religious belief and her extra-marital promiscuity.
The writing stays the same caliber it was in previous books; not 100% great, with a few errors here and there (even though in the Author’s Note Andersen makes a point that they’ve all been cleared up), and formatting that makes it abundantly obvious this book started out as an e-book that has been printed.
The ending also sets up for a forth book to happen sometime; there are far too many dangling plot points and foreshadowed events not to have one. Also, at the end of Sleight of Hand, Andersen said that in the next book we’d see what the penalty would be for an alewife who isn’t all too honest with her brewing ingredients, and we don’t get that here, so I’m assuming she’s saving it for a future plot.
I would still recommend the series, and this book; if nothing else, you too can have the thrill of reading various oaths to religious figures anatomy, as you get a chorus of “Gd-created pizzles”, “Mother Mary’s teats”, “Jesus’s holy nostrils”, “Jesu’s crooked toes”, “the Virgin’s pale buttocks” and “blaspheming the Virgin’s bottom”.
