My biggest regret was arriving at the end of the book. This story is beautifully told, we believe in it. It is not easy to penetrate the reader in the atmosphere of this early period and yet we found it very quickly. The characters are engaging and although it is a terrible case of children tortured and killed by a monster, the way the author tells it makes this fascinating book and "pleasant" to read. I recommend it to my friends. My husband loved it too. Too bad there are no other translations of Ariana Franklin novels. Maybe it will happen Does it?