Lord High Executioner — Howard Engel

A grisly tour of hangings, electrocutions, beheadings -- and other state-sanctioned deaths that are part of the long history of the death penalty.

In Lord High Executioner, award-winning writer Howard Engel traces the traditions of capital punishment from medieval England and early Canada to the present-day United States. Throughout “civilized” history, executioners employed on behalf of the kingdom, republic, or dictatorship have beheaded, chopped, stabbed, choked, gassed, electrocuted, or beaten criminals to death -- and Engel doesn't shy away from the gritty details of the executioner's lifestyle, focusing on the paragons, buffoons, and sadists of the dark profession.
 
Packed with all-too-true stories, from hapless hangings to butchered beheadings, this historically accurate look at the executioner's gruesome work makes for a thoroughly gripping read.