Brilliant and compelling murder-mystery

Jeremiah Bembo lives quietly growing fruit and vegetables which his wife Judith sells at the local market. In secret, under the name of Solomon Straw, he travels the country as England's executioner, carrying out the hangings required by law. In a post-war provincial Britain seamed with commonplace corruption, he strives to maintain a balance of compassion and justice, until a murder is committed, bringing his two lives into an inevitable collision. "All human life is there, in a mesmerizing world of its own" Guardian; "A brilliant, terrifying and haunting novel...it has an almost Dickensian moral clarity...a wholly impressive work. It combines all the packed action of a thriller with a vision remarkable for its breadth and for its humanity" Evening Standard; "A compelling mixture of murder-mystery, Greek tragedy and love story...Set in the post-war period of travelling salesmen and Ruth Ellis look-alikes it asks the enormous, eternal questions in language that is both lyrical and barbaric" Sunday Telegraph