A tribute to that most despised public servant, the executioner, and to the author's 'art'. In his treatise on judicial killing, whether it is by electrocution, hanging or gassing, he writes with deceptive levity about botched executions, the bloodlust of witnesses, innocent victims and a legal system that demands retribution. The result is a stunning satire of capital punishment, a polemic that reveals the hypocrisy and self-delusion inherent in a society that demands 'an eye for an eye' yet strives to make state-sponsored killing humane.