"John Radclive hates being called Hangman. He is no murderous thug; he is a professional executioner who relies on science to bring God's mercy to condemned criminals. His years in the British navy stationed in the South China Sea had given him his start and now, newly arrived in Canada, he welcomes his appointment as Canada's first official executioner. A family man, he also welcomes the salary, status and perks that come with the job. In his off hours, he enjoys masquerading as Thomas Ratley, steward of Toronto's prestigious Sunnyside Boat Club where he soon experiences the hypocrisy of the Canadian elite. But dispensing mercy presumes that the condemned are guilty. The more convicted felons he meets, the more Radclive begins to question the Canadian justice system and his role within it--perhaps he is a hangman after all. Based on extensive historical research and contemporaneous newspaper accounts, Hangman recaps the history of capital punishment in Canada and the ambivalence of public attitudes toward it through a highly personal lens."-- Provided by publisher.