Not The Last Book You Should Read on the Subject, February 7, 2004

By	JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews

The book follows the life of a particular executioner and those who work around him. The one redeeming quality of the book is detail given to the infamous execution of James Lee Gray. A few humorous points in the book were also worth reading such as the practical jokes on inmates and testing the gas chamber out on a turtle. These exceptions, the book is dull and depressing. The author spends an exceptionally long time discussing details which which are unncessary. Musing about the commute to work, what was for dinner, and other miscellaneous ramblings take away from the book. The writing also seems to focus more on the structure of the gas chamber than how it was used. While the book does give insight as to the deteriorated condition the lives of executioners often go into, the structure of the book leaves much to be desired. Solotaroff should have broadened his focus to include other executioners with varying and interesting stories.

I would discourage people from buying this book. This view of a life working on death row is very limited and certainly would have been a better read with storyline that focuses less on one man's experience in Mississippi.

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