New edition of Myrtle Johnston's 1927 debut novel of a reluctant executioner in 1870s Ireland.
From
The State
(Columbia, SC), April 8, 1928:
"The author, an Irish girl of 18, unknown until her book focused attention on her, recounts a tale of horror with the ingenuousness of a nurserymaid amusing her charges with a bit of folklore. Yet behind the simple directness of the narrative is felt the pitifulness of poverty, the pathos of human misunderstanding, and above all, compassion for 'Hanging Johnny, ' queer, shiftless, lovable johnny, victim of his queer, uncanny profession."