Publisher's Synopsis
The Hangman of Paris is set in France around the time of the Revolution and centers on Charles-Henri de Sanson, the country's most famous hangman. Born into a family of executioners, young Sanson was not given a choice. He wantd to study medicine and learn how to cure people, but his family demanded that he follow in his father's foosteps-killng, not healing.
Sanson becomes a victim of his family's fate, executing prisoners for the King of France. When the Reign of Terror swept away an entire social class, Sanson became the refolutionaries' most notorious hangman. The city of Paris was drowning in blood as its efficient executioner became insane.
Then, the name of his beloved young friend, a girl from the Kingdom of Siam, appears on his list of victims and Charles-Henri has to make a fatal decision.
Based on the actual diaries of Charles-Henri de Sanson, Claude Cuneni's novel is a study in character about the world's most famous hangman, a suffering man, a lover. a musician, and a father.
