Sid Spurgeon’s The Haunted Executioner delivers a hard-hitting dystopian satire dressed up in gallows humor and brutal honesty. Set in a near-future America where capital punishment is not only legalized nationwide but fetishized and televised, the novel dives deep into the dark heart of a society drunk on vengeance. Through the story of Cecil LeBeeau, a reluctant and deeply damaged state executioner, Spurgeon unspools a twisted tale of justice gone off the rails, laying bare the social, political, and psychological rot that feeds it. It’s a mix of speculative fiction and political polemic, told with a blunt voice and barbed wit.

I found the writing raw and unfiltered. The prose often reads like someone ranting over beers after watching too much cable news, but somehow that works. There’s a rhythm to the chaos, and while the dialogue can feel like caricature at times, the ideas behind the words cut deep. Spurgeon’s disdain for American culture’s obsession with punishment, violence, and spectacle is unmissable and unrelenting. And yet, beneath the cynicism, there’s a weird tenderness for the broken people caught in the middle of it all. The chapters that dig into Cecil’s unraveling psyche—his self-loathing, his numbed soul, his need to be punished himself—are some of the book’s strongest moments. The horror isn’t supernatural; it’s systemic, societal, and deeply personal.

The book isn’t subtle. At all. It’s angry, loud, and long-winded in parts. Some passages lean more into a manifesto than a novel, with pages of political commentary, mass shooting statistics, and imagined congressional debates. These sections drive the point home and add weight and urgency to the book’s message. The intensity of the commentary, though heavy, feels like a bold choice that gives the reader space to reflect. The passion behind the words is undeniable, and it deepens the impact of the story as a whole. Still, I can’t deny that I was gripped—disturbed, unsettled, even sickened, but never bored.

The Haunted Executioner is for readers who like their fiction fierce, unpolished, and full of fire. It’s not an easy read—it’s messy and morally murky—but that’s the point. If you’re someone who’s ever shouted at your TV during a news segment or questioned how close we are to the edge, this book will speak to you.

Pages: 440 | ASIN: B0DLQYCDHZ