Kenneth Grahame 
The Headswoman (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

This 1898 satire depicts a medieval village whose executioner—a beautiful woman—wins the hearts of those she must kill.  Upon publication,
Literary World deemed the book, “A delightful little tale with a tinge of satire in it. For gracefulness of style and charm in the telling of a story it is in the front rank, and that is saying a great deal.”

About the author

Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was a Scottish writer of fantasies for children and adults. He also worked a daytime job as a banker until retiring in 1908, the same year he published his most famous work, The Wind in the Willows—in which Mr. Toad is modeled after Grahame’s son, whose tragic death at twenty darkened the author’s later years.