Jerry Stokes is a hangman in Kingston. One day, he refuses to hang a convicted murderer because he is not so convinced that the man is actually guilty. This is the first time in his life that he rebels, and he is proud of himself. Stokes decides to delay the execution, praying that some exculpatory evidence will appear. Will he get them and will he turn out to be right? Grant Allen was a Canadian writer who lived in the period 1848 - 1899. His writing career began around 1876 when he published a series of essays on science. His first books, "Physiological Aesthetics" and "Flowers and Their Pedigrees" took up this subject as well. Grant Allen was also a pioneer in science fiction. He wrote about thirty science fiction novels in the period 1884-1899. In his later works, Allen also took up some revolutionary theories for the time regarding marriage. "The Woman Who Did" which depicts the life of an independent woman who takes care of her child on her own became a bestseller.

Avec ce livre, l'auteur cherche à cerner ce qui fait, en cette fin de XXe siècle, l'originalité de la localité du Raincy dans l'agglomération parisienne. Il retrace pour nous les étapes de l'aménagement - et du développement - de l'ancien domaine princier de la famille d'Orléans. À partir d'un ensemble de documents historiques et administratifs, il montre comment, depuis la création de la commune le 20 mai 1869, Le Raincy - d'un parc forestier - s'est transformé en une ville, qui a toujours allié tradition et innovation dans un équilibre dynamique. L'ouvrage met en scène l'histoire locale, à travers les engagements et les passions des hommes et des femmes qui ont contribué à construire la ville d'aujourd'hui.