Kleist, Heinrich von
"Mikaeli Kohlhas: Saksalainen tapakomedia Lutheruksen ajoilta" by Heinrich von Kleist is a novella published in 1810. When a horse trader's animals are unlawfully seized by a nobleman, he seeks justice through legal channels—only to find the courts corrupted by aristocratic influence. After his wife dies attempting to deliver a petition, Kohlhaas abandons the law and begins a violent campaign of vengeance. This tale of betrayed justice escalates from a simple property dispute into an explosive confrontation between one man's moral outrage and the established order. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.