A Place of Execution

Protagonist(s): Detective Inspector George Bennett, journalist Catherine Heathcote
Setting: Derbyshire, England in 1963 and 1998

I've read a couple of McDermid's Kate Brannigan mystery series and enjoyed them so much that I thought I would try one of her standalones. I was not disappointed. McDermid is becoming one of my favorite authors.

It is a freezing cold December in 1963. 13-year-old Alison Carter lives in a tiny isolated community in Derbyshire called Scardale. She is envied by her friends because her stepfather buys her all the latest records. (And if you're an English teenager in 1963, Beatles records are a *must*.) One evening she steps out with her dog to take a walk and disappears. Newly promoted Detective Inspector George show more Bennett takes over the investigation. He doesn't have the experience, but everyone else is on leave. He takes Alison's disappearance to heart and in due course finds that the biggest obstacle to finding her is the distrust of the villagers. Thirty-five years later, Catherine Heathcote decides to write a book on the case that made Bennett's career. No one is prepared for what happens next.

Usually when I read a mystery, one thing stands above all the rest, whether it's the characterization or the setting or the plot. In A Place of Execution, all three are brilliantly done and each has an integral part in the book. One scene in particular will always stand out in my mind. In that scene, McDermid's language is simple and direct without being overly graphic--but I was left stunned, sickened, and with tears swimming in my eyes. Very powerful and moving! I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is one of my Top Ten reads of the year. show less

This is a standalone by Val McDermid, set in the Peak District of England. Most of the action takes place during 1963, bracketed by subsequent events in 1998. I'm a McDermid fan in general, but this one stood out for me especially because of the way she describes Derbyshire and the world in general in 1963.

Oh, if only Val McDermid would write more books like this: stand-alone crime novels which are gripping and believable and that leave resonances after you've read the last page. Here, she is so good at conjuring up the 1960s and takes us to the histrionic setting where children go missing and are murdered. Told in flashback, both the contemporary and historical scenes are brilliantly realised. I didn't want this book to end. So much better than those predictable and formulaic forensic-psychologist-serial-killer books that she's better known for. More like this please Val.

© Koplowitz 2011

My re-read of this novel confirmed that it deserves the four stars I originally gave it. I first read A Place of Execution when it was initially published in 1999. As I don't generally re-read crime fiction novels (I make an exception for the novels of [a:Dorothy L Sayers|4567938|Dorothy L Sayers|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]!), I haven't re-visited it since. The advantage in re-reading the novel after such a long break is that I had forgotten a lot of details of the plot, so it almost felt like a first time read.

There is no doubt that this is one of Val McDermid's strongest works. She evokes 1960s England in general and Derbyshire in particular most convincingly. This is achieved partly through details show more of behaviour (for example, pretty much every character smokes!) and descriptions of items such as clothing and motor vehicles. It is also achieved through the juxtaposition of the central mystery in the novel - the disappearance and presumed murder of a young girl in a Derbyshire village - with details of the real life disappearances of several children later known to be victims of serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. (They committed the so-called Moors Murders).

The plotting is strong and although it relies on some fairly major coincidences, that aspect of the novel doesn't feel forced. The characters are believable and memorable. There are also some things to think about once the reading is over: secrets and lies, truth and justice, the operation of the criminal justice system. Recommended for fans of contemporary crime fiction. However, this not a "cozy". It deals with some disturbing issues - specifically child abuse - in a frank manner. show less

A beautifully crafted police procedural within a highly entertaining cast of characters. Val McDermid can not only hold the reader's attention with an edge of the seat thriller but expertly disguises the real human story behind the killing of Alison Carter until the closing chapters. Her writing style is nothing short of brilliant showing once again why she has few equal to her as a crime writer.

An incredible stand-alone volume from Val McDermid. I found this novel almost impossible to put down (but one has to make tea and sleep, you know). A very cleverly-framed text, you don't quite know where you're at with this murder mystery. What at first looks like a rather neat and tidy investigation with no (or minimal) loose ends, turns out to be something else entirely.

Murder in a small, traditional English country town set in both the 1960s and modern day. And there's always a cup of tea to be had. I appreciate a writer who understands the importance of tea! ;)

It's also nothing like the Kate Brannigan series, which I started reading after this, my first McDermid book.

From Amazon:

Winter 1963: two children have disappeared off the streets of Manchester; the murderous careers of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady have begun. On a freezing day in December, another child goes missing: thirteen-year-old Alison Carter vanishes from her town, an insular community that distrusts the outside world. For the young George Bennett, a newly promoted inspector, it is the beginning of his most difficult and harrowing case: a murder with no body, an investigation with more dead ends and closed faces than he'd have found in the anonymity of the inner city, and an outcome which reverberates through the years. Decades later he finally tells his story to journalist Catherine Heathcote, but just when the book is poised for show more publication, Bennett unaccountably tries to pull the plug. He has new information which he refuses to divulge, new information that threatens the very foundations of his existence. Catherine is forced to re-investigate the past, with results that turn the world upside down. A Greek tragedy in modern England, A Place of Execution is a taut psychological thriller that explores, exposes and explodes the border between reality and illusion in a multi-layered narrative that turns expectations on their head and reminds us that what we know is what we do not know.

My Thoughts:

Many of the characters in the first half are revisited, older, and with prejudices reinforced, or challenged by their own experiences. Character development is wonderful , and the investigation becomes a gripping thriller. I didn't see the ending coming on this one - always a plus in a mystery! show less