A Place of Execution (2024)

Thirteen year-old Alison Carter doesn't come home from walking her dog; in the very small tight knit Peak District (in the UK) community of Sarsdale, truly everyone knows or is related to everyone, a child abduction is so unheard of, especially as we're talking the winter of 1963! The very tight-lipped and untrusting community struggles to work with the investigating police, even though they are lucky to have a chalk and cheese, chosen pair of dogmatic caring policeman on the case. As events, witnesses and evidence begins to finally unfold it's not long that someone has to be taken to a place of execution! Decades later journalist Catherine Heathcore is researching her book on the case, when it starts to look like that the case is far from unsolved!
Flying over the Peak District

So why have I only Three Starred this, what appears to be interesting read? Because it took 600 pages+ to share this story, that could have been done in far fewer pages in my opinion. I felt that McDermid just took to much time on the minutiae of the hamlet and the crime investigation as well as drawing out the journalistic investigation. But, then again, maybe I am just too impatient in a world where so many mystery-crime-thrillers are large texted short chapter affairs? 6 out of 12. Triggers for explicit references to child abuse.

2022 read

3.5 ~ 4★
“The only thing he might have expected to find but hadn't was a bible. On the other hand, Scardale was so cut off from the rest of the world, they might still be worshipping the corn goddess here. Maybe the missionaries had never made it this far.”

Scardale is such a remote English village that the idea of corn goddess worship isn’t all that far-fetched. Alison, a thirteen-year-old girl, step-daughter of the local squire, has disappeared while walking her dog as she did every afternoon after school. Her mother, Ruth, has called the police, but when Detective Inspector George Bennett arrives from the city, Buxton, he gets nothing but a cold shoulder from the locals.

I was sure I’d read a Val McDermid mystery that was really grisly, so I’ve avoided her books. I “needed” a V mystery and saw the reviews and awards for this one and decided to give it a try. It is NOT grisly or horrifying, other than the fact that missing children are always a dreadful situation.

The characters are well-described and the mystery is slowly revealed, little thanks to the locals. One particularly colourful old woman is like something from a fairy tale, but not the fairy godmother. George is walking near the village green when he spots her.

“The shape had resolved itself into something an artist might have fallen into raptures over. The bent old woman who peered up at him was the archetype of the crone as witch, right down to the hooked nose that almost met the chin, complete with wart sprouting hairs and black shawl over her head and shoulders.”

She is such a caricature that he nearly laughs, but she quickly sets him right about Scardale. She knows why he’s there and is not impressed.

“‘We've always sorted out our own here. I don't know what possessed Ruth, calling strangers to the dale.’ She made to push past him on the path, but he stepped sideways to block her.

‘A girl's missing,’ he said gently. ’This is something Scardale can't sort out for itself. Whether you like it or not, you live in the world. But we need your help as much as you need ours.’

The woman suddenly hawked violently and spat on the ground at his feet. ‘Until you show some sign of knowing what you should be looking for, that's all the help you'll get from me, mister.’”

George is ably assisted by Detective Sergeant Tommy Clough, and he gets home as often as he can to his loyal wife, Anne. There were many domestic scenes with the Bennetts throughout which made quite a contrast to Alison’s household where her mother and step-father lived in some kind of awkward arrangement.

The main part of the book revolves around the disappearance, the search, and a court case in the late 1960s. Later, we move thirty years ahead where George has retired and is approached by a young writer who wants to tell his story.

The search, investigation, interviews, domestic and pub scenes are full of cigarettes and ashtrays and saucers as ashtrays to the point that you feel like opening a window for air. There seemed to be a lot of extraneous material that I didn’t find interesting, so I skimmed. I did want to know if my guess was right (I was on the right track), so I read the ending, but I can’t promise I read every word of the over 400 pages.

On the other hand, I read and re-read all the words in Jon McGregor's Reservoir 13, which had a similar beginning – small town, girl disappeared, nobody knows what happened. I remember it as very involving and full of atmosphere with a cast of thousands (all of whom I enjoyed). It took place over thirteen years, and I have vivid memories of the seasons, celebrations and relationships. But McGregor created all of that in less than 300 pages.

So for me, the comparison has put this at a disadvantage, but I am delighted to find it’s safe for me to read McDermid, as long as I’m assured it isn’t too gruesome. I know that this has won awards and other readers love it.

This book got rave reviews (judging from the newspaper blurbs on the cover), was given five stars by a lot of goodreads readers, and was highly recommended by a friend of mine. I found it mostly irritating on almost every level. It was very long (in the neighborhood of Moby Dick). It was written with no particular style, with characters who all sounded alike. It was repetitive. The author had an uncanny ability to describe non-dramatic scenes at length while skipping the ones that would have had some excitement. It had practically no suspense, and what there was was blatantly contrived and exploited. The amazing twist at the end (which was the only reason I stuck it out) was not amazing (in fact it was one of the two possibilities I had foreseen early in the book) and it was dragged out over 20 or 30 pages. This book could easily have been half as long. Simply taking out all the gradually more intrusive and always pointless references to searching for cigarettes, finding them, lighting them up, dragging in the smoke, sighing it out, contemplating the smoke, feeling grateful for the relief and pleasure, sharing them with others, stubbing out the butt, lighting another, would have saved an easy 50 pages. I'm not exaggerating. Only one major character was a former smoker, and as soon as she got in a tense situation, she took up the habit again with great and detailed relief. I got the impression that the author frequently ran out of creative steam and could only keep her momentum going by writing about what was in front of her, which was apparently a cigarette.

3.5 stars

This book is divided into two parts. In the first section, set in the early 1960s, a teenage girl disappears from a small English village and the police investigate. In the second section, set in 1998, a reporter writes a book about the mid-century incident.

In 1963, the tiny hamlet of Scardale in Derbyshire resembles a feudal town. The owner of the manor house, who functions as 'Lord of the Manor', controls the land on which Scardale residents farm and raise livestock. There are only a handful of surnames in Scardale, where everyone is related by blood and marriage.

Following the death of Scardale manor's longtime squire, a distant relative named Phil Hawkin becomes the new owner. Hawkin pursues and marries an attractive local widow, Ruth Carter, who has a pretty teenage daughter named Alison. One day, just before Christmas, 13-year-old Alison comes home from school, takes her sheepdog Shep out for a walk, and disappears.

Newly promoted Detective Inspector George Bennett is put in charge of the search for Alison, which he orchestrates with the help of the local constable, surrounding police forces, and a slew of volunteers.

Before long the searchers find Shep tied up in the woods and come across an isolated, disturbed area that shows evidence of a struggle.

Bennett surmises that Alison has been abducted - almost certainly by someone familiar with the area. So, with the help of his assistant, Detective Sergeant Tommy Clough, Bennett questions Alison's relatives and neighbors.

Scardale is an insular community that doesn't like cops, and the police have a hard time squeezing information out of the residents.

Weeks go by with little progress, and Bennett - whose wife is pregnant with their first child - feels terrible for Alison's mother. As a result Bennett becomes a driven man: he gathers evidence; questions persons of interest; consults with other cops; develops theories; and so on. Bennett can hardly find a moment to go home, relax, and see his wife.

Eventually, a suggestion by the community octogenarian, Ma Lomas - who looks exactly like a fairy tale hag - leads the cops to a forgotten, long-abandoned mine.

There, Bennett finds Alison's torn clothes and evidence she was raped. Though Alison's body hasn't been found, Bennett concludes that she's dead.

Bennett makes it his mission to find the killer, and continues to pursue the case. After some months, startling new evidence is found - which leads to an arrest and trial. All this is very hard on Bennett, who gets battered by the suspect's defense attorney (think of the OJ trial).

Afterwards, Bennett gets on with his life, refusing to speak with reporters and writers who want to relate their accounts of the case.

Thirty-five years later, Bennett is retired and living with his wife Anne, who suffers from arthritis. Their grown son, Paul, works in the international realm and is engaged to be married. A journalist named Catherine Heathcote happens to meet Paul, learns his father is DI George Bennett, and decides to write a book about the Alison Carter case. Paul convinces his father to be interviewed, and Heathcote goes to work.

Heathcote conducts a series of extensive interviews with Bennett, who takes her through the case step by step. The journalist also reads old newspaper articles; talks to people who lived in Scardale (the few who agree to speak to her); visits places related to the case; goes to Alison's old home; and looks up DS Tommy Clough, who left the police force long ago.

Over many months, Heathcote finishes her research and writes the book. She's just completed the initial manuscript - and brought it to Bennett to read - when the detective has a change of heart.

He insists that Heathcote withdraw the book from publication, but offers no specific reasons. Bennett even offers to repay the entire advance himself.

Heathcote, who's shocked and bewildered, decides she has to know what's going on.....and proceeds to find out. Wow!! And that's all I can say.

The book is absorbing and suspenseful, and Val McDermid does an excellent job evoking the feel of a rural hamlet that's heavily inbred. A basic menu of physical characteristics is scattered among the residents, who have little ambition beyond working their land and taking care of their animals.

The villagers shun strangers and drive out 'wrong-uns'.....who better not come back. Moreover, with almost no recreation, Scardale isn't a fun place to live - especially for young people.

Most of the story's characters are well-drawn, though I found it hard to distinguish among the people of the village, whose interrelationships are more complicated than calculus. I sympathized with DI Bennett, whose shifty, 'cover-his-ass' boss made sure to keep his distance from the investigation, in case it went sideways. And I liked DI Clough, whose rough exterior masks a caring soul. I also found Catherine Heathcote to be bright and likable.....and an excellent researcher (I imagine she mimics the author's skills in this area. LOL)

My one quibble: almost all the adult characters in the book seem to smoke incessantly, and there's too much blather about taking out cigarettes, offering them to each other, lighting up, and so on. Smoking in public places was more acceptable in the 1960s, but this still seems overdone.

All in all, an enjoyable mystery. Recommended to fans of the genre.

You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/

This was a thrilling, mesmerizing book. Partly an intense police procedural, psychological mystery and spellbinding court trial, it was brilliantly written. I found myself immersed in time and place. Most of the story is set in late 1963/early 1964. Then it moves to 1998 when secrets are revealed which could destroy lives if known.

Detective Inspector George Bennet, based in the town of Buxton, is the youngest plain clothes detective in the Derbyshire police force. He has been fast-tracked because of his educational background. He receives a phone call from a desperate mother, Ruth, who lives in the isolated, self-contained hamlet of Scarsdale. Her daughter, 13-year-old Alison Carter has disappeared. She was last seen walking her dog in the field after school.

At first, George feels excited. This could be a case where he could prove his capabilities to the Derbyshire police force. He intends to work diligently and by the rules to find Alison. As a soon to be father, he feels great sympathy for Alison’s mother. He soon becomes so obsessed with the case that he barely sleeps or spends time at home with his pregnant wife. He works mostly with assistant detective, Tommy Clough, with further help from the local constable, police from surrounding areas, and volunteer searchers.

Scarsdale consists of a large manor house, about eight cottages and surrounding farmland. The manor was owned by a squire for many years. When he passed away it was inherited by a distant relative, Peter Hawkin, an outsider. The hamlet resembles a throwback to the feudal system. Hawkin owns all the Scarsdale cottages. The residents are all his tenants and employees. Everyone is related either by blood or marriage. These relationships; cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. were very confusing to sort out.
The complexity bothered me until I saw that the police were similarly confused. George even drew a chart trying to sort out family ties. In such a secluded community it was said that even people from 5 miles away were considered to be foreigners. They tolerated the police in their desperation to find Alison. They seemed forthcoming but there was also a suspicion that they were withholding some information. After a quick courtship, Hawkin married Ruth and became stepfather to Alison.

A search finds Alison’s dog tied up in the woods, and a trace of blood on a tree. There were signs of a struggle. Later, an old woman informs police of the existence of a century-old mine and a series of caves, unknown to other villagers. There is an alarming find of clothing with evidence that the girl was raped and murdered, several bullets, but no body.

George Bennet discovers some very disturbing material pertaining to a perpetrator. A trial was held which kept me spellbound and frozen with suspense. The verdict could go either way.

35 years later George’s son is planning a wedding. They have met with a woman who is writing a book about the disappearance, and he helps her get in contact with George. George helps with his stories, reminiscing about the search and subsequent trial. George is very cooperative, and she also manages to interview Tommy who is now retired and living quietly, working in a bird sanctuary. Most of the people in Scarsdale are reluctant to talk about that sad and terrible time.

When her completed book is ready to be sent to the publisher, she receives a letter from George telling her to never allow the book to be printed. Determined to discover the reason for George’s sudden change of mind, she and Tommy visit Scarsdale. What they learn is shocking and twisted.
Recommended!

"De terechtstelling was een goed, vlot boek maar de dikte kon zeker ingeperkt worden door enkele zaken te schrappen die iets teveel herhaald worden doorheen het verhaal."
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2020...

Scardale is a secluded village consisting of a manor house with eight cottages surrounding the village green. The squire owns the land, the cottages, and the livestock. The residents are closely related and there are only three family names: the Carters, the Crowthers, and the Lomases.

Alison Carter, 13, is missing and DI George Bennett and DS Tommy Clough are the lead investigators in the search for her. Days, weeks, and months go by. They have some evidence and some forensics, but it’s a largely circ*mstantial case when they arrest Phil Hawkin, the squire.

Book 1 starts with an Introduction by author Catherine Heathcote, written in 1998. The events in her book occurred in 1963/64 and describe the Alison Carter case. Book 2 is where we get the real story, and what a story it is.

Execution. A noun meaning killing. Also a noun meaning the carrying out of a task. A Place of Execution is a very appropriate title for this book, and Val McDermid is an accomplished executioner.

Part of my 2019 "returning to old favourites" I'd forgotten just how utterly clever, compelling and brilliantly plotted this was.

Lots of authors have attempted this type of unpredictable read since but this is the masterclass. Of course I knew what was coming this time which meant I read it in a whole new light and took something completely different away from it this time round.

One of Val's best. Still. If you somehow missed it I'd recommend reading it. Then reading it again a little later.

Excellent stuff.

Interesting mystery that takes place in the Dales

Alison aged 13 is missing
A DI Bennett takes the case and investigates
Scarsdale is an enclosed society
They have a squire who owns the land and the cottages that they live in
It’s 1962 1963
A time as far away from today as possible
Is it an isolated accident
Is it a trend
Is there a serial killer in that part of the world

Val spins a plot that keeps you hooked to the last scene

As a crime fan, the name Val McDermid, always seems to have been on the periphery of my vision – one of those authors you really need to read; perhaps doubly so with my recent love of Tartan Noir and the many great Scottish crime novelists appearing, while she was one of the very originals. As such, I decided that, this year, I would finally get around to trying her work and, “A Place of Execution,” a stand-alone, usually regarded as her best work, seemed a good place to start. Winner of the Los Angeles Book Prize, the 2001 Dilys Award, the Anthony Award and Shortlisted for the Gold Dagger, and the Edgar Award, it certainly doesn’t need my belated thoughts, to suggest that this is a novel that crime fans should read. There are plaudits enough.

Normally, I have a deep dislike of novels which use two storylines, or time periods. It just seems so contrived and has become an over-used plot device; especially in recent years. However, this does not jump around like so many modern novels – a chance encounter with some long lost diary allowing the author to alternate glibly between past and present – but keeps the action in the first half of the book in the past, 1963, to be precise, before moving into the present.

Detective Inspector George Bennett is a young, newly promoted officer. He is one of the youngest plainclothes inspector in the county and, most unusually for the time, a graduate, who has been fast-tracked through the force. As such, he is both ambitious and wary of how the men view him. Newly married, he is honest with himself, when he first goes to investigate a missing girl in the isolated village of Scarsdale, in Derbyshire. This could be his first really big case and so, although he feels for Alison’s mother, and the community, he is excited and keen to solve the case.

It is the time of the Moors Murders and the novel is interspersed with news items on the missing children. Not front page news, as missing children are now, but stories tucked away on inside pages. Snippets about John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Pauline Reid… Names that resonate now and which, in this novel, are initially linked with the missing Karen Carter.

Fast forward a few years and Catherine Heathcote, a journalist, and author, is attempting to write a book about the Alison Carter case. Like George Bennett himself, she has been obsessed with the case for most of her life and is thrilled when a chance meeting with George’s son, allows her access to his father. It seems that she will write the definitive book on a crime which has been in her thoughts for many years, but, then, suddenly George Bennett writes and informs her that she cannot publish. In trying to find out why he has changed his mind, she finally uncovers the truth…

What can I say? This is a wonderful novel, which has a real flavour of the times and is enhanced by the brooding presence of the countryside which surrounds Scarsdale. I look forward to discovering more by Val McDermid and would certainly say this is a great place to start.

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.

Although not 100% my cup of tea, this book was still a surprising read for me. The twist really got me and I'm so mad because I should've seen it coming! But the writing style is very clever and was full of misdirection.

A truly disturbing page-turner, one of the best by Ms McDermid.

This book has been in my TBR group since at least 2011. It had a Borders sticker on it where I purchased it and Borders went out of business in 2011. I purchased it due to the reviews it had received and the claims it was one of the best books written by Val McDermid at that time.

Since many have written synopsis of the plot, I will tell what I liked about the book and what I didn't care much for.

First, will mention what I didn't like about the book. It was 480 pages and I felt it could have been shorten. I know I chose the book and could see the length but it did seem to drag on in places and I was glad when I finished it. Some people have mentioned reading it twice, so everyone is different.

Second, reviewers will write sometimes about locations being characters in books. In this book, it seemed cigarettes could be a character. They were mentioned in different aspects about them on almost every page. If all the references were taken out, the book would have been shorter. I know the in the 60's smoking was the norm but the constant referencing to them was too much.

Now what I liked. I thought the plotting and the mystery were quite good. I really liked a lot the relationship between DI. George Bennett and PC Tommy Clough. They worked well together, respected each other and a friendship was formed overtime. There were surprises woven in the story.

A Place of Execution by Val McDermid.

In an out of the way village of Scardale a 13 year old girl has gone missing. A call from her frantic mother, Ruth Hawkin, reporting that Alison had not arrived home after taking their dog for his usual walk. The young (still in his 20's) Detective Inspector George Bennett receives word of the missing girl just as he was preparing to return home. Shortly he's on his way to the Hawkin's home in Scardale to speak with Alison's mother and step-father.

This manhunt for a possible kidnapping or worse is not as one dimensional as it first appears. The usual protocol ensues but there comes a dramatic turn of events many years later. Prior events come to the surface that turn the case and it's investigation on it's head. This was the case that stayed with the young Inspector for the rest of his life.
The two main characters in this mystery were Detective Inspector George Bennett and his right hand man Tommy Clough, PC. I so enjoyed their working side by side that I am not too happy about this being a stand alone novel. They were that good together.

While with some reservation I've enjoyed reading some of McDermid's Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series, I'd never found myself thinking it was bestseller stuff. However, in A Place of Execution, I found myself spellbound with characters, setting and plot.

A Place of Execution is a stand-alone book, not one of the Hill/Jordan series. This police procedural and psychological thriller is character-driven with an intricately woven plot from beginning to end.

One of my "tests" to help me decide how much I've enjoyed a book is how I feel about it after I've closed the back cover; whether my mind continues to review the story and characters instead of just putting both the book and its influence back on the shelf. McDermid grabbed my attention with this book and provided for me hours of reading enjoyment.

A very well written novel that keeps you gripped to the very end.
Although the story content is quite disturbing it hooked me and I was unable to put the book down.
This was my first Val McDermid book and after this plan to read more.

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 Dorothy L Sayers!), 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 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.

A Place of Execution was truly a novel novel in that it's plot was unique in quite a clever way.

Police are called by an hysterical mother saying that her 13 year old daughter had disappeared from the tiny English hamlet of Scardale in which they lived.

The case falls to a young, recently promoted detective who, under normal circ*mstances, would not be assigned to such an important case but the more senior detective can't walk due to an injury to his leg. It's quite a small office so the less experienced fellow, under the supervision of senior officer in the location, takes the case.

The hamlet from which the girl disappeared is a small cluster of homes all belonging to a man who had recently inherited the homes, farms, land and manor - in short, everything that comprised Scardale.

A long investigation ensues with surprising results.

Years later, a writer undertakes the task of writing a book based on the case. This effort leads to further surprises.

McDermid's plot is very engaging and, as mentioned earlier very clever. The main characters are vivid, three dimensional and very engaging. I loved some, hated others and was confounded by several of them. I must credit the author for creating characters that led to such emotional responses on my part. The language is somewhat colloquial but isn't too English for a foreigner, which I am from the English perspective, to understand.

I would rate the book a 4.5 but rounded it up because it kept me engaged throughout. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys English mysteries. Like many English mysteries, there isn't much action like car chases, fights or shootouts so, if that is a requirement, don't take up A Place of Execution.

The End

Rating Clarification: 4.5 Stars

A truely outstanding murder mystery, and one I would recommend to any fan of the genre. More then just a straightforward whodunnit, McDermid intricately explored the bonds that held an insular agricultural community together in early 1960's northern England. She fully captured the sense of time (almost too much so with her never-ending references to tea and cigarette usage), and the sense of desperation, anguish and helplessness that would come to any parent of a missing child. The almost minute-by-minute detail of the early stages in the investigation fully wraps the reader into the story and the leading characters. I don't often state a book is hard to put down. This is one such; a novel you can fully invest yourself in as a reader, and it is with a sense of loss that you turn the final pages.

My first introduction to McDermid, and I look forward to exploring more of her books in future.

A Place Of Execution
by Val McDermid

My dad (who reads two, maybe three books a week) told me that this was the best mystery he’d read in a long time. With an endorsem*nt like that, who was I to argue? He tossed the book my way and in no time, I was hooked.

The time is 1963 and the setting is one of the many things about this long, tangled thriller that enthralled me. Welcome to the fictitious English village of Scardale; a remote farming community with families so inter-related that by the time Alison Carter went missing, the very second she disappeared, every single man, woman and child of that tiny village knew exactly what had happened. Therein lies the conundrum that Detective Inspector George Bennett was enlisted to unravel. It nearly killed him.

“Like any teenager, she’d always found plenty to complain about. But now that she was about to lose it, this life suddenly seemed very desirable. Now at last she began to understand why her elderly relatives clung so tenaciously to every precious moment, even if it was riven with pain. However bad this life was, the alternative was infinitely worse…”

With daily visits to the pub for a pint (or three) and the endless smoking; everyone in this complexly layered tale smokes and drinks with a vengeance adding an eerie tension to this fast-paced tale. In real life between July 1963 and October 1965 five children went missing and later four of them were discovered in shallow graves in Saddleworth Moor. These unfortunate murders were dubbed the Moors Murders and the world, for a brief time, became enthralled and at the same time horrified. Author McDermid takes this true life case and weaves her story into such a compelling tale of unanswered questions, piles of red herrings and an ending that will honestly knock the air out of even a seasoned mystery-lover. I couldn’t put it down.

Phillip Hawkin, the newly arrived Squire of Scardale, having married into the web of that particular village, was a man destined for destruction. Not only will his revealed secrets disgust most readers, the way in which he eventually becomes his own worst enemy will leave you breathless. This is one of those rare reading events that linger in your mind and haunt you for days.

Being a beekeeper, I couldn’t help but notice the tangible as well as metaphoric relationships that each and every member of Scardale shared. They lived within their own self-created hive and once Squire Hawkin tried to destroy it; they retaliated in a way I found shocking. This novel is a story with-in a story, built around a terrible crime.

The only thing missing and never really found is Alison Carter…

I came to Val McDermid through the back door of the BBC. You see I was flipping through channels one night and came upon the BBC series Wire In The Blood with Robson Green and I was just fascinated. I became a huge fan of that show because the BBC just knows how to do crime dramas a whole lot better than their American counterparts, Robson Green is a great actor, and at the heart of the show there were great stories being told. Little did I know at the time, that was because the entire series was based on the books by Val McDermid, which I didn't know until I was wandering through the Thriller section at borders looking for anything new and interesting and I happened upon the book Wire in The Blood, which I assumed was written about the TV show, but no I was wrong, it was the book that was part of the series of Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books which I started to buy up on the spot, along with this stand alone novel A Place Of Execution. I really enjoy all of the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books, but A PLace of Execution is one of the best books I've ever read. It is not about some easy issues, in fact a lot of it is heart wrenchingly painful to read, but the places it gets to and the turns it takes along the way push this book into the upper echelons of ingenuity that you will ever have the privilege of reading. This by far is one of the best mystery novels you will ever read and I give it the highest recommendation I possibly can, if I could hit seven stars I would.

One side note though...the BBC did a mini series version of this books and it was just ok, they changes some things in it and made it a little corny...for this one stick with the book, but if you get a chance to see any of the Wire in the Blood series check it out, its great.

I don't know if I ever met author Val McDermid if I would bop her over the head or shake her hand!!!! Here is a good police procedural, moving along at a nice pace with good character development and an interesting story........and then, the author turns you upside down with a twist in the last third of the book that you did not see coming (or at least I didn't)and it changes all that went before. And what a twist it is which of course I will not reveal here. The story takes place in an isolated and insulated village where a young girl has gone missing. The villagers are not particularly friendly to anyone from the "outside", especially the police, but DCI George Bennett wins their grudging assistance as they search for clues. The case is eventually tied up and the perpetrator is punished. Jump forward 35 years and the author weaves a further tale that will hold you captive. I don't think you will be expecting what happens next. This is a dark, fascinating book and is highly recommended.

Boring boring boring. And tedious.

Brilliant writing and crafty story! Was too good to put down even for a cup of tea. One of the best books in crime thriller genre.

Now this is what I call a mystery. Absolutely loved it. I will definitely read more of Val McDermid. 5☆

Pretty unusual book for me; it was pretty slow for much of the way, then picked up as the story revealed itself more.

I was a little confused several times along the way, partly the fault of it being an audiobook. There was a lot of past/present stories where dates were important, and it's easier to keep up with them if you can refer back occasionally, which is hard to do with audiobooks. Also, there was a book within the book, and the way it was written, I wasn't completely sure whether it was fictional or author's notes. At one point, after reading a while, suddenly there was chapter one, but it was the inner book's chapter.

Also, there were a lot of names to keep up with, and it seems like everyone in the town is related - it's a small, isolated town, so they often are. And in the end, we find a few unexpected connections.

There are some interesting legal issues that come up in the story, and we have to wonder about some of them. But I don't want to go into any detail, so as not to give anything away.

Val McDermid is one of my favourite authors. Her novel A PLACE OF EXECUTION won several awards when it was published in 2001, and was shortlisted for the Gold Dagger and the Edgar Award. It has received five-star ratings from several Goodreads reviewers who I respect. So, why didn’t I like it better?

I would read a chapter, then rest my aging eyes as I usually do, but instead of returning to the story, I would put it off; I read two other books between the time I started A PLACE OF EXECUTION and the time I completed it. The first 40% of the novel was extremely boring. DI George Bennett drives into the small hamlet where a 13-year-old girl has gone missing, collects information and drives home. Next day he drives in again, generally accompanied by DS Tommy Clough, collects more information and drives home again — repeatedly, as Bennett builds up a picture of a unique place and its inhabitants, finally discovering the clues needed to identify a suspect and the proof to charge him. Over and over, on each trip, just a few pieces of data are gathered.

I have read novels with a slow beginning and loved them, but not this one, and I think this was mainly because Bennett was uninteresting. He never came to life in my mind. Yet McDermid has created characters that I love — Tony Hill, Carol Jordan, and my favourite, Karen Pirie. She has also brought vividly alive many minor characters who appear in her books, but none of the minor characters in A PLACE OF EXECUTION stand out. This is strictly a plot-based book, and one that delves into moral and ethical issues. And, as such, without a main character who engages the reader’s interest, it is too long.

I also felt that the ending, wherein Bennett discovers the truth, has a Deus ex Machina aspect. It hinged on the fact that Bennett’s son became engaged to a girl who was the daughter of a key participant in the original case, even though neither knew of the connection, and they didn’t grow up together in the same city.

There are many good things about this story — the description of the insular hamlet, the overall moral/ethical challenge, the fundamental conspiracy — but they could have been better presented, maybe by focusing on Ruth and her daughter and their actions from the start instead of on the police inquiry. This is only my opinion, and my opinion differs from that of many readers.

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My reviews for Val McDermid novels that I liked much better:

Still Life (Karen Pirie, #6)
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I read a lot of mystery series, and I had forgotten how refreshing it can be to read a stand-alone crime novel --especially a well-crafted one.

When an author doesn't have to worry about introducing a main character as someone the readers will want to love and follow, she's free to do some extraordinary things with the plot.

As a result, we also see Detective Inspector George Bennett in a different light than series detectives.

We may not know what he buys when he goes shopping or what record he plays when he gets home (all fine and good for Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks), but what we do see is what a detective is like in the middle of a mind-numbing case-- and he's not a man you want to have dinner with. He is, however, painfully real.

I get why this book took away so many awards!

It touch a subject close to hearts of many and ghosts form the past we want to correct in a way we never be able to.
Val McDermid has a flare for writing things into you imagination, making it so real you can't help but picture yourself in a dire situation. This book held nothing less; at times it was a bit repetitive and a lot predictable; but never the less it was an on the edge kind of story that made you want to know where this is all going.

This book reminded me again why I'm such a huge van of McDermid's work.