Book Review: A Place of Execution

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

A Place of Execution     Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada HC
Val McDermid
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Catherine Heathcote # 1
St. Martin’s, Sept. 2000, $24.95, 416 pp.

It was just a couple weeks before Christmas when teenager Alison Carter disappeared. Perhaps in London no one would notice, but in the tightly woven farming community of Scarsdale, that is a frightening shocker. Detective Inspector George Bennett takes charge of the inquiry in the small Derbyshire hamlet, knowing this case could end his career before it starts. With no clues and even fewer suspects, the police turn to the lass’ stepfather Philip Hawkin as the alleged killer.

In 1998, journalist Catherine Heathcote wants to write a true crime book focusing on the Carter case. She obtains cooperation from the now retired George. However, as Catherine conducts her research, George learns something new that shakes him. Soon he suffers a heart attack that leaves him unconscious, and if he survives, he will probably be brain damaged.

Already highly regarded by fans and critics, Val McDermid has written her masterpiece, a novel that is a sure shot to make all the lists. A PLACE OF EXECUTION is a serious tome centering on what is justice and who is answerable to society and the victims when the system fails. The characters are fully developed, and the middle sixties feels genuine. This novel is Ms. McDermid’s most ambitious and complex work, but she more than triumphs with this extraordinary book.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner