A Place of Execution

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best in Years
Review: Val McDermid's Place of Execution is as gripping a mystery as I have read in years. It has a setting that is both physically interesting and so ripe with atmosphere that in a recent trip near the fictional locale I actually found myself looking for a place I knew did not exist. The police characters and many of the villagers are fully-realized, interesting and genuine. The angle she has taken, a fictional "true crime" book is absorbing and not at all distracting. And the plot had this hardened mystery reader saying "Oh no" out loud twice in the last 50 pages. Val McDermid is a find for any fan of mysteries. but Place of Execution is a find for anyone who loves good literature.

Rating:
Summary: Bitterly Disappointed
Review: Don't believe the hype. I purchased this book based on all the glowing reviews. I expected something unique and original -- the literary equivalent to the suprise at the end of "The Sixth Sense."

I came away bitterly disappointed. No more than 50 pages into the book, I had a theory about "whodunnit" that seemed so obvious, I thought my theory couldn't possibly be the widely-hyped plot twist. After racing through the book to find out what the "real" surprise was going to be, it turned out that my theory was right on target. So much for the unguessable surprise ending!

I also had a problem with the denouement because it seemed so implausible. I won't spoil the ending for others, but there is no way that these events could occur in real life. The complete lack of nexus between the plot and plausibility made the book seem downright silly.

I suppose if my expectations had not been so high, I would have enjoyed this book more. The format is unusual; the writing is adequate; and the book is not unreadable. But if you purchase this book thinking that you will be getting something truly out of the ordinary, you will be sorely disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I read all the reviews and every positive thing has been said - but I had to say something anyway. I read this book for two reasons: I like Val McDermid's style and I lived in the region in which the book takes place in the same time period. It is a very true depiction. I had no problem with the dialog - it was the voices of people I grew up with. I read it in one sitting - holding my breath for much of the time. I wish I could have written such a story. I would like to thank the author for a strange, compelling and chilling visit to my area of nostalgia.

Rating:
Summary: Long and slow
Review: Once again I've been snookered by those infamous "glowing reviews." As well, a clutch of truly important authors have written blurbs for the back of the book (i.e. Robert Crais and Michael Connelly.) Makes me wonder ...

There's a decent plot buried inside A Place of Execution, but it takes a lot of work on the reader's part to get there. This is a book that could have done with a lot of paring down and judicious editing. Endless nitpicking detail might work well in a true-crime novel (which this piece pretends to be) but I found it a tough slog. The book staggers along under the weight of its descriptions (of roads, of houses, of people) until I started developing an aversion to the very sight of it.

Given that I'm a Dickens fan, and not averse to a slow-paced tale, my complaint here has to do more with overwriting than anything else. I also guessed, almost from the outset, what was actually going on in Scardale. So there was no big "Aha!" by the time this novel lumbered to its conclusion.

Unless you've got the patience of a saint and endless disposable time, I would not recommend tackling A Place Of Execution.

Rating:
Summary: If you love PD James....
Review: Just a quick note in case there are any PD James fans out there who are always on the look out for an excellent read, while waiting for the new James publication. Please do give "Place of Execution" a try. I had read one of Ms. McDermid's previous books but was not terribly pleased. This new one is excellent, however, and I highly recommend it. I eagerly await her next effort.

Rating:
Summary: A Super Story
Review: This book is a great story--you just don't want to put it down. If you enjoy this mystery genre, you will love this one. the story is excellently paced with no boring space filling digressions.It is good stuff and well worth your reading.

Rating:
Summary: Superb Mystery On The Moors
Review: Once I endured the first 50 pages and got used to the British dialogue and phraseology, I found it increasingly difficult to stop reading this superb mystery. I kept telling myself that the readers who took the time to write a review and gave Val McDermid's latest work the highest rating possible could not all be wrong.

Perseverance certainly paid off. The rewards of reading pay rich dividends when you find a masterful work that excels in the four essential elements of fiction. The characters who populate the novel display a broad range of personalities and through their behavior and dialogue there is a constant question of the role each character played in the disappearance of 13 y.o. Allison. The setting, an isolated manor in the moors of 1963 England, is cold and damp and serves as the ideal locale for the mystery and the moral/legal question that has plagued Deputy Inspector George, "the Professor", Bennett for 35 years: "Was the maximum sentence tne just sentence for a murder without the body?".

McDermid's style, though initially difficult to anticipate the words and figures of speech, was read with eagerness once the emotional qualities of pathos and tragedy were recognized. The story possesses aesthetic qualities and conveys the harshness of both the countryside and later the will of the families.

This multi-layered story is a success and is highly recommended. I am eager to add my five star vote to the others who recognize a superb mystery when they read one.

Rating:
Summary: Most riveting mystery this year!
Review: I found this book absolutely the most enthralling, gripping mystery I've read this year. The story is apparently based on a true incident and, you know what they say, "Truth is stranger than fiction."

This is a must-read. This was the first book I had read by this author and it will not be my last. I couldn't put it down--I had to know what the conclusion was.

Rating:
Summary: A sure award-winner
Review: A PLACE OF EXECUTION should dominate the next round of major mystery awards. It's an amazing leap forward from the McDermid novels I've read in the past (to be fair, some of her most recent weren't published in the US), and would be a great achievement for any writer. Her characters live and breathe, and her depiction of life in an isolated community is enough to induce claustrophobia. Don't peek at the ending before you're finished reading; you'll spoil one of the most shocking and thought-provoking revelations ever written. I'd recommend this book for reading groups because it's sure to generate a lively "What would you do?" discussion.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and fast-paced.
Review: It's an unusual novel - a story within a story. Ms. McDermid does a good job telling the story within the story - it's very good, if a little short on plot twists. Any longtime McDermid reader, like me, will recognize her style: efficient and concise. The larger story is also good, and I couldn't wait to get to the end. That said, the climax does fall a little short. It wasn't quite the shock it was supposed to be, at least for me; maybe in Britain this is scandalous stuff; but in this time and day in the U.S., it's nothing we haven't seen before.