A Place of Execution

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinder Transcends the Genre
Review: I tend to think of myself as somewhat jaded in reading mystery books. It seems I've read so many in the past 20 years that it takes more and more to hold my attention, especially from writers unfamiliar to me. Furthermore, I can seldom remember the plot unless the story is truly unique. That applies to my favorites as well: Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine, James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Elizabeth George, Thomas H. Cook

So, on those increasingly rare occasions when I really like something, I want to share it with friends. And I do via a "group email." And, I did with McDermid's book. She really had me going because I kept returning to the Foreward, pondering the truth vs. illusion of the overall story.

She has created a very vivid series of characters, beginning with the young Mr. Bennett who may set new standards for tenacious detectives. I would guess there are an entire group of young actors champing at the bit to play the film role. The parallel story of Bennett and his pregnant wife, apart from the search for Allison Carter, is quite moving.

I hesitate to raise my only (minor) negative because the overall book is such a terrific read. While the denoument is a grand surprise, one is suddenly faced with many questions. For the sake of the new reader, I don't even want to go there in this commentary.

Suffice it to say the book is a real treat!

Rating:
Summary: Not your ordinary murder mystery . . .
Review: It's December 1964 in a remote, almost feudal Derbyshire village and thirteen-year-old Alison Carter has gone missing while taking her dog for a walk after school. When she hasn't returned after five hours in freezing weather, her panicked mother calls the cops, and so begins the first major case in the career of newly-promoted Detective Inspector George Bennett, a university graduate on the fast track. Alison can't be found, nor is there a body, but enough evidence gradually accumulates to convince Bennett and his principal helper, Detective Sgt. Tommy Clough, that a murder has indeed been committed -- but whodunnit? Hang on, though -- it's not as simple as all that. Not even close. Because thirty-five years after the crime has apparently been solved, after the case has come to a firm legal conclusion, journalist Catherine Heathcote, who grew up nearby, becomes interested in the case and George agrees to help her in writing a book. And then things begin to unravel. McDermid is very good at developing and delineating character and in leading the reader (especially American readers) through the complexities of British police and judicial procedure, and while she tends to over-write on occasion, she certainly makes you care what happens to the insular inhabitants of Scardale. Properly cast, this book would make an excellent film.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: This is one of the finest mystery novels I've ever read. The plot is complex and interesting. The characters are well developed and I cared what happened to them. Ms. McDermid created a true gem here.