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Title: A Place of Execution (Nova Audio Books) by Val McDermid, Michael Page ISBN: 1-58788-622-7 Publisher: Nova Audio Books Pub. Date: 28 June, 2001 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.54 (87 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Much more than a police procedural
Comment: In modern British fiction writing much of the interesting work (engaging with social issues, politics, and class) is found with genre writers. As some novelists retreat into an insular examination of the lives and loves of writers (and other creative types), genre writers - in dealing with the underside of humanity - can examine the big questions. At the vanguard of modern British crime writing are the likes of Ruth Rendell, Denise Mina, John Harvey, Michael Dibdin, and the writer of the book under review, Val McDermid.
McDermid is an interesting writer. Her previous books have included a PI series, and pyschological thrillers that geuninely shock (such as The Mermaids Singing). This book, A Place of Execution, is something of a departure.
It falls readily into two principal parts. The first section comprises a police procedural. It is set at the time of the notorious Moors Murders in 1963 (what is it with British writers and 1963? John Lawton's A Little White Death and Reginald Hill's Recalled to Life, also use the year as a starting point). The Moors Murders were child killings that horrified British society and still have an effect today. As the novel opens a child goes missing in a small isolated village. The child is the step daughter of the local squire. A new police inspector is involved, and this first section follows his investigation. It is written in the third person, but the chief protagonist is the inspector and we follow his attempts to win the trust of the small community, and the police politics that is played out in the background. One does not wish to give too much away about the investigation, as there are a number of twists throughout this section. But the section concludes with a trial at which the inspector's own character and motivation is questioned.
McDermid excels at the portrayal of the effect of the loss of a child on a family and on a community. Also convincing are the relationships McDermid draws. The developing friendship between the investigating police sergeant, and the recently graduated inspector; the close relationship between the inspector and his wife (a peripheral character in the novel, but a convincing anchor of stability in his personal life); and the manner in which he wins the trust of local people. There are some grotesque local characters created; but coming from a small locality myself these characters are not out of place, and are only symptomatic of a general approach to non-locals. The class distinction between the squire and the villagers is also acutely observed.
If the novel were to stop at the conclusion of the trial there would be a highly satisfying genre procedural.
However, it is with an audacious second half that McDermid excels. It transpires that the first half is a memoir written by a journalist. The inspector then tries to block publication.
In this section we follow the professional writer researching, gathering information, and examining an incident from over thirty years before. 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.
In this section McDermid turns all that you have accepted in the first half on its head.
This is an excellent novel. Its characterisation is, without exception, of the highest quality; and it is strongly plotted. Its sole flaw, to my mind, is the conclusion. It is bold, but not wholly convincing. However, for me, its merits outweigh this. This is compelling, and looks at the extremes of love and loss. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
If you enjoy this book I would suggest you try On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill, which has similar virtues, and is as well written.
Rating: 5
Summary: Chills on the Moors
Comment: As a mystery author with my debut book in its initial release, I am quite pleased with the wide recognition Val McDermid's A PLACE OF EXECUTION has been receiving. It is a fresh mystery in many ways, yet it is also as frightening and chilling a story as one would ever want to read. Alison Carter, a thirteen-year-old, vanishes in late 1963. George Bennett, a young detective, is given the case to investigate. He finds that he is not merely confronted by the mysterious disappearance of a young girl. He is also confronted by Alison's hometown itself, the village of Scardale. Scardale is an insular village along the moors--a village that is in most ways isolated from the modern world. The people of Scardale seem to close ranks against the police officer. Scardale's residents include several likely suspects, and Bennett must figure out whether a series of other disappearances has anything to do with his case. This puzzle element of the mystery is merely one part of Ms. McDermid's brilliant novel. Once the case is supposedly solved, other questions arise decades later. A PLACE OF EXECUTION is one of the most original mysteries I have read in a long time. It deserves the awards it has been receiving.
Rating: 5
Summary: Outstanding!
Comment: 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.
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