A Place of Execution
Shortlisted for the 1999 CWA/The Macallan Gold Dagger; chosen
as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year
HarperCollins, 1999
Synopsis:
Winter 1963: two
children have disappeared off the streets of Manchester; the murderous
careers of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady have begun. On a freezing
day in December, another child goes missing: thirteen-year-old Alison
Carter vanishes from the isolated Derbyshire hamlet of Scardale,
a self-contained, insular community that distrusts the outside world.
For the young George Bennett, a newly promoted inspector, it is
the beginning of his most difficult and harrowing case: a murder
with no body, an investigation with more dead ends and closed faces
than he'd have found in the anonymity of the inner city, an outcome
which reverberates down the years. Decades later he finally tells
his story to journalist Catherine Heathcote, but just when the book
is poised for publication, Bennett unaccountably tries to pull the
plug. He has new information which he refuses to divulge, and which
threatens the very foundations of his existence. Catherine is forced
to reinvestigate the past, with results that turn the world upside
down.
A Greek tragedy in modern England, A Place of Execution is a taut
psychological suspense thriller that explores, exposes and explodes
the border between reality and illusion in a multilayered narrative
that turns expectations on their head and reminds us that what we
know is what we do not know. A monstrous tale of deception, the
technique of the telling is the greatest deception of all.
'One of the best detective stories I've read.' Ruth
Rendell, Daily Telegraph
'Compelling and atmospheric... a tour de force' Minette
Walters
'Val McDermid is a roaring Ferrari amid the crowded traffic
on the crime-writing road... She is a strong enough writer to create
her own distinctive world' Jane Jakeman, Independent
'Beautifully written... this book is not simply a puzzle; it is
an archaeological delving into a multi-layered, enclosed society'
Gerald Kaufman, Daily Telegraph
'A Place of Execution is a wake-up call to crime writers everywhere.
A terrific and original novel, brilliantly executed' Paul
Davies, Daily Mirror
'A gut-wrenching tale that spans two decades and brings the
resonance of Greek tragedies to England. Psychological suspense
that probes, prods and disturbs. A terrific achievement' Maxim
Jakubowski, Time Out
'A marvel from start to finish.' The Wall Street Journal
'A modern masterpiece, a book that will haunt us forever.' The
Denver Post
'From the first pages, we know we're in the hands of a master this
book will earn its author a place in that rare pantheon -- the truly
literary suspense novel.' Jeffrey Deaver
Read an extract from A Place of Execution
