Reviews - Notes on an Execution

11.7k reviews for:

Notes on an Execution

Danya Kukafka

4.11 AVERAGE

katerina119's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kalliepoon's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark sad medium-paced

This book was a difficult read due to the content. Dark and disturbing it highlighted the complexity of life, death, and trauma. I thought the writing was good but maybe not my style. In the middle the pace picked up as you try and figure out how all the storylines come together. Not my cup of tea but objectively a well-written and intriguing book.

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

3.0

dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

kaleyajones8's review against another edition

5.0

dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

itsmaggadelic's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I read this after seeing Lexi (aka newlynova) rank it on her best books of 2024. I tend to agree with her reviews, and so I put a hold on this one immediately, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I do agree with her thoughts that this is Bright Young Women, but better. This really focuses on the victims and the women who loved them, which so much true crime doesn’t do. That said, I HATE 2nd person perspective, so Ansel’s chapters were particularly awful to read. If we had just had the 3rd person perspective, I would have absolutely given this 5 stars. Highly recommend!

helsiebaby's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to love this, or I wanted to write this review to call it unenjoyable but at least it was thought-provoking or interesting or something like that, but it just ... wasn't. Really I think it comes down to: if you're going to tell a story that centres the women victims of male serial killers, rather than the serial killer himself, then you have to actually centre the women. But the book very much puts him front and centre, while the women drift in and out living their Other Lives That Might Have Been in exactly the way the serial killer's grand "theory" describes, lol.

All this with an increasing side of how the police are good, actually, and anyone who disagrees is ignorant, and the death penalty is good and deserved too, actually, and and and. Nah.