A review by kkilburn
A Place of Execution by Val McDermid

3.0

This is the first Val McDermid I've read, for some strange reason. I very much enjoyed the first section of the book - the "true crime novel" recounting the events surrounding the crime, its investigation, and its solution. The characters were nicely revealed, the pacing was great, and the writing taut. I didn't care as much for the second section - it felt looser, even a little sloppy compared to the beginning. I think that's because I didn't connect well with Catherine - it felt to me as though she sort of appeared out of nowhere, and I never felt terribly invested in her. Finally, I found the final secret (don't want to give anything away) to be a bit too contrived for my taste. I'm obviously in the minority, as the book won numerous awards and McDermid is an acknowledged master in her field. I'm going to try another one and see if I like it better!