Bookseller Reviews
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Unflinching take on serial killers
The story such as we know of serial killers fascinates us with its rejection of basic humanity. In this book the author sets out to tell the version of on... READ MORE
![Linda@{Livingston]](https://cdn.waterstones.com/app/General/No_pic_reviewer_2x.png)
She knew how to live in the wreck.
This story is highly character focussed but still maintains a compelling and driven plot. It’s the tale of a serial killer’s life, but rather than looking ... READ MORE
A thought provoking and groundbreaking novel about the legacy of violence
Notes on an Execution is a truly ground-breaking work of fiction which takes the trope of the genius male serial killer and subverts it entirely, take ever... READ MORE
The story of a serial killer but told in a new and different way
I absolutely adored this book! I picked it up completely randomly but devoured it in two days.
This book is told through different characters who have al... READ MORE
You feel every second
“It was the scariest thing about being a woman. It was hardwired, ageless, the part that knew you could have the good without the hurt, but it wouldn’t be ... READ MORE
A brilliant, genre-defying novel
This is an amazing book! This novel takes the often morbid obsession with serial killers and turns it on its head. It is for the women who are the victims ... READ MORE
tense, superbly paced
Really, really enjoyed this. Such a fascinating angle on serial killers and the legacies of male violence. The perspectives of these women from his life we... READ MORE
Superb
This is superb. A combination of a manhunt and the events seen through the eyes of a serial killer. What could be just a grim crime fest becomes something ... READ MORE
A unique perspective!
the second person perspective was very cool and different and i liked how it was used sparingly in the short chapters we were with Ansel.
Very philosophic... READ MORE
Unlike any thriller I've read before
This is a powerful read that looks at the psychology of killing but not only through the eyes of the murderer. Ansel Packer is on death row for the murder ... READ MORE
Will linger in the mind for a long time.
A beautiful, yet devastating, novel that made me feel discomfort many times. This is a story that hits hard and unexpectedly.
Deeply compelling all the wa... READ MORE
A true masterpiece
This is truly one of my favourite crime books that I’ve ever read! The feminist tones really shine through, whilst also allowing for some beautiful storyte... READ MORE
A well-crafted, thoughtful, literary thriller
Ansel Packer has twelve hours left until his execution. He plans his escape as he counts down these hours. Interspersed are the timelines of three women. H... READ MORE
Outstanding
What a talented writer, and story teller! From the first page I was hooked on this original, pacy, haunting and heartbreaking story. If I could give it 10 ... READ MORE
What a book!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a pleasure it was recommending this book as a Waterstones Book of the Month! Kukafka... READ MORE
A Tour De Force
Ansel Packer is on death row for the murder of multiple women. We meet him in the last twelve hours before he is due to be executed. At first, this seems l... READ MORE
A masterfully written and nuanced literary thriller
This book really surprised me; I read it almost entirely in one sitting and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Danya Kukafa manages to masterfully ... READ MORE
Synopsis
Waterstones Thriller of the Month for January 2023
Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours.
He knows what he's done, and now awaits the same fate he forced on those girls, years ago. Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood.
But this is not his story.
As the clock ticks down, three women uncover the history of a tragedy and the long shadow it casts. Lavender, Ansel's mother, is a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation. Hazel, twin sister to his wife, is forced to watch helplessly as the relationship threatens to devour them all. And Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, is devoted to bringing bad men to justice but struggling to see her own life clearly.
This is the story of the women left behind. Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes On An Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our cultural obsession with crime stories, and asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the minds of violent men.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
- ISBN: 9781474625975
- Number of pages: 320
- Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 32 mm
- Weight: 280g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allWell written, unique, tense and disquieting
4.5 rounded up ..
Literary fiction lovers will lap this one up - It is a stunner.
With 12 hours to go before his execution we learn more about the a murd... READ MORE
Haunting and hopeful
One of the best books I’ve read this decade. Kukafka turns the popular culture fascination with serial killers on its head; Ansel Packer is the least inter... READ MORE
Just brilliant
5⭐️
The book deconstructs the life of condemned serial killer Ansel Packer looking through the lives of some of the pivotal women in his life to better un... READ MORE
Favourite
Really loved this book. Once you get used to the main character writing in the 3rd person it all just clicks into place. Would highly recommend - she has... READ MORE
An extraordinary and engrossing read
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka is an extraordinary read and will be one of those books that stays with me long after I've turned the final page.
Os... READ MORE
Wow wow wow
Talk about a good book. It's been a while since I had a book that I couldn't put down. What a rollercoaster of emotions. Absolutely enjoyed it.
Compelling
I couldn’t put this down! This book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions , and that’s just about the killer. Is it nature or nurture that dictates who ... READ MORE
A wonderful study of a life wasted
Ansel Packer was born into a dysfunctional family. Abandoned by his parents at a young age and left to fend for himself and his baby brother, his life was ... READ MORE
Emotional Reading
I don't think i have cried so much from a book before! So full of emotions throughout.
After reading other crime/thriller books before i presumed this wou... READ MORE
Beautifully written, powerfully compelling
Ansel Packer will be executed in twelve hours for the lives of the women he took. He doesn’t want to die, thinks he shouldn’t, he has something important t... READ MORE
Extraordinary, compelling and full of pathos
This is a remarkable book that takes you through the last hours before a killer’s execution intertwined with flash backs that allow us to understand how he... READ MORE
suspense
I was very close to DNF.
I read like 30 pages and I wasn't sure about it, I don't know, it didn't make me want to pick it up and the writing wasn't what I... READ MORE
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