Notes on an Execution: A Gripping and Atmospheric Literary Thriller about a Serial Killer on Death Row

I'm surprised I missed this book when it came out. Very good and different than other books. I like the alternating characters in chapters.

This was a suprise enjoyment for me. Picked it up blind and I’m glad I did. Nuanced look at the life of a killer and 4 women that surround him. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was invested from the start. Very good and well written book.

This book held me start to finish. I wasn’t totally sure about continuing as it is disturbing and sometimes difficult to read but there are no ugly and morbid descriptions but rather beautifully written descriptions of the people and their stories. The fact that it’s women who protected and cared for each other, who came together to find ‘justice’, questionable in this regard but it’s our version of justice I guess. The ending was so profound I found myself reading the words out loud.

Let me start by saying this was my book clubs pick for March and I never not follow through on a book club pick. I have seen incredible reviews for this book. However, this was a “not right now” Book for me and I think because of that it suffered. I am just not in the mood for these kinds of books. I chose to listen on audio instead; and I think this did me a disservice hear. This would have definitely been a book that was better on physical. That being said, I thought it was thoroughly entertaining. It kept you hooked and wanted to know why each story was being told. I am just a true mood reader and as I mentioned, this was just not in my current mood. Sorry I don’t have a better review today; I’m just still lost on now I feel. However I I think it’s a four star book and good or bad it is as fantastically written

✔️Not really sure how I feel. The fact that I am still sitting here pondering pushes it to a 4 star. The first half was confusing with all of the back and forth. 4 main characters and a bunch of side characters. It's a story of a serial killer about to be executed for his crimes. It dives into how each of these characters lives were affected by the crimes. How it all trickled down. Or even how their own choices may have played a part. Everyone can be good and everyone can be evil. And all the talk about parallel universes was making me bonkers. But the ending was good. ✔️I would have loved to have Shawna's POV ✔️Not my normal cup of tea. But I survived and lived to tell about it. ✔️It made me feel things. Just not happy things. ✔️I actually enjoyed the "Inspiration" section after acknowledgements. "This is a book for the women who survive."

The author explains at the end of the novel that she was tired of the fixation on the murderers and wanted to tell the story from the point of view of all the women, victims and survivors, whose voices were silenced or suppressed in favor of focusing on the monsters capable of such acts of violence. I bought this today because it sounded absorbing and was on a deal, and I promptly read the entire thing without setting it down. I haven't been so gripped by a book in decades. The murderer is treated with some sympathy, don't get me wrong; he's not vilified unduly. I could see how genes and the abuse and neglect suffered in childhood could blossom into something hideous. But the story is told from the point of view of all the families affected by the murderer, especially the women. It's their tale. And it's powerful. I highly recommend this novel, and I will look for other books by this author.

“No one is all bad. No one is all good. We live as equals in the murky gray between.”- Notes on an Execution. Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. He hoped it wouldn’t end like this, not for him. Through a kaleidoscope of women—a mother, a sister, a homicide detective—we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the homicide detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake. I picked up this book because I kept seeing fabulous reviews about it everywhere on Bookstagram. The premise of this book is so interesting! We follow Ansel Packer as he is waiting to be executed for the murders of several women. Through flashbacks, we follow the stories of the various women of his life, and how they impacted him from his birth to current day. This presents an interesting view into Ansel’s character and a heartbreaking look at how various aspects of his life have failed him. It is definitely an emotional rollercoaster since you dislike him for the murders of these women and his other crimes but then see the horror of his upbringing, merging nature and nurture. If this is on your radar you need to pick it up! I also heard that this book is going to be adapted, which I think it is perfect for.

This was a very engaging and compelling literary fiction with a touch of mystery. You know from the beginning that Ansel committed the crimes in the book but there is still some mystery to figuring out when he was caught and how things unfolded with his case. This is not a story made of surprise twists though I was still surprised at times. This story is not about Ansel Packer, though. Told in multiple timelines over a 40+ year span, this is the story of three women in his life: Lavender, Hazel, and Saffy. These three were all affected by him in some way. I would argue that Saffy is the most developed character and probably the one I wanted to spend the most time with in the story, but all three of them are developed and well-written. I thought Lavender’s story as the young mother to Ansel was a sad one. And through Hazel, we got to know Jenny who married Ansel. This book is trying to make a point about the cultural fascination with serial killers and the wrongness of this. There were some interesting thoughts as well about even his death being somewhat glorified. Even though we do get in Ansel’s head on occasions throughout the book, the story emphasizes that it doesn’t really matter why he did what he did. No matter why, he did very bad things and hurt a lot of people because of it. I highly recommend this book. I think if you have the same expectations that I had for it (not a thriller), you will really like it!

It is a very interesting book. It is very nice to see all the different points of view. The author seems to be very informed of the consequences of trauma in the lives of people.

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Really different but excellent book, beautiful words, put together so well the paragraphs flow so effortlessly off the page. Highly recommended.

Grateful for the chance to purchase this secondhand copy. Thank-you.

This is a very moving, and harrowing, story told brilliantly by the author. She manages to bring empathy to all the characters, even the killer, by telling their stories from a very humane stance. The construction is brilliantly done, as the reader is taken backwards and forwards through the years spanning the characters' lifetimes. The prose is often beautiful and always interesting. The space the author dedicates to examining the killer's life, and thinking is a credit to her as she never looks for the easy answers of who he is and what made him become what he became. Highly recommended.