Well written characters and a interesting way to tell a story. Easy to read, flew through it. Reccomend it!

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

This is literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row with alternating chapters that are told from the perspective of the victims.

I found this to be a very well written piece of suspense fiction, I was eager to read on and found the topics raised very thought provoking. It was fascinating to me that I ended up feeling empathy for Ansel, the serial killer and the victims. I think this would be a great one to discuss for a book club.

I feel like I’ve inhaled this book today. I started it and became completely unwilling to put this one down.

This is intriguing, told from multiple perspectives and completely unique to anything I’ve written before. I have devoured page after page in just one sitting.

The author has made me feel as though I have been watching the events play out in front of me.

I have loved this book from beginning to end. There is so much packed into this one that it’s impossible not to think about after jog finish the book.

An absolute must for the TBR.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a really unique and exciting take on a standard thriller, it felt a lot more literary. I love a novel that follows a person's life in its entirety, the author makes you really invested in the main character. I loved hearing about our main character (who is on death row)'s relationship with women and how that shaped who he is.

I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to this one but I just could not get into it and ended up dnf-ing.

A lot of people love this book so ignore this review and go pick it up yourself.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Powerful writing, and a book I felt in the heart. I also love dark books, and this fit the bill. I had high expectations, and they were fullfilled.

This book packed a punch! Wowzers. Had me gripped from the off.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Sometimes I request a book on a whim. With this book I haven’t seen much hype about it, I hadn’t been recommended it, but something about the synopsis drew me in. And sometimes, that book is an absolute winner, a hidden gem. That’s definitely the case here.

This book was a stunning drama, a powerful, unique piece of fiction which was incredibly emotional and compelling. It’s immediately made it into my favourite books of the year.

Ansel Packer is a serial killer on death row. This book tells his story, but not quite in his own words. Instead, Kukafka weaves the condemned man’s story through the eyes of some of the women in his life who met him and survived. His mother, his wife’s sister and the detective who eventually brought him down. They’re all incredibly strong but complex characters, who all offer a slightly different perspective on how a boy grew up to become a killer. They show that even a monster can have a story.

“No one is all bad. No one is all good. We live as equals in the murky grey in between.

This book is difficult to define. It’s about a serial killer, but I wouldn’t call it crime fiction. Despite having crime elements, it’s so much more than that. It’s a dark drama; compelling, devastating and touching. It doesn’t exactly muster sympathy for the killer, but it does bring to life his history and show how easily one change (or multiple) along the way could have lead to a very different ending.

It explores the impact of murder- not just the instant shock and drama – but how the long-term ramifications can spread over an extended period and touch people in ways you may not expect. It’s a slow-burn, character-driven drama about connections and separations. It looks at how everyone has dark and light, and how we can never really understand another person. It’s so many things wrapped up in one masterfully written book.

This book also makes its own statement by focusing on the women in the serial killer’s life. It doesn’t glamourise or focus on the killings themselves, but the people at the heart of it – the victims and those closest to them.

“The tragedy is that she is dead, but the tragedy is also that she belongs to him. The bad man, who did the bad thing.”

The author creates exciting voices to tell the story – with no first person narrative from Ansel himself – to challenge the way the world obsesses over the serial killer and not the victims.

“Ansel gets the glorified title of serial killer, a phrase that seems to inspire a bizarre, primitive lust. Books and documentaries and dark tunnels on the internal. Crowds of women, captivated...There are millions of men our there who want to hurt women – people seem to think that Ansel Packer is extraordinary, because he actually did.”

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Ansel Packer has 12 hours left to live. 12 hours before he is executed for his crimes. He knows what he has done, and still he wants to live. All he wants is to be understood. This novel follows the life of a psychopath and asks the question of whether if things had been different, would Ansel still find himself in the same predicament? Notes on an execution is no ordinary crime(esque) novel, it is an exploration of the women around him, how violence from one man passes to another and ultimately its the women who have to suffer.

The lense applied to this novel is fascinating and different, questioning our obsession with serial killers and the fame and power which they attract. This is heightened by the structure of the novel which is told through interweaving narratives and mirrors the spiralling of Ansel as his execution draws ever near. That being said, I felt the ending dragged out a little, wrapping things up a little too nicely and not leaving enough breathing room. I also didn't gel completely with the writing style and felt some themes were a little heavy handed, but I can imagine many people will (and indeed do) love this novel.

I read a lot of praise for this before I began and was worried that it might not live up to expectations - but there was nothing to worry about, this was a wonderfully crafted and plotted book from start to finish, no unnecessary filler, just a gripping story with characters that dont let go.
Ansel Parker is scheduled to die in twelve hours time- this is not just his story but the women around him, including his victims. The narrative is rich and luscious, told in multiple timelines and from various perspectives, all feeding into one another and building a fascinating picture.
This was a book to that I wanted to race through and relish - spectacular writing

‘Notes on an Execution’ by Danya Kukafka burrowed deep under my skin from the opening pages. The novel speaks to our ever-growing obsession with true crime and murderers of the very worst pedigree. Everywhere you turn, whether it be Netflix, Prime or podcasts, someone is trying to make art from death. According to researchers, the biggest consumers of the genre seem to be women. It has been suggested that this is largely owing to our desire to pick up ‘tips’ to keep us safe. To learn how not to get murdered. The implication, of course, being that the victims did something ‘wrong’. The onus shouldn’t be on women to restrict ourselves, but it is. What saddens me about the rise in popularity of the genre is our morbid fascination with evil men. Where are the voices of the victims? Do we even know their names? The book explores this issue in great depth. And what about the stories we don't hear? Whose voices are missing from the narrative? Danya Kukafka specifically homes in on those stories. ‘Notes on an Execution’ goes some way towards bridging the gap between what is seen and what is not, as it ploughs the hidden depths of devastation wrought by the violent loss of life.

Ansel Packer (great name for a serial killer!) is on death row awaiting execution. With the clever use of second person narrative, the author draws the reader right into the heart of the story. By unveiling Ansel’s history in this way, Kukafka forces us to see things through his eyes. To examine our empathy. To walk the proverbial mile in his shoes. It's a mighty uncomfortable place to be. Whilst this makes it easier for us to sympathise with the murderer, I think it’s important to remember that ultimately every one of us has a choice – to offend, or not. As such, surely it’s time we stopped making excuses for violent men? We all have choices to make. Always.

Ansel’s story weaves through the narrative, meandering across timelines, but the real focus of the book is on the women affected by his actions. We are (unusually) spared the gory details of the deaths; the victims afforded a dignity often lacking in crime fiction. Too often, in life and in fiction, victims become a footnote in their own lives. Furthermore, when you take a life, you don't just kill a person. You eliminate every possible future they might have had. For example, you extinguish the lives of any children they may have produced. All that potential is snuffed out. The ripples extend far and wide, and can have devastating effects on entire families and communities. In the book, we see this in particular through Hazel’s narrative but also in Saffy’s imaginings of the Girls. Ansel’s victims are collectively referred to as “the Girls” although this does not appear intended to diminish them in any way.

The women in this novel form a formidable ensemble cast. We have Ansel’s mother, Lavender. The desperate parent who makes the ultimate sacrifice, albeit tinged with a smidgeon of self-preservation and escape. Lavender’s story poses the questions ‘Is it wrong to save yourself? To secure your own freedom by extreme measures?’ Then there is Jenny, who loves Ansel, and her twin sister, Hazel, who does not. Saffron, the detective whose dogged determination sees her haunted by Ansel, is a wonderfully inspiring, real character.

What really set this book apart for me (and interested me enormously), aside from the women-centric plot, was the inclusion of quantum theory. Specifically, the notion of a multiverse. Ansel Packer is exploring a theory of good and evil via his personal writings. He talks about “the concept of choice” and alternate universes in which we’ve made different decisions. It’s fascinating! I imagine it’s also a great source of comfort to a man facing his own mortality, imagining other lives where he isn’t a monster. He firmly believes in the “eternal possibility” presented by the multiverse. Ultimately, I think he’s trying to find a way out; a means of absolution for himself and the rotten choices he has made.

Something I particularly appreciated about ‘Notes on an Execution’ is the clear assertion that men who hurt (and kill) the women they think they love do it because they want to. Our eternal search for meaning, and justification, is pointless. They do it because they can. And they'll employ every excuse in the book to justify it to themselves and deflect blame. It’s a tale as old as time, told in an innovative way and resulting in an extraordinary piece of work.

Danya Kukafka is the author of international bestseller “Girl in Snow”. “Notes on an Execution” is her second novel.

Sarah Faichney is a freelance writer and can be reached at sarahfaichneywrites@gmail.com or on Twitter @SarahFaichney

N. B. This review has been published in the April edition of South Asia magazine. Print copies are available and here is the web link:
http://www.southasia.com.pk/2022/04/12/notes-on-an-execution/

I was really interested in the premise of this book and the positive reviews had peaked my anticipation. However, for me this book just didn't live up to my expectations.

I found all of the characters left me cold. The different narrative perspectives should have worked weaving together Ansel's back story, but I struggled to relate to their experiences. I found the pacing kept oscillating too much which meant I didn't really journey alongside the protagonists.

I struggled to work out how I was supposed to respond to the book as a whole and what the author was trying to convey about guilt, culpability and victimhood. Overall, I just couldn't engage with this one.

With thanks to Orion and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This book! Wow! I'm calling it now, it's my book of the year! What a book!!

I just don't even know what to say about it, I loved it so much.

Ok I'll try.

This book is about a serial killer, Ansel Packer, and we meet him the day his execution is scheduled for. Then Ansel's life story is told through the eyes of women who have crossed paths with him.

Lavender is Ansel's mother, her story was first and I felt it was the most intense and horrific. I literally had to put the book down because it filled me with such a sense of dread.

Thej there is Hazel, who's twin sister is in a relationship with Ansel. And Saffy, who I loved and is such a fascinating character.


This book isn't a thriller, so thriller haters don't write it off please! It's a literary suspense novel that although has super dark, stomach churning moments, also has a lot of depth. There is a lot about choices and how they make us into the people we are. How morality isn't final, a person can be both good and bad. It also looks at the American justice system and the death penalty. And at its core it feels like a story about women, these beautiful, wonderful women who had the chance to become anything but will be remembered as only one thing, a serial killer's victim.

The first 10% made me feel sick, the last 10% had me crying my eyes out. The ending was much more beautiful than I expected it to be. The whole book took me completely by surprise. Absolutely incredible!!

Such a great book - I was absorbed in the stories and swept up in the writing. It was a nuanced, fascinating look at a life - devastating, moving but gripping.

Even though I've read books in which there have been murders and serial killers, Notes On An Execution is unlike anything that I've read before.
The way in which the story is told over different timelines and from the perspectives of three of the women whose lives have crossed with Ansel's in one way or another, to his own perspective, meant that this was a book that I could not put down.
It was incredibly well written and gives voices to characters that you wouldn't necessarily get an insight into, other than maybe Saffy when she is grown up.
As someone who's always been drawn to true crime and finding out more about American serial killers, the commentary that this has on the hours and minutes until someone on death row counts down, to the impact that one individual and their actions can have on countless lives, is both thought provoking and masterfully done.
There were also so many incredible lines that I had to take a note of.
It doesn't have crazy twists and turns but the way in which the story unfurls over the years didn't go exactly as I would have expected, which I enjoyed.
I will certainly be going back and reading Kukafka's first novel and I would easily read whatever she brings out next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Notes on an Execution is a compelling and dark book about a serial killer who we know right from the start is shortly to be executed, but this story focuses on the women in his life and those who were killed by him.

One personal criticism is that some of it is written in the second person 'you' which I found distracting, and also the narrative is told through multiple narratives and different time periods, which made it difficult to keep up with. However, for those readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with a difference, I recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion/Phoenix for the opportunity to read and review Notes on an Execution.

Absolutely extraordinary novel - something really quite unusual, and exquisitely written. A man is due to be executed, but the story focuses on the women his crimes have affected, on the ripple effect of his actions. In beautiful and gripping prose, we follow the paths of his mother, his wife's twin, and the detective who caught him. The people in this book are all broken, in their own way - and the author shares their stories with a gentleness and understanding that belies their trauma and their actions, The book ultimately asks why his story is the one the world is interested in, rather than the women he has killed, and the women affected by those deaths. A brilliant, unique novel - highly recommended.

Wow, this book is fantastic! Where to start….

The story the book follows is that of the life of death row inmate Ansel Packer. We meet Ansel in the days before his scheduled death by lethal injection. But we also hear his story from the perspective of the women in his life. His mother; his wife’s sister and the homicide detective who met him in childhood and is convinced of his guilt.

This story is heartbreaking. When we meet Ansel, he is arrogant, convinced of his superiority and sure that he can manipulate his way out of his current situation. But we also see how he got there and it is gut wrenching.

The writing is brilliant and beautiful and I sat back at one point to marvel at what Kukafka had done and how she had used these words to invoke such a reaction in me.

This book makes you think. It stayed with me for days afterwards, and has stayed with me since. It is one that can provoke discussion and I wish I’d read it in a book club. Is evil born? Or is it made by circumstance?

A fantastic read that deserves recognition.

If you’re looking for a book that takes the “missing girls” trope and turns it completely on its head - this is the one for you. Yes, it’s partly the story of a serial killer & the detective on his trail & sure, it brings the thrills in that heartsick, true crime, can’t look, can’t not, type of way...
.
But it’s also about the women. The ones who are always forgotten against the backdrop of horror & sensation - whose lives are reduced to a protusion of bone & gore filled imaginations. The ones who fight for the women, that they could easily have been. The ones who birth children, like warriors, & love them fiercely - regardless of who they become.

I read this book with a tight throat, a pounding heart & an overwhelming sense of emotion. It’s been a while since a story has been able to evoke such a powerful response in me & I absolutely loved it.

I think you’d enjoy this if you’re interested in the psychology of killing & the obsession many cultures have with the macabre. It’s chilling whilst still being character focused & it addresses some ambitious moral questions that I don’t think will sit well with everyone but that I personally was impressed with.

Ultimately, it’s a book about death. And life. And humans. And all the shades of grey.