Place of Execution on PBS
by Oline H. Cogdill
November 1st, 2009Some novels stick in a reader’s psyche years after that first read.
Val McDermid
For me, British writer Val McDermid’s masterpiece A Place of Execution is one of those novels.
A Place of Execution is more than the story of the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl in 1963 and a reporter’s overview of this crime more than 40 years later.
In this novel, McDermid expertly blended the old-fashioned English village mystery with a contemporary story for a thoughtful look at crime, punishment and retribution.
In my initial review of this 2000 novel, I said “A Place of Execution is much more than a novel about one crime — the disappearance of a teen-ager. It is equally about the tragedy of a family, the violation of a village and the loss of innocence of an entire country. Flawlessly executed, A Place of Execution deserves its place as one of the best mysteries of this year.”
Greg Wise, Juliet Stevenson; PBS photo
Happily, that McDermid’s novel flawlessly translates to the screen. Place of Execution will air as part of PBS’ Masterpiece Contemporary series. It is scheduled to air in two parts – at 9 p.m. Sunday Nov. 1 and Sunday Nov. 8. Check your local listings.
For cinematic reasons, some liberties are taken with the novel – but not with the plot. Those who have read the novel will find the film a wonderful complement to the printed word. Those who have never read the book will be engrossed in the gripping mystery.
In 1963, Alison Carter goes for an after-school walk with her dog and never returns. Alison lives with her mother and wealthy stepfather (Greg Wise) in the small English village of Scardale of hardworking, close-knit families.
The investigation falls to young detective George Bennett (Lee Ingleby) whose handling of the case will eventually make his career.
Lee Ingleby
About 40 years later, journalist Catherine Heathcote (Juliet Stevenson, Truly Madly Deeply, The Politician’s Wife) is making a film about the crime and uncovers more evidence that causes George to abruptly pull out of the project.
In the novel, the 1963 disappearance and Catherine’s contemporary reporting are two separate novellas. Catherine is working on a true-crime manuscript about the crime and her story is only a fraction of the novel.
In the PBS movie, Catherine’s reporting and personal crisis are woven into flashbacks about the crime and how it was handled. This works perfectly for the filmed version, allowing Place of Execution to breathe as a film and enhance the story. (I don’t know why the novel A Place of Execution lost its “a” to become Place of Execution as a film.)
Place of Execution is a fine two-part series that does justice to an even finer novel.
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