Those of you who watched last week’s first installment of Place of Execution on PBS, know how well this novel by Val McDermid translated to film.

 Those who haven’t seen it yet – I promise not to give anything away.

Lee Ingleby, left, Philip Jackson. PBS photo

 The second part of Place of Execution airs Sunday Nov. 8 at 9 p.m. Check your local PBS listings. (Note, the novel is A Place of Execution but the filmed version is Place of Execution…I don’t know why)

  McDermid’s 2000 novel remains one of my favorites. This story of a young girl’s disappearance in a remote village and the ramifications it has is the perfect mesh of police procedural, English village mystery and social novel. When people ask me for a recommendation – regardless of age, sex or tastes – A Place of Execution is one of the first one I mention.

McDermid shows that an author doesn’t have to use profanity or violence to weave an enthralling story with plot twists and a shocking finale.

  Here’s the plot of A Place of Execution:

    In 1963, Alison Carter goes for an after-school walk with her dog and never returns. Alison lives with her mother and wealthy stepfather in the small English village of Scardale where the residents are hardworking, close-knit families. The investigation falls to young detective George Bennett whose handling of the case will eventually make his career. About 40 years later, journalist Catherine is writing a book about the crime but near her deadline George abruptly pulls out of the project.

  In the film version, a few things are changed but nothing that harms the novel and, in fact, make it a better movie version. While the novel kept the 1963 scenes and the contemporary scenes separate, the filmed version overlaps the two. Instead of a print journalist, Catherine now makes documentaries, which, again, enhances this screen version.

    George Bennett is played by Lee Ingleby and Catherine Heathcote is played by Juliet Stevenson (Truly Madly Deeply, The Politician’s Wife).

   The filmed version of Place of Execution does justice to a terrific novel.

And if you miss it again, it is available on DVD. And buy the book, too.

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