Notes on an Execution: A Novel

Danya Kukafka

Jan 2022 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL • NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR

“Defiantly populated with living women . . . beautifully drawn, dense with detail and specificity . . . Notes on an Execution is nuanced, ambitious and compelling.” —Katie Kitamura, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (Editors' Choice)

"A searing portrait of the complicated women caught in the orbit of a serial killer. . . . Compassionate and thought-provoking." –BRIT BENNETT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half

Recommended by New York Times Book Review • Los Angeles Times • Washington Post • Entertainment Weekly • Esquire • Good Housekeeping • USA Today • Buzzfeed • Goodreads • Real Simple • Marie Claire • Rolling Stone • Business Insider • Bustle • PopSugar • The Millions • The Guardian • and many more!

In the tradition of Long Bright River and The Mars Room, a gripping and atmospheric work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life—from the bestselling author of Girl in Snow.

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. 

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 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. 

Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes on an Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it simultaneously unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our system of justice and our cultural obsession with crime stories, asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men.

"Poetic and mesmerizing . . . Powerful, important, intensely human, and filled with a unique examination of tragedy, one where the reader is left with a curious emotion: hope." —USA TODAY

“A profound and staggering experience of empathy that challenges us to confront what it means to be human in our darkest moments. . . . I relished every page of this brilliant and gripping masterpiece."—ASHLEY AUDRAIN, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

Ratings and reviews

I picked up this book to get back into reading. At first, I was a little overwhelmed with the complexity of the writing style. I have ocd and struggle when stories tend to jump around constantly. Being honest, I was going to give up on it, but boy, I was thankful I didn't. The story puts you in the perspective of every single character highlighting their flaws but gives a perspective of how everything could have been different. It touches important subjects like the glorification of serial killers and the cruelti of normalizing it. This book is a must-read and will definitely be recommending it frequently.

In short, this was a very good read until it wasn't. It was thought provoking and when I was into the book I was DEEPLY into it. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book or not but I am certain I feel better for having read it. Take all that for what its worth.

Danya Kukafka directly plugs the reader into a killer’s mind in her latest novel Notes on an Execution. As the book opens, Ansel is experiencing his last day before his execution. Told in the second voice, his personality, thoughts, and reflections are rendered completely transparent and disturbing. The novel alternates chapters between Ansel’s excruciating wait and the stories of some important women in his life. The convict’s mother makes a desperate decision that either guides his future actions or at least provides the perfect environment for his natural tendencies to erupt. Hazel, Ansel’s sister-in-law, recounts how he charmingly insinuates into their family and breaks it apart. The last perspective Kukafka provides is that of Sapphire, a police captain that grew up with Ansel and was the first to witness his dark proclivities. She has been following him ever since three young women were killed and there was insufficient evidence to connect Ansel to the crimes. The plot of Notes on an Execution is riveting, and the characters are carefully and realistically constructed. Kukafka also encourages the reader to reconsider their own assumptions about the genesis of a disturbed mind. It is a commentary on our fascination with killers and their stories, while victims are quickly forgotten. People with differing opinions on the use of the death penalty as a deterrent/punishment will find Kukafka’s presentation to be fair, thoughtful and well-rendered.

About the author

Danya Kukafka is the internationally bestselling author of Girl in Snow. She is a graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She works as a literary agent.