Notes On An Execution

Ansel Packer sits on death row awaiting his imminent execution for the murders of three young girls and his wife. His story is revealed through the eyes of three women: his mother, his sister-in-law and a homicide detective who knew some of the victims. 

The murders are not committed on the page yet I had to read this book in small chunks because I found it so dark. Ansel is a serial killer but his story is nonetheless heartbreaking. I worked for thirteen years in the child protection field and, on occasion, rescued children from horrendous family situations while realizing that no intervention could undo the damage they had suffered. I felt a lot of pain while reading this book and had to put it down many times. The world presented here by Danya Kukafka is a bad and cruel one. Be warned that there are multiple passages that will disturb some readers.