Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Notes on an Execution cover art

Notes on an Execution

Written by: Danya Kukafka
Narrated by: Mozhan Marno, Jim Meskimen
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $7.99

Buy Now for $7.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

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 TimesWashington PostEntertainment Weekly Esquire Good Housekeeping USA Today BuzzfeedGoodreads Real SimpleMarie ClaireRolling StoneBusiness InsiderBustle PopSugar The MillionsThe Guardianand 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 listeners 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

©2022 Danya Kukafka (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Featured Article: The Top Audiobooks People Are Obsessed With on BookTok

For audiobook lovers, nothing comes close to the feeling of stumbling upon a new favourite adventure, love story, or thriller. Finding that new favourite is now easier than ever! The world of BookTok is overflowing with audiobooks ready to become your new obsession. A young girl cursed to live forever, Greek mythology reimagined, life-saving time-travel, and so much more. We've scoured this corner of social media and compiled a list of what titles are trending and are definitely worth the hype. So sit back, press play, and escape your world for a while with the most popular books on BookTok.

What listeners say about Notes on an Execution

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    43
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I was in intrigued and entertained throughout

This was a really powerful story elegantly told
The visuals were so rich in detail.
It’s an important message but we are spared the gory details.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

Interesting premise, looking from the perspective of those impacted by a killer, good and bad, including the killer. surprisingly I found the chapters from his mom the hardest. doesn't flow like a typical story but still enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating

Characters drawn like crystal clear photographs - complicated people and their involvement with and reactions to abandonment, pain, joy. A fantastic listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Morbid, uncomfortable, beautiful

This book unclogged my tear glands after all the holiday stress I’ve been holding on to. Kukafka’s writing is molten love. The sheer helplessness the end leaves you with is unnerving. You will keep scrambling for a political piece in the whole narrative and you won’t find any. Because the story is as raw as life, mercilessly confusing. May be after all Ansel’s theory was right. Only read this if you are in for an emotional roller coaster ride to the unknown corners of your empathy.
Ps: I cannot help but imagine what it takes for a person to be able to write about pain like this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it!

I couldn't stop listening great book and excellent narrator. Each character is memorable and fallible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can’t stop listening

This book was so engaging that I finished it in less than a week- great plot

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A slow burn. Exceptionally executed.

Each word is exquisite, incredibly well planned, and haunting. Not to mention, it makes you think about the justice system, the things at play that get killers caught, and finally the people who become victims. How they’re treated, or more accurately forgotten and turned into a tragedy of themselves. I highly recommend and encourage you to listen wisely.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Too much for me

I was really overwhelmed by the trauma and abuse in the first storyline and just couldn’t keep listening. Not a complaint, just my experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolute Masterpiece

No spoilers for any of this book but just wow. The multi-reader perspective used perfectly for this book and utterly compelling and humane. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

it's a really great story. I binged listened and enjoyed it immensely

each chapter is a different perspective of one story line. I liked this part best.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!