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What a pity that Robert Hanks' callow review of the first episode is the only external assessment of this gripping thriller. I must confess, though, that when I saw it on TV I couldn't follow it - the simultaneous plots in past and present puzzled me, or perhaps I was 'as tired as a newt'! Anyway,I was sufficiently intrigued to get the DVD,and I'm so glad I did. Juliet Stevenson, too often under cast these days, is at her brilliant best as the dedicated TV reporter, 'crap mother' Catherine Heathcote, investigating the disappearance of 13-year old Alison Carter some 50 years ago. Elizabeth Day is so good as her troubled, overlooked daughter Saha, while Liz Moscrop as Catherine's novelist mother shows how Catherine was comparably overlooked. Catherine befriends George Bennett (the great Philip Jackson), whose eager beaver younger self is played by Lee Ingleby; Tom Maudsley and Dave Hill are both Fine as his loyal if sceptical sergeant. Then there's Greg Wise,supremely arrogant as the man you'd love to hate - but is he a murderer? There are astonishing twists at the end, yet they all make sense: wow!

I love Lee Ingleby who plays George. I first encountered Lee in the production of ' Inspector George Gently' . The rest of the cast is just great. My bone of contention is the photos supposedly representing a13year old girl. The photos looked like a female in her late 20's not a young vulnerable teenager.

I would love to know the background of this choice. it was quite off- putting and lost some of its tension due to this. Why did they use this particular female's photos? Is she the Producer or Director's wife? There has to be a reason as it was the only glitch in an otherwise fine production.

Very good adaptation of a great book. Once again the Brits bring their game to the table, excellent and realistic acting and gritty drama. Aparently, there is a US version, not going to even bother. This series is also available on You Tube, worth a watch.

A complex story certainly. The twists and turns take you across decades with much of the story told in flashback. A girl has gone missing. A young detective takes on his first case with national notoriety. He is up against prejudice in his own police station being the only copper with a university background. His prime suspect is a man with real power and considerable arrogance.

40 years later a journalist (played masterfully by Juliet Stevenson) revisits the case and wonders if there was a miscarriage of justice. This production has done remarkable justice to a highly complex plot. The final hour of the three hour mini-series had me on the edge of my seat throughout. A very high quality drama and one that deserves to be seen.

I finished reading Val McDermid's excellent thriller, "Place of Execution," a couple of weeks ago, and enjoyed it enough to pickup the DVD of the miniseries of the same name. I have now seen it and cannot praise it highly enough. Despite the complexities of the story, with its twin time lines and intersecting stories, it worked, I thought. Val McDermid co-wrote the screenplay, which I loved. Despite some changes from the book, do doubt made to tighten the story, it works.

"Place of Execution" is morally ambiguous, to say the least, the darkest of dark tales. It asks the question, When must the truth be sacrificed because justice requires it. The question is never answered but that's a good thing. Instead, we are left to ponder.

The arrogant Philip Hawkin is the squire of the remote village of Scardale. Hawkin, well played with malevolently superciliousness by Greg Wise, has a wife and 13 year old stepdaughter, both of whom had lived in the village long before Hawkin came along. In 1963 the stepdaughter, Allison, disappears and the evidence developed by the police sets afoot this stark morality play, the facts of which are not fully revealed until 40 years later. To say more would deprive you of the rich pleasures of seeing the truth revealed a layer at a time. After that, you will be left to decide the justice of the matter.

I found this adaptation of Val McDermid's novel to be extremely atmospheric and well acted. The actors chosen to play the "older" versions were uncannily like their younger counterparts, especially George Bennett. In NZ this was broken into two episodes which is perhaps why I couldn't figure out/remember Catherine's early relationship with the Manor. In fact, my only quibble with the programme was that Catherine's phone call to, and the appearance of, her mother near the end were very contrived. Apart from that, I thought this was an excellent production. I have gone back to reread the book which,now that I know what happens, gives the game away in a subtle way in the prologue. The TV adaptation can't quite bring in the feeling of the book - the first part set at the time of the Moors Murder, & the isolation & bleakness of Scardale.

I didn't find the time shifting confusing but in the book there are two separate books and Catherine is writing a book, not doing a TV documentary.

British suspense mini-series are a kind of trade mark, always giftedly thought through, directed and performed using distinct and mostly character actors able to provide new angles even when the background or matter are not fully to your taste.

Place of Execution is another good example of the above, with past and present thrillingly intertwined, when viewers can ponder on and over what really could happen and what answers could the present bring along... Actors like Juliet Stevenson or Lee Ingleby are catchy both appearance-wise and performance-wise, and all the cast, even in smaller roles, are just fit for them, providing realistic atmosphere. On the other hand, some pace and some logic of events left to be desired, but it may well be so that I am just "spoilt" by similar other British and Scandinavian series...

Nevertheless, the work in question is definitely above average, but the length - 3.5 hours - requires you find a time for this. Preferably in succession.

Alternating timelines - the 'go to' plot device that the people who make TV love - and people who watch TV hate! But in this case, it works well and actually makes sense. Also - it's not too confusing for the viewer!

Some well-known faces from every other TV drama are wheeled out in this above average drama. Some will find their faces reassuring - others (like me) will find them annoying... especially Juliet Stevenson who is just too overexposed to the point where I can no longer see past the face of an actress into the soul of a character.

But that aside, this is still a pretty captivating addition to the library of British commercial television drama... even though the ending is pretty silly and very implausible.

The story is about a documentary maker (Stevenson) who delves back half a century into the mystery of a missing child for which her step-father was hung for murder.

Greg Wise who plays the stepfather is the stand out here. He's another seemingly never out of work actor who shows up several times a year on TV in something or other. But this role is a true masterclass. His expressions of initially evil and eventually fear are worth a thousand words.

There are themes of family skeletons and police evidence tampering played out against a backdrop of domestic friction. The investigator is having a tough time ignoring her daughter as she seems to be a wannabe goth! But she plows on with her important work anyway.

Meanwhile, in another life, a young detective on his first missing persons case, struggles with his colleagues as he is determined to hang a man for murder despite having no body. The court scenes are very intimidating and the hanging is also very dramatic.

So - if you can stomach seeing the same old faces on your TV and you're willing to put up with a rather convoluted final act then it's worth your time.

Very well written & Suspenseful ! You will interested in the story & Ending!

At the beginning of the first episode, the mother of the missing girl says her last words to her were; "Hi mum, bye mum". This use of American slang is quite a recent affectation and would have been unthinkable in early-sixties England and certainly in rural areas anyway. I know this because I grew up there at that very time. However, this is all-in- all a very gripping and absorbing thriller, as long as you can overlook some of the stock elements and red herrings that make it resemble the formula style of "Inspector Morse" episodes. The main drawback for some may be the fact that the chilling twist at the end may be looked on as somewhat implausible. Good performances though by a twin bank of actors playing the main protagonists both then and now as the action shifts back and forth from the original investigation to the making of a current documentary.

Who killed Alison Carter? 45 years on a journalist tries to put the pieces together, and uncover the truth that The Police were unable to. Her digging has however has consequences for those still associated with the case.

Obsession, lies, falsified evidence, there is so much to uncover. The three parts are very well balanced and well paced, I love the way the story drifts back and forth, it doesn't jar at any stage, it's easy to follow.

You are made to wait til the very end to learn the truth, but the journey is very much worth it.

Production values are first rate, it looks incredible, especially the scenes from the past, the visuals are top notch, check out the cars and clothes.

The acting is first rate, Lee Ingleby and Tony Maudsley from the past, Juliet Stevenson in particular from the present day.

Writer Val McDermid never fails, throw in Robson Green, and it's a real winner, 9/10.

A good story, fine actors and well made. You could predict the reality of the situation midway through the series, but it was nice to have all loose ends tied.

I know Juliet Stevens is supposed to be the star, but I felt like Lee Ingleby was the stand out performer. I have always liked Lee Ingleby from the time I saw him in George Gently. He is a good actor. The rest did a fine job.

I planned to binge watch all three episodes but I began it too late and had to go to bed at the end of episode one. This show had gripped my attention so much I couldn't go to sleep wondering what was going to happen next.

George Bennet (Philip Jackson) has agreed to appear in a TV documentary Catherine (Juliet Stevenson) is filming about a case of his that launched his career in 1963.

The story is told both by watching George's present day interviews on film and flashbacks to young George (Lee Ingleby) investigating the crime in 1963.

A 13yr old girl had taken her dog for a walk in the woods and was never seen again. It was George's first murder case and he became fixated on solving it with the help of an older policeman in the department who wasn't critical of George being the only university graduate on their force.

The acting is superb by these four highly accomplished actors and also by the supporting cast. Especially the actor who plays the 'Lord of the Manor', a truly despicable and entitled man who thinks of everyone else in the village as "peasants"

Juliet Stevenson is always great in everything I've seen her in. I thought Lee Ingleby's acting in "Inspector George Gentry" was brilliant then saw him in an old episode of "Dalzeil and Pasco" when he was only 23 and he knocked my socks off. An absolutely natural born actor.

The similarity of both present day George and young George is commendable. And as the story unfolds in different formats as well as time frames it's intriguing and haunting.

They capture the past eerily yet blend it gently with the present day. No jarring breaks in atmosphere. I was pleased to read that the author of the book also wrote the screenplay so her adaption is fluid, appropriate, and her choice of where it differs from the novel. It maintains the mood throughout.

The acting, pace, direction and atmosphere have remained with me and I only began to ponder the ending at the very last 15mins and even then I was wrong.

My only regret is that they cast what looked like a 27yr old in the role of the 13yr old girl. At one point present day George mentions in his recollections that she seemed "older than her years" but it was beyond ridiculous and very annoying every time we saw photos or film of her. Surely they could have found an adult actress who looked young enough to pass for 13. Luckily, it didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the miniseries. It's the only major flaw of the piece.

Sometimes the Brits make the very best mysteries, but when they don't work, they really don't work. This one is just a mess of coincidences and unpleasant characters and, most of all, poor story telling. Furthermore, Juliet Stevenson, who can be excellent, is tasked with carrying the show; instead she's wooden, seems lost in the role, and ends up extremely unsympathetic. The only one in the case who does a good job is Greg Wise; every one else is just sleep walking. Rather a waste of three hours.

As I've said in other reviews when it comes to these type of mystery thrillers the Brits do it best!

Great screenplay and story layout that doesn't really lag or sag throughout and keeps you guessing and thinking til the ending which wraps everything up nicely. Kudos to the director.

I believe this film was based on a book and if so I'm sure it does it justice and the book would be a great read. While the theme and premise of the film have been done before, this take on a girl gone missing adds different layers to create more suspense and mystery keeping the viewer on edge and wondering. I don't want to give to much away here but it's basically a tale of a 13 year old girl that goes missing from a private sort of boarding school in rural small town England countryside. Told in flashbacks from 1962 to current the lead policeman on his first missing persons case is enamored with the case and details...maybe a little too much as he and his partner try to unravel the mysterious disappearance and apprehend the guilty...in the meantime in current time a news content producer is doing news story on the case and people involved as new information has come to light from 40 years ago that could change the direction of the truth in the disappearance and all involved..mainly the head investigating policeman from 40 years ago. There is an underlying social message hidden here that is fully revealed in the end that will leave you scratching your head and asking yourself if in the position the film puts you in ...what would you do?. This is a solid film. It's not a 10 and I contemplated a 9...but ended at a bold 8 missing persons out of 10...brilliantly executed as only the Brits can do!

The book this is based upon is far tighter, sharper, darker and more enjoyable.

There are some aspects I cannot fault. It was well-set, the locations were good, the actors were on point. But you can make the world's best shepherd's pie with dog food and it will still be awful.

The screenplay makes a mess of the order, leaves out points and characters who are critical to the way the plot unfolds, and introduces a brand new plot twist visible from space in order to tie up all the loose ends left by its casual acquaintanceship with the source material.

We do not have enough hours on this earth to waste just over two of them on this.