"I should have left her as soon as I found out. If I'd left her then, she'd have come banging at my door. She'd have come back to me eventually and I could have made my choice. I couldn't contemplate her leaving me, though. I couldn't contemplate her being alive and not being with me."

Matthew Bourne is very much the center of his own universe. He has a long-term partner, a mistress, and a high-flying career with a humanrights agency, where he is campaigning to secure the release of a condemned African dissident. Then one day a colleague's wife dies in tragic circumstances, and Matthew is called to identify the body. Only much later does he realize that this incident has seeped into his life like a slow poison, and he spirals into a nightmare of death and betrayal.

The Execution is a riveting narrative of mystery and menace, of emotional disengagement and passionate action. Written in a smooth, detached style that builds the tension and suspense to almost unbearable levels, The Execution is an extremely accomplished debut from a new writer of huge promise.