The novel toggles between two timelines: the day of Ansel’s execution and the more sprawling story of his life, from his childhood through to his present-day incarceration. The novel’s ticking clock, the well of tension from which it draws, is Ansel’s pending execution. When we first meet Ansel, he has been convicted of murdering multiple women and is due to be executed in 12 hours.

The novel focuses on a man on death row named Ansel Packer. In “Notes on an Execution,” Kukafka seeks to interrogate that cultural preoccupation and cliché. But the figure that emerges in these works - monstrous, charming, seductive and hyper-intelligent - has less to do with the reality of the people committing these crimes and more to do with the way we experience and explain our lurid fascination with violence and extremity. Serial killers proliferate through television series and books of all genres. According to Google, there are “at least five” movies about Ted Bundy and “at least 15” about Charles Manson. Kukafka, also the author of the bestselling Girl In Snow, is repped by Dana Murphy at The Book Group, CAA, and foreign rights by Jenny Meyer at Jenny Meyer Literary Agency.By strange coincidence, while I was reading “Notes on an Execution,” the second novel by Danya Kukafka, I was followed online by advertisements for the television series “Dexter.” They jumped from site to site, images featuring the eponymous character in a turtleneck sweater, striking various poses of menace and seduction: the ideal of the all-American serial killer.įor all its queasiness, the figure of the serial killer has long been a fixture in popular culture, at once enormously profitable and surprisingly tenacious. The deal was negotiated by CAA and Ned Haspel at John Wells Productions. “They’ve already brought such clarity of vision to the project, such insight and richness to the world of the novel - I can’t wait to see these characters on screen. “I am so excited to partner with John, Erin, and the brilliant team at John Wells Productions,” said Kukafka. JWP’s multi-nominated series Maid, starring Margaret Qualley, has become one of Netflix’s most successful series of all time.

John Wells Productions most recently optioned the rights to the three-book crime series The High Coast from Swedish author Tove Alsterdal, and is currently in production on its modern Hawaii drama Ke Nui Road for HBO Max and Warner Bros Television. Kukafka also is credited as an executive producer. John Wells Teams With Ivo Van Hove On Music Conservatory Series 'Doll' In Works At Warner Bros.

Danya kukafka notes on an execution