When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, #3)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie #3)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 12,540 ratings · 1,614 reviews

On a hot summer day, Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment later, Joanna's life is changed forever...
On a dark night thirty years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a shocking sound...
At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie is looking forw...more

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published September 24th 2008 by Little, Brown and Company (first published September 4th 2008)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Best Crime & Mystery Books

146th out of 3,394 books — 7,825 voters

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Best Literary Mysteries

41st out of 399 books — 996 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 09, 2013 Megan Baxter rated it 3 of 5 stars

By some celestial alignment and confluence of book lists, I read two Kate Atkinson books in a row - Behind the Scenes at the Museum, which I've already reviewed and very much enjoyed, and this one. I don't like this one nearly as much.

While there are still the turns of phrase I liked, and her characters continue to be interesting, the sense of using gimmick when it isn't needed has only grown. I would like to think that as she becomes more comfortable as a writer, she would rely less on gimmick...more By some celestial alignment and confluence of book lists, I read two Kate Atkinson books in a row - Behind the Scenes at the Museum, which I've already reviewed and very much enjoyed, and this one. I don't like this one nearly as much.

While there are still the turns of phrase I liked, and her characters continue to be interesting, the sense of using gimmick when it isn't needed has only grown. I would like to think that as she becomes more comfortable as a writer, she would rely less on gimmicks like amnesia and overwrought coincidences (I'm all for a good synchronicity, but there are limits). (view spoiler)

Which is a shame, because there are bits of When Will There Be Good News? that I liked a lot. But they never quite knit together and became something more. As a result, the book is fine but messy, and not in a good way.

This one seems to have the theme of surviving trauma. There's Reggie, the 16-year-old who looks 12, who lost her mother. (She also actually sounds twelve, so I'm not sure why Atkinson didn't just make her twelve.) There's Dr. Hunter, who survived unimaginable terror as a girl, and disappears for most of the novel. There's the hard-bitten cop, Louise, who has seen too many bad cases, and is trapped in a marriage with a man who seems really quite nice. (This is not a bad plotline, being married to the wrong person, even though they're lovely. But you have to do something with it.)

And there's the detective, Jackson Brodie, whose sister was murdered, whose brother committed suicide, who is badly injured at the start of the book, and doggedly tailed by Reggie, who wants him to look into Dr. Hunter's disappearance. (Brodie is or was, I guess, a private detective.)

There's lots about trust between husbands and wives, and husbands who abuse their wives' trust. There's a lot about loss. There's a lot about being the public face of loss. And these things are all interesting, the elements are all good, they just don't knit together into much.(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2009 karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: littry-fiction

so when i heard kate atkinson had a new book i thought yayyy. and then when i found out it was another jackson brodie novel i said boooo. i thought the first one was great, but the second was a lot weaker. theres a reason i tend not to read genre fiction like sci fi and mystery - because i just dont want to commit to ten books about the same world. i would rather read one book that is self-contained and never visit the characters again.(and yes i know - harington is exempt from this preference b...more

33 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, read-in-2012, buddy-read, mystery-thriller

This is the third in the Jackson Brodie series, and is probably my favourite so far.

I adore Jackson. As ever, he’s a magnet for trouble, both personally and professionally; it’s these stumbles, and how he deals with them, which make him so readable, so lovable. He shares this book with would-be lover DCI Louise, teenage girl Reggie, whose determination in adversity is adorable, and tragic childhood survivor Joanna. They, and all their issues and secrets, are brought together to make a thrilling...more

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 20, 2008 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, read-in-2008

While walking home one day, six-year-old Joanna Mason's family is attacked and killed by a man wielding a butcher knife. Joanna escapes by fleeing into a cornfield and hiding. She's eventually found and the killer is caught and sent to jail.

Now before you get upset with me for revealing too much, let me just say that all of what I described above happens in the first twenty or so pages of Kate Atkinson's latest novel "When Will There Be Good News?" The death of Joanna's family is the catalyst fo...more While walking home one day, six-year-old Joanna Mason's family is attacked and killed by a man wielding a butcher knife. Joanna escapes by fleeing into a cornfield and hiding. She's eventually found and the killer is caught and sent to jail.

Now before you get upset with me for revealing too much, let me just say that all of what I described above happens in the first twenty or so pages of Kate Atkinson's latest novel "When Will There Be Good News?" The death of Joanna's family is the catalyst for everything that happens for the rest of the story and the impact is felt on every single character we meet over the course of this story.

As usual, Atkinson's novel is one that defies easy description. It's one part a mystery, one part character study and one part suspense thriller. The story starts out on a deceptively slow note, allowing readers to get to know the various players in the events to come and slowly building to a train wreck (literally and figuratively) of a turning point that has a direct impact on each of the characters. Atkinson brings back Jackson Brodie, the private detective who featured in her previous novels "Case Histories" and "One Good Turn" as well as several other familiar faces.

As I read this story, comparions to Elizabeth George kept creeping up on me. (And that's a good thing as George is one of my favorite authors). Atkinson has a storytelling style that highlights characters, but continues to build the story with each page. She's subtle, working in details to the storyline naturally and rewarding readers when a payoff comes several pages later. Watching the story unfold, building up momentum until we finally see the bigger picture is fascinating. Several storylines cross over and we get to see events from several points of view.

The various elements will keep you guessing, keep you curious and keep the pages turning. I consumed this book eagerly, anxious to find out what happens next. It's one of those where once the final page is turned, you'll walk away satisfied but wishing there was more to savor. (less)

15 likes · like · see review

Sep 30, 2008 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery

Kate Atkinson returns to form in the third book in her Jackson Brodie series. With her usual mix of strong mystery plot elements and finely drawn relationships, "When Will There Be Good News" fairly hums along, and it works even better in this case because Jackson Brodie, the former cop turned private eye turned rich pensioner, is not actually the centerpiece of this novel.

If there is a hero and fulcrum of this book, it is the wonderful new character of Reggie Chase, a 16-year-old who looks as t...more

17 likes · like · see review

Nov 16, 2008 Dagny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here is a book which one reads paradoxically wishing it never ended- because it is so good- yet one races to finish- being compelled to- without skipping a word.

My heart was aching for the main characters to come through and survive; for the good to prevail; for some things to go right. This was so suspenseful, more so than anything I have read lately.

Never thought Loeb's green classics, which I can see sitting pretty on a shelf, would be referenced in a suspense novel. It is a part of the pleas...more

16 likes · like · see review

Nov 09, 2008 Trin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery, english-lit

Oh, stab me in the heart some more, Kate. Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels (the trilogy that begins with Case Histories) just get more and more depressing. This latest is simply brutal. And yet…I loved reading it, in spite of how bleak it is, in spite of the fact that the plot relies on some rather ridiculous Dickensian coincidences, in spite of Atkinson’s apparent hatred of semi-colons and love of comma splices. I’m not sure what it is, exactly, but I just love the way Atkinson’s characters le...more

14 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2008 Nette rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is grim, violent, sad (dead kids, dead moms, dead dogs), and also hilarious and uplifting (passionate cops, a ferociously maternal doctor, and a heroic dog who makes it all the way through -- sorry if that's a spoiler, but I would have wanted to know.) The character of 16-year-old Reggie should be given a special literary prize for Best Plucky Orphan Since Oliver Twist. Deeply satisfying and I can't wait for the next one.

19 likes · like · see review

Dec 10, 2008 Rorie rated it 1 of 5 stars

The whole time I was reading this book, I kept waiting for something to actually happen and make sense. There were so many characters and it took almost til the end of the book before they came together. Then she would have the characters make reference to so many different people and I could never remember who those people were or what role they had in the story (most of them didn't have a roll at all)
There were way too many useless words in the book. The author had every single character conti...more

13 likes · like · see review

May 15, 2009 Laurel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, suspense

This is my first Kate Atkinson book. I had wanted to read Case Histories, but my library didn't have it in, so I settled on this one. It wasn't until I started to read reviews that I realized this is actually a continuation of the series (apparently following the life of detective Jackson Brodie, though he takes a back seat in this book).

Not knowing at all what to expect from Atkinson, I was a bit startled by the opening scene: a woman is walking down a country road with her 3 children and the...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2008 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kate Atkinson was, for me, a slowly acquired taste. I'd read 'Case Histories' and 'One Good Turn' and, while I found much to admire in each book, I ended up keeping my distance, put off by the violent quirkiness of her plots and characters. In fact, I remember so little about her first book, the 1995 Whitbread Book of the Year,'Behind the Scenes at the Museum,' that I must have dropped it after the first few pages.
'When Will There Be Good News', her most recent book, made me a fan. There's plent...more

8 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads-with-jemidar, crime-fiction

I often have problems with crime fiction series. I love the idea of returning to an interesting world in the company of a well-loved character, but often the expectation of enjoyment engendered by the previous books in a series doesn't continue to be met. Well, with this series it's a matter of so far, so good. In fact, maybe it's so far, so much better. Admittedly, this is only Atkinson's third novel to feature Jackson Brodie, but it is probably my favourite to date.

This is not traditional cri...more
I often have problems with crime fiction series. I love the idea of returning to an interesting world in the company of a well-loved character, but often the expectation of enjoyment engendered by the previous books in a series doesn't continue to be met. Well, with this series it's a matter of so far, so good. In fact, maybe it's so far, so much better. Admittedly, this is only Atkinson's third novel to feature Jackson Brodie, but it is probably my favourite to date.

This is not traditional crime fiction. The action does not always focus on Jackson Brodie and he doesn't necessarily resolve all of the issues. In this novel, he shares the action with Reggie (a smart, resourceful teenager) and Joanna (the survivor of horrific childhood events). As with the earlier novels in the series, Atkinson moves the narrative along using shifting perspectives and overlapping time frames. The plot relies heavily on random connections and the layering of coincidences. In the hands of a less skilled writer, this could lead to some heavy eye-rolling. However, in my view, Atkinson makes it work. The sense of life being a puzzle, where the different pieces appear unconnected but are all required to complete the picture is a theme of Atkinson's writing; it's kind of like a literary six degrees of separation game. The fact the Atkinson writes clear, elegant prose and realistic (and often very witty) dialogue also contributes to the quality of the work.

Atkinson's style will not appeal to everyone. A reader whose taste runs to traditional police procedural style crime fiction may not like her books at all. A reader who struggles with random coincidences being an essential part of the narrative may dismiss the plot as completely implausible - which it is, on any close (or even not so close) analysis. But Atkinson's style appeals to me a lot. I like that even her most appealing characters are flawed. I like that she does not tie up everything in a neat bundle, but leaves some things unexplained. That can be unsettling in crime fiction, but it's the way it is in life.

It's going to take me a while to tire of this series. In fact, there's every chance I won't tire of Jackson Brodie and his world for as long as Atkinson chooses to keep creating it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Started Early, Took My Dog.

This was a most enjoyable buddy read with my friends Jemidar and Anna. (less)

8 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2012 Brian rated it 1 of 5 stars

When Will There Be Good News? won the Richard & Judy Best Read at the British Book Awards. It's been very favourably reviewed in The Guardian, the Sunday Times and the Telegraph, and by innumerable Goodreads members. I find this bewildering.

I very much enjoyed Behind The Scenes At The Museum, which won the Whitbread First Novel award but that was literary fiction whereas this is crime. I must admit, I don't generally read crime, though I have enjoyed John Banville's forays into the genre. S...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 08, 2008 LJ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary_post_1945, england, female_author, mystery

WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS? (Pol Proc-Jackson Brodie-England-Cont) – Ex
Atkinson, Kate – 3rd in Jackson Brodie series
Doubleday, 2008, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780385608015

First Sentence: The heat rising up from the tarmac seemed to get trapped between the thick hedges that towered above their heads like battlements.

Dr. Joanna Hunter (nee’ Mason) is the only survivor of an attack that killed her mother, sister and brother. Now, thirty years later, the man responsible has been released from prison....more WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS? (Pol Proc-Jackson Brodie-England-Cont) – Ex
Atkinson, Kate – 3rd in Jackson Brodie series
Doubleday, 2008, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780385608015

First Sentence: The heat rising up from the tarmac seemed to get trapped between the thick hedges that towered above their heads like battlements.

Dr. Joanna Hunter (nee’ Mason) is the only survivor of an attack that killed her mother, sister and brother. Now, thirty years later, the man responsible has been released from prison. Ex-detective Jackson Brodie, the one to find young Joanna after the attack, is traveling by train when it derails. Sixteen-year-old Reggie, although she looks to be only 12 but has an old soul, is a mother’s help for Joanna’s baby, Gabriel, and is being tutored by Ms. MacDonald in exchange for errands. Ms. MacDonald’s property backs onto a railway line. The lives of these four people intersect in a completely unexpected manner.

What an unusual and wonderful book! The plot is not always easy to follow, nor is it always easy to keep the characters straight, but it has some of the best dialogue I’ve ever read and philosophical insights that made me pause. It had a captivating beginning where I was drawn into the sights, smells and sounds only to be followed by the terror and regret of the scene.

The main characters were wonderful and fully-developed through the course of the story. Reggie—“…Reggie’s life was like the Ilian plain, littered with the dead.”--, in particular, is an absolute marvel and I really thought of this as her story to the point where I didn’t want it to end and I do want to know what happens to her in the future. She became just that real.

The author provides an excellent sense of place, but it is absolutely the characters that drive this story. There are a lot of coincidences—“A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen.”—but they play into the story and life is full of coincidences.

This book is not for everyone; some might find the style confusing or slow. On one hand, I would not want to be a character in this story as there are more dead people surrounding the characters than I believe I’ve ever read. On the other there were times I laughed out loud, mainly due to the author’s wonderful dialogue. It’s of the level where you want to read it aloud to others. I do wish I had learned Latin, but the internet is very useful.

I’ve not read the previous two books in this series and felt no lack of them for knowing the characters or plot in this book, but I certainly do want to go back and read them for the pure joy of indulging in Ms. Atkinson’s writing.
(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 20, 2009 Laurel-Rain rated it 5 of 5 stars

A woman and three children are living in the country; a husband is off writing his novels and having affairs – in the city – and against this backdrop, the unexpected happens. On an otherwise blissful day, an intruder stalks into all of their lives, murdering the woman and
two of her children, while another child cowers in the field nearby, unharmed.

Except, of course, for that nasty post-traumatic stress disorder that clings to her – forever.

This is the past, to which the reader is introduced, f...more A woman and three children are living in the country; a husband is off writing his novels and having affairs – in the city – and against this backdrop, the unexpected happens. On an otherwise blissful day, an intruder stalks into all of their lives, murdering the woman and
two of her children, while another child cowers in the field nearby, unharmed.

Except, of course, for that nasty post-traumatic stress disorder that clings to her – forever.

This is the past, to which the reader is introduced, followed by an influx of seemingly unrelated characters – Reggie, who is Dr. Hunter’s nanny; Louise, an unhappily-married police officer, fondly recalling a love she almost had, a long time ago; Jackson, married twice and cuckolded by a lover, whose infant child may inadvertently belong to him; and Ms. MacDonald, a former teacher, now retired. Somehow, all of these disparate individuals are connected by at
least one common thread.

A train wreck…Indeed, as one character hurtles along on a train headed toward London, or so Jackson believes, it is actually headed toward Edinburgh. When it lurches and turns on its side, its passengers tossed about, everything becomes tangled – literally. When Jackson ends up in hospital, miraculously kept alive by CPR administered by one Reggie Chase, he has the wrong ID on him. This fact sets the tale in a completely different direction.

Unbeknownst to these two characters – Reggie, the nanny, and Jackson, a former police detective – Dr. Hunter and her baby have gone missing. Ah, yes – Dr. Hunter is the former Joanna Mason, the child accidentally left alive by the murderer all those years ago – and to
compound the case even further, the murderer, one Andrew Decker, has just been released from prison.

With the alternating storylines and characters, careening toward the answers to so many questions, I kept turning these pages, almost breathless, anticipating the conclusions. And, of course, there are many surprises at the end, which makes this more than an ordinary
mystery, or a simple love story, and certainly not a predictable drama.

This writer skillfully teases the reader, pushing and pulling the facts around, until they arrange themselves in such a clever way. I found myself going back to the beginning again, wondering what I might have missed – what clue I had overlooked – in order to have been so stunned by the ending.

I have another of Ms. Atkinson’s books on my stack – "One Good Turn" – which will receive my attention very soon.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 01, 2008 Shana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008, fiction, british-writers, hachette, jackson-brodie, literary-suspense, mystery, review-copy, scotland, series, suspense, 5-0-stars

When Will There Be Good News? is nothing short of a delightful read. Atkinson gives us a sumptuous combination of wonderful well-developed characters, an engaging plot line, and the prose that I am quickly coming to expect of her - clean, subtle, and smart.

The novel is narrated alternately and in the third person by Jackson Brodie, Reggie Chase, and Louise Monroe. I quickly fell in love with all three. Incidentally, I have not read Atkinson's previous two novels featuring Jackson Brodie and did...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 27, 2008 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One of the reasons I adore Kate Atkinson so much is that her books are mysteries that you didn't know were mysteries until the very end. She has a writing style that I have found to be fairly unique. Her prose tends to border on stream of consciousness and twisted plot lines, but doesn't come off as being too presumptuous or even at times, wordy. Her gift is for creating characters that are not always what they seem and at the same time, are fully formed and believable.

Her latest book, When Wil...more One of the reasons I adore Kate Atkinson so much is that her books are mysteries that you didn't know were mysteries until the very end. She has a writing style that I have found to be fairly unique. Her prose tends to border on stream of consciousness and twisted plot lines, but doesn't come off as being too presumptuous or even at times, wordy. Her gift is for creating characters that are not always what they seem and at the same time, are fully formed and believable.

Her latest book, When Will There Be Good News? imagines a world where Joanna Hunter (in the now) is re-visited by the horror of her past, her family (mother and siblings) brutally killed when she was six in front of her. Thirty years later, the killer is paroled and Joanna suddenly disappears. The question then becomes, is Joanna Hunter the innocent she has portrayed after all these years?

This is the third book by Atkinson that features Jackson Brodie, a character she created in Case Histories, who has re-appeared in her previous book, One Good Turn. Ex-solider, ex-policeman, Brodie is now a retired millionaire whose own faults seemingly are also his weaknesses. Brodie, who this time around plays a subtle minor character in the drama as it unfolds, seemingly is one step away from the realities that surround him. What he desires and wants, is what we all desire and want an yet for Brodie, everything is almost out of reach.

As with her other books, Atkinson has a gift for sly observation and reporting on and grasping the intricies of the human condition that so many of us either can't grasp or want to forget. When Will There Be Good News? is a taut novel but this is the first of her books I have found to be a little bit more messy in the wrapping up of the plot. Things happen, and to Joanna Hunter, Reggie Chase and Jackson Brodie, they seemingly happen for a reason. We root for them in ways we cannot think we would, and we excuse them of their flaws but it is in their flaws (Brodie's and Hunter's) that seemingly were a little too gapping to make believable.

But in Atkinson's own problems with the writing, it is also her greatest strengths. Atkinson's books are not "skimming" books, you really do have to pay attention as she will throw out a word or a line of dialog that suddenly makes some prior related instances, much more sense. Once she throws that word or line out, it will not be repeated or revisited. Miss that key, and the book will not be as good as you think it could be.

I adore her plot twists and devices as it makes her books wholly full filling. I love the fact that everytime I finish one of her books, I can revsit it at another date and find something new that I missed the first time. I adore the fact that she asks questions that may not always have the easiest answers and her answers (and questions) are not presumptious or overworked.

Pick up any of Atkinson's works and you will not be disappointed -- she's not as well known in the States as she is in the U.K., but while this is not her strongest book, this will hopefully push her over the edge.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 06, 2012 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sai-king-recommends, series, mystery-thriller

Stephen King recommended book. He said: "The third, the best, and hopefully not the last Atkinson novel featuring private eye Jackson Brodie. There's a train crash, a smart and plucky teenage girl named Reggie, a missing lady doc...but the plot defies description, and I'd be a hound to even try. As a reader, I was charmed. As a novelist, I was staggered by Atkinson's narrative wizardry. You can't believe all the tangled threads are going to come together, but they do — and Atkinson makes it look...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 22, 2013 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-detective

What a joy to read! The characters are so great. With their dispositions and attitudes, the women in the novel ought to be disagreeable, but they’re not. They’re witty and too right to quarrel with. I love them; especially when things turn Deadly Women with Dr. H. And dear Jackson Brodie, single-handedly redeeming the male gender in their eyes. Love, love, love. Of course, I adore the suicidal, starfish- jumping baby, as well.

I like that Atkison can wrench our attention away from the fascinatio...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 06, 2008 Laila rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008, scotland

Kate Atkinson is a total goddess.

I am so in love with this book right now.

10/6/08 So now I've finished. Kate Atkinson knows how to write novels, plain and simple. Nothing of hers has ever disappointed me. Her books defy easy categorization. I simply did not want to put this one down! Jackson Brodie, ex-cop, ex-P.I., also in two of her other novels (read them!), is so appealing. (I envision a sort of rougher-around-the-edges Daniel Craig when I read about his character.) There are multiple lotlin...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 03, 2009 Pris robichaud rated it 5 of 5 stars

"A Coincidence Is Just An Explanation Waiting To Happen." , November 8, 2008
Coincidence as defined by Webster "the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection." Kate Atkinson is a perfectionist when it comes to coincidence. Her mystery thrillers are made of such. Into each one she weaves a story that grabs us and soon we are ensconced in the telling of the tale.

How to describe the beginning? A full cut madness that results in a family torn apa...more

like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Ross rated it 3 of 5 stars

At first I was intrigued by the slam bam start to this novel and what seemed to be a spare but entertaining style. However as the shambolic plot unfolded and coincidence piled on coincidence in the lives of the characters I became exasperated. Plot lines wandered, seemingly at random, only to eventually to be revealed as improbably connected.

I found two of the central characters, the ex detective Jackson Brodie and Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, quite unbelievable. The later because s...more At first I was intrigued by the slam bam start to this novel and what seemed to be a spare but entertaining style. However as the shambolic plot unfolded and coincidence piled on coincidence in the lives of the characters I became exasperated. Plot lines wandered, seemingly at random, only to eventually to be revealed as improbably connected.

I found two of the central characters, the ex detective Jackson Brodie and Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, quite unbelievable. The later because she would have been carpeted and suspended for her work practices in any descent police force. There are several characters who appear, I suppose, as a device to make this world seem rich, and somehow to make it more like real life. They serve only to muddy the plot and confuse or even distract the reader. Another repetitively annoying device the author uses is that all the characters have a history of at least one and sometimes multiple deaths among their family or friends, and the mayhem continues during the novel.

Apparently the character of Jackson Brodie is a continuing one. He seems like a bit of a dope in many respects and something that happens at the end of the book, which no doubt is setting his character up for a sequel ,confirms this in spades.

I would have rated this at two stars but for the following redeeming points. First, I did laugh out loud a few times, there is some appealing humor. Second, the character of the bright, even brilliant, 16 year old prodigy Reggie whose character could have sustained a novel on its own; kudos to the author for this creation.

This book might have made a half decent typical thriller TV miniseries with its multitude of characters and multiple plot lines. Its a book for an air journey or something similar where you want to burn up some time to be entertained. Which was my situation, I read it in two days. With its dense and fractured plot lines, unbelievable characters and coincidences this is not a sleek, tight, greyhound of a book, but a tongue lolling hair in the eyes big fat confused sheep dog. A bit of fun but dopey and forgettable.

The final straw for me was a crowning coincidence in the novel where there is an identity swap between Brodie and another character which has its resolution almost at the end of the book. Had this resolution happened sooner I’d have given up. Probably, if I’d been reading this casually over a week or two , I might also have given up.

I rate this barely 3 stars but only saved from rating two stars by the humor and the character of Reggie. She was really the only one I gave a damn about.
(less)

like · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Vicki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thirty years ago a young mother and her three young children are walking home with the family dog in Devon, a rural area of Scotland. A random stranger with a knife approaches and kills the mom, their dog, the 8 year old daughter and the 1 year old in his stroller. Only the 6 year old Joanna escapes. She runs into the wheat field at her wounded mother's urging, and disappears for hours.

Thirty years later a plucky 16 year old girl, Reggie Chase, talks her way into a job taking care of the nearly...more Thirty years ago a young mother and her three young children are walking home with the family dog in Devon, a rural area of Scotland. A random stranger with a knife approaches and kills the mom, their dog, the 8 year old daughter and the 1 year old in his stroller. Only the 6 year old Joanna escapes. She runs into the wheat field at her wounded mother's urging, and disappears for hours.

Thirty years later a plucky 16 year old girl, Reggie Chase, talks her way into a job taking care of the nearly one year son of Dr. Joanna Hunter while Hunter is away at work at a clinic. The chatty teen is intelligent, but from a pretty sad family situation. At 16 she is living alone in her now deceased mom's apartment. Her older brother is undependable, and probably on his way to becoming a career criminal. Other than this new job, Reggie's only bright light is her former teacher, who continues to tutor Reggie in the hopes that she can pass the tests that will allow her to continue her education. She had received a scholarship to a prestigious private school, but chose to drop out of a place she knew she would never really fit into.

Around this same time detective Jackson Brodie gets on a crowded train which is traveling away from London, his intended destination. These three separate story lines begin to come together when the train collides with a vehicle on the train tracks as it is passing through the Scottish community of Edinburgh.

Kate Atkinson is brilliant at fleshing out the details of the lives of her myriad cast of characters. In fact one tends to become quite interested in the more minor characters as well as the primary protagonists. The issue in this crime novel is not so much Who Killed Who, but how the various characters will deal with the lives and circumstances that they have been handed. Several of the main characters seem to have a literary bent, frequently quoting poetry or recalling literature that comes to their mind at appropriate moments as the story unfolds. The plot has twists, several interesting story lines, and some surprising turns toward the end of the book.

It is quite a satisfying read and I am eager to read more from Kate Atkinson. Turns out the Jackson Brodie character shows up in several of her novels...and is even featured in a BBC series called Case Histories. Kate Atkinson is definitely holding up her part to keep the British literary reputation alive and well! (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Sarah B. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-finish, given-away

Here are three reasons not to read my review of this book: 1. I didn't finish it, 2. it's the third book in a trilogy and I didn't read the first or second books, and 3. I don't like thrillers in which a deranged killer is stalking the book's characters.

So. This was a good book! The characters were interesting, and more happened to them than the mystery story of the main plot. The only reason I am not going to finish this book is that after reading two thirds of the novel, I still don't know who...more Here are three reasons not to read my review of this book: 1. I didn't finish it, 2. it's the third book in a trilogy and I didn't read the first or second books, and 3. I don't like thrillers in which a deranged killer is stalking the book's characters.

So. This was a good book! The characters were interesting, and more happened to them than the mystery story of the main plot. The only reason I am not going to finish this book is that after reading two thirds of the novel, I still don't know who many of the people in it are. One name, Andrew Decker, keeps coming up but we haven't met him and nobody in the book seems to know who he is. I certainly don't, but I get the impression that if I had read the first two books I would be riveted. I am giving up on this one because my confusion to enjoyment ratio isn't right, but I think if I were following this series I would be ripping through to the end. So: my bad. But, in my defence, I have done this before (picked up one volume of a serial mystery) and loved the book. Also, the front cover didn't indicate that this book couldn't be read without having already read the previous volumes: it didn't even indicate it was part of a series.

There were some quirks in the prose that drove me nuts and should have been combed out by its editor. The most jarring one for me was how Atkinson included retorts from absent characters in the text:

"Six o'clock," Nurse Fuzzy said. ("My name's actually Marian.")

Or:

For some reason they had their wires crossed and thought Reggie was Ms MacDonald's daughter. ("Has your mother left you alone in the house?")

Or:

He had been engaged to Josie for over two years before they married so he had no personal evidence that a long courtship was the foundation of a long marriage. ("Oh, I think we were married long enough," Josie said.)

These are EVERYWHERE and they drove me up the wall. Not once did they add something the reader hadn't already inferred from what was written before. I felt like Atkinson didn't trust her characters to speak for themselves, and she had to throw in conversational evidence that they were right. The effect was to make her characters sound uncertain, because it seemed like when one had a thought, he had to go back in his head to tell us why he thought that. It would have been a great device to show us the nervous, obsessive-compulsive interior landscape of one character, but she uses it for every character on almost every page. A few pages in, it was obviously just a crutch.

I'm not sure it I liked this book enough to go back and start with the first book so that I can read it properly. But if it had been able to stand alone apart from the other books in the series, I think I would have enjoyed it.(less)

like · see review

Mar 02, 2013 Laraemilie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As indicated by the title, When will there be good news is not a cheerful book. Actually, the story itself is quite gruesome, with numerous deaths and a succession of tragic events which seems to never stop. If it weren’t for Kate Atkinson’s obvious talent at writing, I would probably not have enjoyed such a plot.
Everything starts in Devon, when Joanna Mason’s family is murdered. Aged six years old, she is the only one to survive. Thirty years later, the assassin is released from prison.
In Edinb...more As indicated by the title, When will there be good news is not a cheerful book. Actually, the story itself is quite gruesome, with numerous deaths and a succession of tragic events which seems to never stop. If it weren’t for Kate Atkinson’s obvious talent at writing, I would probably not have enjoyed such a plot.
Everything starts in Devon, when Joanna Mason’s family is murdered. Aged six years old, she is the only one to survive. Thirty years later, the assassin is released from prison.
In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works for Dr. Hunter. But when her employer disappears with her baby, she seems to be the only one to worry about her, perhaps because Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is too busy looking for David Needler, who has just murdered several relatives.
Jackson Brodie, ex-police officer, is on a journey that could change his life, but an unexpected event occurs which turns his plans unsuccessful.
These three different stories finally come together in an amazingly thrilling plot which holds in store many surprises.
Although this book is not the first one telling of Jackson Brodie’s adventures, it is the first one I read and it turned out to be a success. I really enjoyed the writing style, which is not what you would expect in a crime novel. It is funny, full of jokes, plays on words and comic scenes; it is literary, full of quotes by famous British authors; it is contemporary, full of references to a typical English or Scottish daily life. And yet, it is full of suspense and dark events.
We are thrown into the story straightaway, witnessing a terrific crime. However, after these few pages full of tension, the pace slows down notably and we have a whole first part to gat to know the characters. Several stories are mixed together: Reggie’s, Dr. Hunter’s, Louise Monroe’s, Jackson Brodie’s... and many other people’s. The chronology is more or less linear and so we go from one person to another. In these chapters, there is not a lot of action; we get to know the characters we are going to accompany until the end of the book. The way the plot is built reminded me a lot of Harlan Coben’s novels, which always start with different stories that come together in the end.
It is only about half way through the book that we finally understand the link between these different stories. I would not say there is real suspense, because I had guessed quite a lot of the events, but it did not spoil my reading at all and the tension built up constantly in the second part. From that moment on, the rhythm of the story is a real contrast to the slow – and apparently quiet – life the characters lived at the beginning. I liked the difference and thought it was extremely well balanced; we get to now the characters first and then the action takes place.
The characters are all extremely well built and attaching. We get to know them extremely well and I particularly enjoyed Reggie, who is the real hero of the novel. Although she does not have a lucky life, she is very clever and kind as well as independent and grown-up – sometimes a little bit too much to my taste. As plays a central role in the plot, all the other characters get to know her and I liked the way their relationships slowly developed.
The great number of deaths and murders – I think that all of the characters have a member of their family who died of natural or unnatural cause – was sometimes too much for me, but although there were so many coincidences, I was not disturbed by the fact that the story was unrealistic or unlikely. This is probably due to the author’s writing style and the way she constructed her story.
In summary, When will there be good news is a good book, between psychological and crime novel. Kate Atkinson’s writing style is no doubt its biggest strength, with many touches of humour in the middle of a rather macabre story – something fresh and unexpected that will lead us through the pages.
(less)

like · see review

Feb 17, 2013 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh, my goodness!!! When will there be good news, indeed, for poor Jackson, and poor Reggie? She may as well have called the book, Jackson and Reggie Have a Very Bad Week.

But I loved it. This is the first time in a while that I have stayed up all night to finish a book (which I stupidly started rather late in the evening), much to the annoyance of my husband. I thought I'd be able to put it down! I thought it would be like the last one where I could find a stopping place, but no, nono. There's no...more

like · see review

Aug 28, 2012 Lynne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Atkinson is SO good, no one like her as she straddles the line between literary fiction and crime fiction with some of the best-drawn characters around. Always lively and amusing, eminently readable, love her.

There was an illuminating interview with her at the end of this one, the third in her Jackson Brodie (seen on PBS) series. She states that Jackson is really a woman, meaning that he has the sensibilities and feelings of women, as she doesn't really know what men feel deep down. I admit I'd...more

like · see review

Aug 04, 2012 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm still smiling thinking about this book. It is the most cleverly written book I've read in years.It is the third of a series with Jackson Brodie as the main character. The setting is an idyllic scene in the English countryside as a mother and her three children walk to their farm from a trip to the market. Suddenly, the mother warns the children to look down as they pass a strange man on the path. Joanna, a six-year-old is the only survivor. Thirty years later, the man convicted of the crime...more

like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 Kendra rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a 4 1/2. I love Atkinson's mysteries, and this is another I've had sitting around for awhile just waiting for the right time to catch up with MC Jackson Brodie, former British police detective who in this book is a private detective, victim, and hero.

There are actually several narrators here and several story lines that all come together nicely in the end. I think I enjoyed Reggie's voice the best: this self-sufficient 16-yr old has finally found an adult worthy of her admiration, and th...more

like · see review

May 15, 2012 Carl Brush rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ah, yes you are my true Kate, Kate Atkinson. I trust you, I do, enough that when you spend fifty or so pages wandering around in too much back story (after a smashing opening), I relax knowing you know the way and will take me by the hand and lead me along the right path. That everything that appears disparate and unconnected will become related in your hands. For, as one of your characters remarks, a coincidence is just two separate events awaiting an explanation.
I know, Kate of my consolation,...more

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What happened?	5	100	Nov 19, 2012 08:25pm

combine
Other Editions (30)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

Kate Atkinson: When Will There Be Good News?

1 comment

Genres

Mystery

355 users

Mystery > Crime

88 users

Thriller

30 users

European Literature > British Literature

28 users

Cultural > Scotland

26 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

25 users

Contemporary

23 users

Adult Fiction

18 users

Suspense

17 users

Mystery > Detective

15 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson was born in York and now lives in Edinburgh. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and has been a critically acclaimed international bestselling author ever since.

She is the author of a collection of short stories, Not the End of the World, and of the critically acclaimed novels Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, Case Histories, and...more

More about Kate Atkinson...

Books by Kate Atkinson

Started Early, Took My Dog (Jackson Brodie, #4)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About When Will There B...

3 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from When Will There Be Goo...

“Oh, God. What was happening to her, she was turning into a normal person.” — 13 people liked it

“A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen” — 4 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: When Will There Be Good News?
avg rating	preview: When Will There Be Good News? Goodreads rating: 3.94 (12540 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3289281-when-will-there-be-good-news?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344270223l/3289281.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3289281-when-will-there-be-good-news?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson[/url]

When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie #3)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website