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Case Histories

(Jackson Brodie #1)

Kate Atkinson

3.83 · Rating details · 80,693 ratings · 6,400 reviews

The first book in Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie Mysteries series, called "The best mystery of the decade" by Stephen King, finds private investigator Jackson Brodie following three seemingly unconnected family mysteries in Edinburgh
Case one: A little girl goes missing in the night. Case two: A beautiful young office worker falls victim to a maniac's apparently random att ...more

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Paperback, 389 pages

Published October 17th 2005 by Back Bay Books (first published September 1st 2004)

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Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1)
by

Kate Atkinson

Release date: Oct 17, 2015

The first book in Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie Mysteries series, called “The best mystery of the decade” by Stephen King, finds private investigator ...more

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Apr 02, 2019 Jaline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-completed

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series. I have read three of her other novels, and as I said in one of my reviews, if I could be an author, I would want to be Kate Atkinson – or, at the very least, be able to write with her vast toolbox of skills and imagination.

This novel, the first of the series, is indeed about ‘case histories’. Jackson Brodie had a rough personal life in ways that are gradually revealed throughout this novel. Professionally, he was in the arm I wasn’t sure what to expect from Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series. I have read three of her other novels, and as I said in one of my reviews, if I could be an author, I would want to be Kate Atkinson – or, at the very least, be able to write with her vast toolbox of skills and imagination.

This novel, the first of the series, is indeed about ‘case histories’. Jackson Brodie had a rough personal life in ways that are gradually revealed throughout this novel. Professionally, he was in the army, then he joined the police force. Now, at the age of 45, he is a private investigator – and suddenly he has 3 cases to solve.

There is a chapter dedicated to each case history, but they were not written from Jackson Brodie’s notes. Cleverly, Kate Atkinson drew me in immediately by having each case study narrated by people directly involved. This gave a backdrop to the story that was cleverly done – it was so visceral and real from the start.

Subsequent chapters are narrated by Jackson Brodie himself as well as some of the people we met in the case histories. There are small time shifts throughout, and where this could have been a distraction in the hands of a less accomplished writer, Kate Atkinson utilizes this to give us added perspective. As we all know, two or more people can experience the exact same thing, yet their interpretation of it can be separated by the length of an Olympic size swimming pool – or more. By observing the same situation through more than one set of eyes, I felt that I was somewhat closer to the truth of what happened, as truth loves to flutter its wings both to clarify and mystify.

Novels gave you a completely false idea about life, they told lies and they implied there were endings when in reality there were no endings, everything just went on and on and on.

Although this novel is far from a comedy, there were times when I was literally laughing out loud. The characters in this novel have unique perspectives on their lives and the lives of their friends and family. Some are witty and some sarcastic, while others, like Jackson Brodie himself, have a self-deprecating sense of humour that has its own particular bite.

When the various threads of Jackson Brodie’s cases start to pull together, some force comes along and blows them apart. Yet, thread by thread and bit by bit, Jackson does resolve at least two of the cases. Of the third, we are led to draw a very solid conclusion without it being stated.

Because you couldn’t make time, she’d been deluded about that. Time was a thief, he stole your life away from you and the only way you could get it back was to outwit him and snatch it back.

By taking the time to read this novel, I felt richly rewarded. At this point, I don’t have the luxury of time to spend on novels that don’t enrich my life in some way. This one accomplished that purpose with both finesse and intensity. I loved it.
...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Kinga rated it it was ok

Shelves: pub-2004

This should actually get two stars only but me and Kate Atkinson go way back. I read her 'Behind the Scenes in the Museum' when I was a newbie to the grown-up literature and I loved it. I am quite afraid to go and revisit it now because after reading 'Case Histories' I am not sure if Atkinson can actually write.

This is some sort of psychological drama/crime story, so you don't expect the writing to knock you of your feet. However, quite often I read that Atkinson writes 'literary crime fiction' ...more

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Mar 30, 2019 Paromjit rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-fiction, netgalley, mystery

This is the first in Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series, and is a reread for me. I first read this many years ago and I still harboured dim and distant, vaguely unsatisfying, memories of the book, this time I found it a much better experience, the cold case mysteries slotted together with greater ease on a second reading. One of the mysteries, of course, is Jackson himself, a retired ex-cop, with an ex-wife, and a daughter that lives with her mother, and now working as a PI. He unravels murde ...more

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Jun 07, 2017 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-shelf, e-book, british-mystery

Case Histories- Jackson Brodie # 1- by Kate Atkinson is a 2007 Little, Brown and Co. publication.

Jackson Brodie, private detective, has an interesting case load: A father looking for the man who viciously murdered his daughter, an elderly lady with so many cats, Jackson must help her look for them, a pair of eccentric sisters looking for the truth about their missing sister, and the sister of an ax murderer is looking for her runaway niece.

The cases are ones where a client wished to investigat ...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5000-2019

I first read this many years ago and although I know I enjoyed it very much I could not remember any details at all. It all came back very quickly once I started reading.

Case Histories is a very apt title as the book starts with three very different cold cases, each apparently independent of the others. As the book progresses the wonderful Jackson Brodie appears and in his hands it turns out the cases are not completely separate after all. Brodie is an excellent character who gets by despite lif ...more

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Jul 18, 2007 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-crime-detective

This is one of the best detective novels I have read in a really long time. Set mostly in Cambridge, England, it's the story of a private detective as he tries to solve three cold cases (I mean, REALLY cold - the most recent crime is still 10 years old) as they all interweave and mix in with personal life. In theory, the plot is nothing special; some missing persons and murder cases, and the details are revealed as the story develops, and the detective's personal life is a mess and someone is tr ...more

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Dec 31, 2008 Annet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: very-british, weird, europe, crime

Well, I finally finished this one. It's hard when you have so little time to read. In the beginning I thought the story was a bit slow and I couldn't get in the story very well, but I guess that's more my own problem, reading no more than a few pages each day, having to read back all the time to get into the story again. The last days I spent time with this book and found the interwoven stories quite special as well as the way it all comes together. I love Jackson. And the stories and characters ...more

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Sep 26, 2013 PattyMacDotComma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites-adult, re-reads, aa

4.5★
“Right up until the end Victor’s mind had been as methodical as an efficient library, whereas Amelia felt that hers was more like the cupboard under the stair where ancient hockey sticks were shoved in beside broken hoovers and boxes of old Christmas decorations, and the one thing you knew was in there – a 5-amp fuse, a tin of tan shoe polish, a Philips screwdriver – would almost certainly be the one thing you couldn’t lay your hands on”.

Kate Atkinson has a satisfying knack of presenting a ...more

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Aug 18, 2008 Jon rated it liked it

I'm less enthusiastic about this book than Nikki. I certainly enjoyed the author's wry humor; her characters were both thoroughly imagined and presented with great empathy; and her detective was unique. I also appreciate authors trying to stretch the mystery genre and find ways to alter its railroad-track kind of plotting. All to the good. But her attempt at plot manipulation was confusing at first and eventually just annoying. She told three (or four, depending on how you count) different murde ...more

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Sep 24, 2009 Lobstergirl rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: fiction

I really, really disliked this book. I was ready to put it down by page 20, but slogged on. If this was supposed to be a "literary thriller," it failed miserably on both accounts. On top of Atkinson's cliched writing style, there were multitudes of plot strands that were ridiculously and not credibly interwoven; many parents (again, not credibly) indifferent to their children; a toll of murder, death, attempted murder, rape, and sexual abuse that had risen almost too high to count by the end (gr ...more

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May 07, 2011 Kim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction

What a joy it is to not only discover an author I haven't read before, but to read a book which I did not want to put down! That is the effect that this novel had on me. As a long-time reader of crime fiction, it is also a joy to read such a literate and character-driven mystery, which does not fit neatly into any particular crime fiction sub-genre. While crimes are committed and a detective is there to solve them, neither the crimes themselves nor their resolution are what makes the novel live
What a joy it is to not only discover an author I haven't read before, but to read a book which I did not want to put down! That is the effect that this novel had on me. As a long-time reader of crime fiction, it is also a joy to read such a literate and character-driven mystery, which does not fit neatly into any particular crime fiction sub-genre. While crimes are committed and a detective is there to solve them, neither the crimes themselves nor their resolution are what makes the novel live and breathe.

For me, this is primarily a novel about relationships: in particular the relationships between siblings and those between parents and children. Atkinson describes warm, loving relationships, relationships made brittle by loss and fear, and relationships destroyed by time and circumstance. The theme of "lost girls" is explicitly raised and reiterated within the narrative: a much loved youngest sister is missing, an adored daughter is murdered, another daughter is lost. These are the seemingly random but ultimately inter-connected cases investigated (or not) by Atkinson's detective protagonist, Jackson Brodie. However, Brodie does not stand apart from the victims: his relationship with his daughter and his siblings is woven into and becomes part of the overall story arc.

There is so much I love about this novel. The characters themselves are wonderfully brought to life. The narrative technique, with its shifts in point of view and time, its folding back on itself as parts of the story intersect with other parts is clever, but not annoyingly so. While the narrative does rely on coincidence, in the context of this novel that felt okay. Actually, not just okay, but right, because all readers have experienced random coincidences which come from nowhere and yet profoundly affect their lives. The language is clear and crisp. There is suspense (I wouldn't have read the novel in two sittings had this not been the case!) and there is emotion. I laughed and I cried and from time to time I even gasped. As a reader I can't really ask for much more than that.

If this novel is an example of the general calibre of Kate Atkinson's writing, then I'm really looking forward to reading more. Highly recommended for readers who like character-driven narratives and who don't need their crime fiction to slot neatly into a particular genre.

...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Ines rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Here I am, I have just finished the book and I find myself baffled and surprised by what I have read.... I want to start immediately with my review "ugly, dirty and mean" but this time I try to hold back and explain better why this book does not stand and it is a shadow of something else.
The supporting plot that is presented at the beginning is definitely intriguing, you are thrown the right amount of curiosity to go on reading and understand what happened to little Olivia...
and it is right here Here I am, I have just finished the book and I find myself baffled and surprised by what I have read.... I want to start immediately with my review "ugly, dirty and mean" but this time I try to hold back and explain better why this book does not stand and it is a shadow of something else.
The supporting plot that is presented at the beginning is definitely intriguing, you are thrown the right amount of curiosity to go on reading and understand what happened to little Olivia...
and it is right here, after the presentation of Olivia's family, that are presented slowly, always on more' different time plans, the various cases...
Unfortunately, the technique of short and broken locutions cannot be used with master or skill by Atkinson, but they create, in my opinion, a kind of confusing, hasty or even neurotic writing. Yes, just so, because the characters that are presented are a concentration of cases as from "psychopathology of everyday life encyclopedia" if not even practically psychiatric... Amelia, Julia and Michelle...
In the daily life of these people, who are presented little by little ... .. also starting from the family of jackson himself, there is a daily amoral experience, pathological relationships and wickedness that end up preventing you from creating a "affection" for them...
The only character who ultimately saved himself from this life based on the satisfaction of immediate impulses is Theo, with his tragedy in Laura’s death, perhaps the only one, despite the messy life that manages in some way, to create a relationship of "good", a little 'healthier than the "masnada"(gang in italian dialect) of the other characters.
Theo is also the only character, in my opinion, to save himself from the utter despair of parental incapacity that reigns as queen in this book..... not only in the desperate cases that will be presented, but just as "modus vivendi", the basis of all this macrocosm presented by Atkinson...
Atkinson’s ability to create suspense is noexistent, zero, so you should know right away... the end is thrown to you like an appetizer arrived late at your table in the restaurant...
An embarrassing ending, especially because the joints of the stories do not hold, they are so thin and in a logical way, unsustainable... in Italian you have to say " Che cazz!?!" in English perhaps less vulgar......" What!?
(sorry for my terrible english!)

Eccomi, ho appena finito il libro e mi ritrovo sconcertata e sorpresa da quello che ho letto..... mi viene da partire subito con la mia recensione "brutta,sporca e cattiva" ma questa volta cerco di trattenermi e di spiegare meglio perchè questo libro non si regge in piedi ed è un' ombra di qualcos'altro.
La trama portante che ci viene presentata all'inizio è sicuramente intrigante, ti viene lanciata la dose giusta di curiosità per andare avanti nella lettura e capire che fine abbia fatto la piccola Olivia...
ed è proprio qui, dopo la presentazione della famiglia di Olivia, che vengono pian piano presentati, sempre su piu' piani temporali differenti, i vari casi...
Purtroppo la tecnica degli incisi corti e spezzati non riescono ad essere usati con maestria dalla Atkinson, ma creano a mio avviso, una sorta di scrittura confusionaria, frettolosa se non addirittura nevrotica. Si, proprio così, perchè i personaggi che via via vengono presentati sono un concentrato di casi da "Psicopatologia della vita quotidiana" se non addirittura praticamente psichiatrici.... Amelia e Julia e Michelle/Shirley...
Nella vita quotidiana di queste persone, che man mano vengono presentate... ma anche a partire dalla famiglia di jackson stesso, vi è un quotidiano di vissuto amorale, relazioni patologiche e cattiverie a non finire che ti impediscono di creare un "affetto" nei loro confronti....
l'unico personaggio che alla fin fine si è salvato da questa vita basata sulla soddisfazione di impulsi immediati è Theo con la sua tragedia nella morte di Laura, forse l'unico, nonostante la vita incasinatissima che riesce in qualche modo a creare una relazione di "bene" un filino piu' sana della masnada degli altri personaggi. Theo è anche l'unico personaggio, secondo me, a salvarsi dalla totale disperazione di incapacità genitoriale che regna regina in questo libro..... non solo nei casi disperati che verranno presentati, ma proprio come "modus vivendi" ormai di base di tutto questo macrosmo presentato dalla Atkinson...
La capacità della Atckinson di creare suspenze è pari a zero, quindi sappiatelo già da subito......la soluzione dei casi non arriva pian piano tramite indizi dipanati con saggezza nella trama, no, ti vengono schiaffati, buttati come un antipasto arrivato in ritardo in ristorante....
Un finale imbarazzante, soprattutto perchè gli incastri delle storie non reggono, sono così labili e al livello logico insostenibili... che in italiano ti viene da dire " che cazz!??" in inglese forse meno volgare......"What!?". ...more

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Mar 28, 2020 Carolyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: private-investigator, mystery, cold-case, 2020

Jackson Brodie, ex-army, ex-police is working as a PI when three cold cases are brought to his doorstep. One involves the killing of a beloved teenage daughter still missed by her father ten years later, one is the case of a missing child presumed dead thirty years before and the third is woman looking for her niece, estranged as a baby, who would now be twenty five. Seemingly unconnected and unsolvable after the time that has elapsed, all three cases will be solved by Jackson over the course of ...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Teresa rated it really liked it

Definitely a page-turner! And one that relies not on plot alone, but on character development much more, which makes it my kind of page-turner. I truly didn't ever want to put it down.

I ended up feeling that I knew these people and missed them when I was finished. Atkinson is deft at handling several complex storylines and, as only some of the characters' stories end up overlapping (at least as far as they know), I appreciated the realism of some events being known by only the reader. I also en ...more

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May 31, 2014 Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: author-i-want-to-read-more-of, murder-mystery, favourite-author, 5-star, favorites, detective-fiction, crime, thriller

EXCERPT: Rosemary married their father Victor when she was eighteen years old - only five years older than Sylvia was now. The idea that Sylvia might be grown up enough in five years time to marry anyone struck Rosemary as ridiculous and reinforced her belief that her own parents should have stepped in and stopped her marrying Victor, should have pointed out that she was a mere child and he was a thirty-six year old man. She often found herself wanting to remonstrate with her mother and father a ...more

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Mar 27, 2008 Emily rated it it was amazing

Shelves: greatbooks

This book falls under 2 genres - mystery and family drama - and I would argue that it is much more than the sum of its parts. Every character was incredibly real, incredibly flawed, and incredibly complex. Having said that, Case Histories feels like a light read because of Atkinson's great wit.

Atkinson has a talent for weaving together 3 seemingly unrelated stories, all with themes loss, innocence, and healing. While many of the characters are female, the central character is Jackson Brodie, a ...more

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May 12, 2012 Richard Derus rated it it was ok

Pearl Ruled: CASE HISTORIES by KATE ATKINSON

Rating: 2* of five (p102)

First of the hugely popular Jackson Brodie series of mysteries set in Scotland, this book comes super-positively blurbed by Stephen King, recommended by site royalty, and could not possibly have left me more flat, uninterested, and even impatient.

"The rain's easing off," he said, and Caroline said, "Yes, I think it is." He stood up and escorted her outside. The dogs had been asleep and now made a great performance of welcoming

...more

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May 16, 2016 Kelly rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, melancholia, brit-lit, examined-lives, goth-goth-baby, woundedsoulsandfragileflowers, 20th-century-postwar-to-late, owned

To be honest, I thought this book was a bit of a mess. The subject matter was often compelling and I deeply appreciated her focus mostly on character rather than plot (which was an especially good choice not only because it played to Atkinson's strengths in psychological drama, but because was pretty easy to guess the resolution of each plot not long after it appeared). She does fairly convincing atmosphere, too. And she definitely committed to her unlikeable characters until the end.

But it's on ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 Cherie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I can not get used to this writing style of rambling. It is like reading the jumbled and erratic thoughts of someone who is easily distracted. One thought or subject is not completed in a paragraph before it is changed onto something completely different, and it usually has nothing at all in common with the prior subject being discussed or anything at all in common with the paragraph or even the chapter. This was distracting and made me impatient. It is like having a conversation with someone wh ...more

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May 26, 2016 Bill Khaemba rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-rated-books, fav-2016, mystery

“She should have done science, not spent all her time with her head in novels. Novels gave you a completely false idea about life, they told lies and they implied there were endings when in reality there were no endings, everything just went on and on and on.”

I have been in a reading slump but this book was exactly what I needed… I wanted a cool crime novel; I got that and something very different...

I enjoyed this book immensely; I had the 4th book in the series in hardcover so I decided to g ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Tania rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best, 2020, favorite-books, suspense

“Because that was how it happened: one moment you were there, laughing, talking, breathing, and the next you were gone. Forever. And there wasn’t even a shape left in the world where you’d been, neither the trace of a smile nor the whisper of a word. Just nothing.”

Kate Atkinson's Life After Life is one of my all time favorites, so I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to start this series.

This is an addictive read (I couldn't put it down once started, so finished it in two sittings), the wri ...more

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Jul 05, 2018 Antoinette rated it really liked it

This is Kate Atkinson’s first Jackson Brodie mystery, I have to say she is a very talented writer. The story simply flows effortlessly- considering there are 4 storylines, that is truly amazing.
We are introduced to the cases one by one and then we follow Jackson as well as the key players in each case. Each case is riveting. Her skill in maneuvering each story line is perfection.
When it comes to mysteries, I find it best to go in not knowing too much about the book. If you like unique mysteries ...more

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Dec 18, 2014 Diane Challenor rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: our-amazon-library, absolute-favourite, our-audiobook-library, series-jackson-brodie

Amazingly good. I didn't want to put it down and I didn't, until I finished the book, 48 hours after beginning, Phew! I'm not a fast reader but I found this a real page turner. It isn't a thriller, but it's a fantastic mystery. I read it and listened to it. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent. It won't be long before I read the next one in the series. I just have to catch my breath first.

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Mar 26, 2020 Sara rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-aty-challenge, american, detective

I am not a fan of detective novels or police procedurals, but this was written by Kate Atkinson and I have found her other books marvelously inventive and never boring. I’m glad I decided to chance it, because Jackson Brodie is an individual, not a cliche, and Atkinson’s approach to this genre is different than most, as well.

Jackson is a private detective with four cases, and they are different cases, just as a real detective might have. Each of them is interesting and each solved in a realistic ...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Sue rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: mystery lovers

Shelves: britain, read-in-2011, mystery, favorites

This is the second of Atkinson's Jackson Brodie mystery novels I've read. I've previously enjoyed One Good Turn. To briefly summarize what others have already mentioned, in this novel, Brodie takes on three cold cases and deals with a variety of individuals who vary from eccentric to criminal, from engaging to seemingly insane. Their stories, and the stories of the old crimes, are set up carefully and with wonderful detail, wending their ways back and forth through the book. We see the story thr ...more

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Nov 23, 2015 Arielle Walker rated it it was ok

Shelves: disappointing, crime-thriller

Gahhh, what a mess. The three "case histories" are "connected" by complete coincidence, and only the tiniest possible amount, the characters are complete caricatures and the entire plot was contrived and overblown. I've heard a lot about Kate Atkinson, most of it amazing, but this does not tempt me to read any more of her books... Though it could be worse, I suppose. At least she can string a coherent sentence together.

NOTE: I have since read Life After Life and it is worlds away from this mess. ...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Anna rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, mystery-crime, read-in-2011

I really liked this. It's not your conventional detective mystery; despite a missing toddler and two murders, its emphasis is on the characters rather than the crimes.

Detective Jackson Brodie is dealing with his own emotional baggage, as are the various family members of the three cold cases he's investigating. The result is tragic, quirky, confusing, surprising, frustrating, compelling. I read it in two sittings, such is its complex pull.

Recommended if you like something a little different.

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Aug 02, 2011 An Odd1 rated it did not like it

Hodge-podge jumbles sad incoherent unpleasant British murders and warped porn glimpses into a dark vision of humanity. The least hint of warmth, love, is buried, more by atrocities of average citizens gone wrong than extreme villainy, like Holocaust butcher next-door. I lasted for some of the exposition, then skipped to find closure.

Chapters jump from 1970s to 1990s, then names, tangle people, then unravel mysteries. At the start, cute sweet toddler disappears from own back yard, stranger slice ...more

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Jun 18, 2008 Julie Christine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: british-isles-theme-setting, contemporary-fiction, mystery-crime-thriller, read-2013, best-of-2018, read-2018

Third read of this and it gets better each time.

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Jul 16, 2015 Paul E. Morph rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2016

In Case Histories, Kate Atkinson gives us a detective story unlike any other I’ve read. Normally, in detective novels, the reader sees things through the eyes of the detective, who is usually the main or only protagonist, and tries to solve the case alongside him or her. This classic ‘who done it’ formula is a lot of fun for fans of the detective genre (like me) but it’s not one Atkinson chooses to use.

In this novel, Jackson Brodie (ex-army, ex-police, ex-husband, current private detective and f In Case Histories, Kate Atkinson gives us a detective story unlike any other I’ve read. Normally, in detective novels, the reader sees things through the eyes of the detective, who is usually the main or only protagonist, and tries to solve the case alongside him or her. This classic ‘who done it’ formula is a lot of fun for fans of the detective genre (like me) but it’s not one Atkinson chooses to use.

In this novel, Jackson Brodie (ex-army, ex-police, ex-husband, current private detective and father) has three cold cases to solve. The first is that of a young girl who went missing in the middle of the night three decades ago. The second is the ten-year-old murder of a promising university graduate. The third is the case of the young housewife who murdered her husband with an axe twenty five years ago.

Normally, the friends and relatives of the murder victim serve in the role of suspect or supporting character. We see their point of view only through the eyes of the detective. However, in Case Histories, we meet these characters long before we meet the detective and we continue to walk in their shoes for the entire length of the book. These characters are as much the protagonists of this story as the detective. We see much more of their lives than we normally would in a detective novel and, in this way, the book becomes less about solving the crimes (although that is dealt with, obviously) and more about how to keep living after the loss of a loved one shatters your existence into pieces.

The story isn’t told in a linear fashion; the timeline jumps about a fair bit, filling in missing pieces of the plot as it goes. While this is undeniably clever, I actually found this narrative technique to be disruptive in places, as it pulled me out of the story and reminded me I was reading a book rather than living these events with the characters.

It’s not a perfect book; in addition to the previously mentioned disruptive effect of the jumbled timeline I also found some of the mysteries of the various storylines to be more than a little obvious. This wasn’t helped by a section where the detective muses over the ages of the missing individuals and the ages of the people who have recently entered his life via these investigations. It’s too easy to match these ages up and work out who is who, despite their changes of identity, and it’s a little painful that the detective doesn’t immediately come to the same conclusions.

Apart from this, I enjoyed this book. Atkinson’s prose is excellent and her dialogue feels natural. Each character has a distinctive voice; as the plot jumps around in time and location you still know which character you’re reading about before they are mentioned by name. The characters all feel like real people; they all have flaws as well as virtues and you never feel you’re reading about an idealised or simplified version of them. While the book may not have been as good as I’d hoped it certainly wasn’t enough of a disappointment for me not to continue with the series. Plus I bought all four books together, so I’ll be reading them all no matter what. ...more

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Mystery thriller: Obese man named Otis? searching for man in yellow sweater who killed his daughter [s]	4	41	Jun 26, 2018 07:23PM

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About Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson

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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 she 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, ...more

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