With Case Histories, Kate Atkinson invests the detective novel with a gravitas and emotional range that few authors are capable of. On one level, the interweaving investigation of three separate criminal cases by the maverick private eye Jackson Brodie is pure thriller heaven; impeccably structured, twisty and unpredictable. But there is also a more profound dimension to this incredible book, one that examines grief, loss and family dysfunction with a perceptive, generous eye and a big heart.
The first Jackson Brodie novel by the prizewinning, number-one bestselling author of Life After Life and Transcription: literary crime from a master storyteller.
Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet - Lost on the left, Found on the right - and the two never seem to balance. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune, his own life haunted by a family tragedy, Jackson attempts to unravel three disparate case histories and begins to realise that in spite of apparent diversity, everything is connected...
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9780552772433
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 303 g
Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 26 mm
Her best book yet, an astonishingly complex and moving literary detective story that made me sob but also snort with laughter. It's the sort of novel you have to start rereading the minute you've finished it - Guardian
Sharp humour, together with a number of unexpected twists makes this a typically pacey and intelligent read - Daily Mail
A greedy feast of a story by a masterful author...A profound, exciting and lingering read - Daily Express
Triumphant...Her best book yet...A tragi-comedy for our times - Sunday Telegraph
To read it is to enter a hall of mirrors...Part complex family drama, part mystery, it winds up having more depth and vividness than ordinary thrillers and more thrills than ordinary fiction...A wonderfully tricky book - New York Times
As satisfying as anything dreamed up by Raymond Chandler, but the beauty of the novel lies in its spot-on characterizations, pitch perfect observations of contemporary culture and a sharp, wisecracking narrative voice - Time Out
Shot through with sharp, black humour, and introducing a loveable hero in Brodie, this is storytelling that satisfies at every level - Marie Claire (Book of the Month)
Atkinson is very good indeed... more satisfying than many detective novels. Everyone who picks it up will feel compelled to follow it through to the last page - Guardian
Brilliantly playful, witty and original... massive and consistent talent for comedy - The Scotsman
Intriguing and affecting... she has also created a compelling central chracter in world-weary private investigator Jackson Brodie, who is determined to bring justice to all the lives that lie fractured around him - Red (Book of the Month)
The thing I most looked forward to in Case Histories was the process of deduction by which P.I Bradie solved the all the long-forgotten cases he was confronted with. It may seem a little escapist to expect all the... More
A pleasant read, but not as good as I had hoped or expected.
I read this quickly before it was on TV, it was an enjoyable read so did not take long anyway. Having read other Kate Atkinson books before this one I was not enamoured. This one however is excellent. There are many... More
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