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 Edinburg. 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 attack. Case three: A … attack.
Case three: A new mother finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making – with a very needy baby and a very demanding husband – until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.
Thirty years after the first incident, as private investigator Jackson Brodie begins investigating all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge . . .
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Love Jackson Brodie. A must for anyone who likes character driven novels.
Great detective story.
The first book by Kate Atkinson I have read. I enjoyed the writing style, humor, and insights into behavior. I also liked the intricacy of bouncing between stories and between past and present, expertly interwoven. The case histories are interesting and leave you wanting to read on to solve the mysteries. For the most part, I liked Jackson Brodie very much and felt the frustrations in his personal life, but at the end, he fell a notch in my estimation of him in his choice of love interest. Some of the coincidences in the plot were far-fetched and the ending a bit too pat in the denouement, but overall a very enjoyable, page-turning read.
A slow burn-as it took me a while to get engaged in the rhythm of the book-In fact I almost gave up on it-Glad I revisited it -There is a lot packed into the case histories -as well as following the life of our illustrious protagonist -pseudo detective Jackson Brodie.
At times I felt somewhat overwhelmed though intrigued by the characters -They are a mismatched lot with psychologically dysfunctional histories -bordering on sociopathic/ erotopathic and psychopathic behaviours .The culmination brings all loose threads to a place where they become as one-Whether its sufficient for the reader will depend on ones viewpoint. A well written tome-but probably not your average bedtime story .
This is only mystery I can remember reading where the detective doesn’t seem to do much and solves the several mysteries that are the “case histories” almost by accident. This is definitely not an “action-packed” story. That is fine with me. I loved Kate Atkinson’s writing and voice, so I kept reading happily. and I am curious to read more of her work.
A most enjoyable book creating a most entertaining hero, Case Histories is a wonderful introduction to Jackson Brodie. Kate Atkinson seems to be one of those people who never forget anything they have ever learned or read. They author’s observations pepper the entertaining narrative with paragraph after paragraph of whimsical humor. This book is an absolute delight!
Out of five stars, I would give this six if I could. Tremendous plotting, very clever twists, turns and dialogue, and the characters are real. Love the series.
A young child who disappears in the 1970s; a husband murdered by his wife as their new-born baby screams; and a teenager brutally murdered on her first day at work. Cold cases which land at the door of Jackson Brodie decades later; as if he doesn’t have enough problems of his own to deal with. Can he help three families find the answers they are looking for?
Kate Atkinson brings her usual elegant prose and complex narrative devices to bear on what would otherwise be standard crime thrillers. The writing from multiple viewpoints is impressive; the characters are well-developed – some more likeable than others. And the twists and turns are too numerous to count. I loved this book and thoroughly recommend it.
Quirky storyline. Well written.