- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday UK (Oct 6 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385607997
- ISBN-13: 978-0385607995
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.2 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 599 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,019,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this ambitious fourth novel from Whitbread winner Atkinson (Behind the Scenes at the Museum), private detective Jackson Brodie—ex-cop, ex-husband and weekend dad—takes on three cases involving past crimes that occurred in and around London. The first case introduces two middle-aged sisters who, after the death of their vile, distant father, look again into the disappearance of their beloved sister Olivia, last seen at three years old, while they were camping under the stars during an oppressive heat wave. A retired lawyer who lives only on the fumes of possible justice next enlists Jackson's aid in solving the brutal killing of his grown daughter 10 years earlier. In the third dog-eared case file, the sibling of an infamous ax-bludgeoner seeks a reunion with her niece, who as a baby was a witness to murder. Jackson's reluctant persistence heats up these cold cases and by happenstance leads him to reassess his own painful history. The humility of the extraordinary, unabashed characters is skillfully revealed with humor and surprise. Atkinson contrasts the inevitable results of family dysfunction with random fate, gracefully weaving the three stories into a denouement that taps into collective wishful thinking and suggests that warmth and safety may be found in the aftermath of blood and abandonment. Atkinson's meaty, satisfying prose will attract many eager readers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Like Donna Tartt in The Little Friend (2002), 1995 Whitbread winner Atkinson (Behind the Scenes at the Museum) here combines a compelling narrative drive with sophisticated psychological portraits and telling detail. Artfully exploiting the conventions of the detective novel while also sending them up, Atkinson gives us Jackson Brodie, the world's most empathic private eye, who seemingly channels his clients' grief while attempting to provide closure. Addicted to the plaintive songs of female country-and-western singers and heartsick over the breakup of his marriage and his separation from his daughter, Jackson becomes friend and confidant to the people who seek his aid. One of his cases involves the florid, bickering Land sisters, who, after cleaning out their father's house upon his death, are stunned to find the bedraggled blue bunny that was their sister's most prized possession before she went missing 30 years ago. Another case concerns lonely, obese Theo, who, out of concern for his daughter's safety, insisted that she work in his law office rather than as a bartender, only to find that he put her directly in harm's way. As Jackson methodically tracks down decades-old clues, Atkinson employs omniscient narration to step in and out of crime scenes both past and present. Playful humor, an impressive technique, and an offbeat detective with a penchant for weeping are the most obvious pleasures of a page-turner that succeeds in being both brainy and thoroughly entertaining. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Intricate,
By
This review is from: Case Histories (Mass Market Paperback)
This is one intricate and plot driven novel.Three crimes that happened years earlier (cold cases) are been looked into by newly hired private investigator, Jackson Brodie. Mysteries surround each of the cases and in all of them those left behind have clearly been damaged by the experience. Ms Atkinson weaves a complicated tapestry in telling these diverse stories. She jumps from past to present and from case to case and inevitably overlaps the same story, telling it differently, a literary maze, leaving you wondering if everything will ever come together. Although the stories are compelling enough, they have too many details and characters making it hard to follow everything. Several scenes lacked credibility; they appear to be written to please a soap opera audience not a mystery novel aficionado. The novel left me unsatisfied. On the up side, Ms Atkinson has a unique style of writing; her prose is lively with razor-sharp observations, wry phrases and black humour. It takes adjustment to appreciate this author, I must say after reading two novels I am still trying to adjust...
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing Book - Buy This novel. NOW!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Case Histories (Hardcover)
Jan 1st, 2006 - I just finished the last page of this amazing novel a few minutes ago and was compelled to post a review immediately. I was quite surprised to find the review section for this novel on the amazon.ca site "empty" - though I strongly suspect a visit to the amzaon.uk site would reveal numerous five-star write-ups. We were convinced to order the book just a few weeks ago when Stephen King recommended this novel as the number one read of the year in his year-end Entertainment Weekly column. Although I have become a bit skeptical of Mr. King's opinions recently - he was bang-on on this one! This tightly crafted, superbly written British novel is a gripping mystery (or rather set of mysterIES), a touching heart-wrenching collection of "case histories" of violent and tragic loss (that hits particularly hard for any parent), and an amazing mix of suspense, drama, comic relief and tragedy. The editorial summary on this page is sufficent to give you an overview of the plot so I won't waste time. To say too much of the story might rob readers of the sheer joy of discovering this novel, and it's complex web of interlocking stories, so I'll say nothing other than that the stories intertwined within the novel are gripping and compelling. Ms. Atkinson has written an incredible novel which left me amazed at the brilliance of the endings (and there are a number). A Warning - find yourself the necessary time and isolated space to sequester yourself away in order that you might savour the last sixty pages of this book in un-disturbed peace - and the time necessary afterwards to then tell all your friends about this book. The best novel of 2005 for me was the last novel I read this year - "Case Histories" is wonderful.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!,
By
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
