Case Histories - Kate Atkinson

Not being a regular novel reader I found myself surprised to be drawn in to the cover of case histories on the book shelf. I immediately thought it would be a dark thriller from the eerie brown and mystical front cover. But upon starting to read it I found my self surprised by the contents. Case histories is a slightly confusing book to get your head around at first with the ever changing story line. There are three stories all rolled into one and the book frequently flits between the three just as one is about to reach its climax. The book is filled with suspense, cliff hangers and tension ... more

Kate Atkinson first burst onto the scene with her witty, funny and original "Behind The Scenes At The Museum". Since then she had written another two novels and a book of short stories in her inimitably quirky style. "Case Histories" is her fourth novel. The book begins in a somewhat bewildering fashion. The first three chapters are all, apparently unconnected, notes about cases involving disappearances and murders which have never been solved. A little girl who disappears, a teenager the apparent victim of a random killer and a disturbed wife who axes her husband. The fourth chapter then ... more

One summer evening, 3 year old Olivia Land sleeps in a tent in her back garden with one of her sisters and the family dog. In the morning, Olivia has disappeared, never to be seen again. Some thirty five years later and Jackson Brodie, an ex-army ex-cop turned private investigator, is handed her favourite blue rabbit toy, found by one of the Land sisters who discovered it in her Father's locked desk draw after his death. The sisters want an answer, they want to know what happened to Olivia that dreadful summer's night. Jackson Brodie may on face value seem like the standard type of man you ... more

One hot summer night 3 year old Olivia Land mysteriously disappears from a tent in the garden where she was camping with her sister, never to be seen again. Thirty-five years later, her sisters discover her favourite toy, blue rabbit, locked in their father's study desk after his death forces them to have a clean out. Wondering if their father knew more about their sister's disappearance than he was letting on, the sisters hire a private detective, Jackson Brodie, to investigate. Jackson has a lot on his plate - recently divorced, he has a strained relationship with his ex-wife and is trying ... more

For me, Kate Atkinson is one of those authors who can absolutely hit the mark, or whose works leave me cold and wondering what all the fuss is about. 'Case Histories' is her fourth novel since the wonderful 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum', and marks a return to the warm, cynical and quirky style that I love. The book begins with three shocking crimes; a small girl disappears while sleeping in a tent in her back garden; a promising young student has her throat brutally slashed by a manic stranger; a stressed young mother is driven to sink an axe into her partner's head when her baby won't ... more