Case Histories

By Kate Atkinson,

Book cover of Case Histories

Book description

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 new mother finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making - with a very needy baby and a very demanding…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked Case Histories as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I recommend this book and the author’s fabulous writing, comprising of dread and humour (which I love), all rolled into one. Three separate case histories, interlinked, each littered with fabulous, memorable characters. Jackson Brodie, the Detective trying to solve the case, is one of the best, with brilliant detective skills and a haunting personal life.

An intriguing mix of family drama and mystery, giving it more depth than just an ordinary thriller. I have read this book many times, and it’s always new, never boring, and the ending is still a surprise.

From Debbie's list on mystery books that keep you guessing.

All Kate Atkinson’s books are beautifully written, with wicked observation, but what I love about them most is the reality of her characters. 

None is more addictive than her detective, Jackson Brodie. I chose this book, not just because it’s the first in the series, but because it moved me so much. I have read it over and over again and each time it makes me cry. I want to take Theo, who still yearns for his murdered daughter, into my arms and comfort him. 

Like me, you will want to know what happened to the little girl who disappeared…

Kate Atkinson has a serious talent for making a reader care about anyone she describes. She weaves deeply moving stories whether she’s telling us about grown sisters still caught in a tragedy from their childhood, a young mother driven to desperation by poverty and loneliness (and, yes, by being a young mother), or the detective who tries to find closure for them.

I couldn’t get enough of these characters and gladly followed them to the next books in the series.

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