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Case Histories

(Jackson Brodie)

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Case Histories

By: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Susan Jameson
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The first Jackson Brodie novel: literary crime from the prizewinning, number-one bestselling author of Big Sky and Transcription.

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...

'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

© Kate Atkinson 2004 (P) Penguin Audio 2014

 Cosy Mystery Police Procedurals Private Investigators

Critic Reviews

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
Sharp humour, together with a number of unexpected twists makes this a typically pacey and intelligent read
A greedy feast of a story by a masterful author...A profound, exciting and lingering read
Triumphant...Her best book yet...A tragi-comedy for our times
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
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
Shot through with sharp, black humour, and introducing a loveable hero in Brodie, this is storytelling that satisfies at every level
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
Brilliantly playful, witty and original... massive and consistent talent for comedy
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
All stars
Most relevant
I loved this book & I'm very happy with the performance. The story is well layered and captivating

brilliant book & great performance

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I was super sad when I finished this really clever novel.
Awesome plots and marvellous characters.
Brilliantly narrated.
Can’t wait to read something else by this author.

Everything about it was terrific!

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I found my way to Kate Atkinson based on other recommendations with similar genre. This is her second book I have tried (Shrines of Gaiety) and have come to the conclusion they are just not for me. I acknowledged I had read out of order (due to availability) and that reviews of Shrines appeared to suggest it was not one of Atkinson’s best and so decided I needed to start from the beginning with Case Histories.

As per other reviews, the book begins quite promisingly setting up the case histories with strong descriptions particularly regarding the relationships in each case. However, from there it was a slog to even finish the book and I found myself quite bored and put off by the ongoing vulgar descriptions.

I found all the characters completely unlikeable and it was hard to enjoy being in any of their chapters. For a series setting up its main character in Brody I wondered what would pull me to continue reading content he is in, he appears quite dull indeed. I understand Atkinson may be sending a message against the usually righteous main character or altruistic nature of humanity but it results in a rather depressing and unrewarding view of human nature that I do not enjoy in immersive reading.

In conclusion, I think the structure of interwoven stories was original and different and others may find this book very enjoyable but I won’t be continuing into the Jackson Brody universe.

Not for me

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Story bounced from character to character, and across time. It was very confusing to follow. Constant referring to other characters- so. many. names. So between the protagonists and the characters being talked about I found it’ll the story lines very hard to follow.

A shame, as the narration was perfect, and mysteries were interesting enough so I persevered, despite being irritated at many points.

Disorienting, though beautifully read

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I’ve read this book previously but decided to listen to the audio book. The narrator is just fabulous and really brings what is an extraordinary book to life. Thank you!

Top rate narrator

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