Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Boxes within boxes, dolls within dolls, worlds within worlds...", 12 Dec 2006
In a book that is more fun than any other book I've read all year, Kate Atkinson creates a series of bizarre characters, all involved with murder--either planning it, committing it, or trying to avoid it. Many seemingly unrelated characters, involved in several seemingly unrelated plot lines, make their appearance in the first fifty pages. During the four days in which the novel takes place, however, these characters and plots start to overlap and eventually come together, until, at the end, the reader is smiling with pleasure at the brilliant plotting and ironic twists of fate--full of admiration for Atkinson's skill in bringing it all together with such panache.
In the main plot line, an Edinburgh automobile accident leaves "Paul Bradley," a mysterious man and innocent victim, at the mercy of a crazed, baseball bat-wielding Honda driver. A witness, Martin Canning, the timid writer of Nina Riley mystery stories, reacts instinctively to the impending carnage, hurling his laptop at the Honda driver and saving "Paul Bradley" from certain death. A second set of characters revolves around Graham Hatter, the wealthy developer of Hatter Homes, who is in trouble for bribery, money laundering, and fraud in the building of cheap tract houses.
Jackson Brodie, former cop and private investigator, in Edinburgh for a drama festival in which his girlfriend is involved, introduces a third plot line when he discovers a woman's body on the rocks beside the ocean. It washes out to sea, nearly drowning him when he tries to retrieve it. Sgt. Louise Monroe, who lives in one of the Hatter Homes and whose son is a petty thief, is assigned to investigate the report of the body Brodie claims to have seen. Additional threads involve a housecleaning company/escort service, a second-rate comedian who "comes to dinner," and events which took place in Russia some years ago.
Full family backgrounds and work histories are given for all the characters, and it is through these that the reader often detects some of their interconnections. Ironies abound, and as characters' dreams are revealed and their fantasies are explored, the reader comes to know them--until Atkinson reveals even more surprises and shows how much we have yet to learn. With action that comes fast and furious, devious plot twists, and deliciously dark humor, Atkinson crafts a novel that proves one of Jackson Brodie's maxims: "A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen." By the end of this novel, all the explanations have happened. Mary Whipple
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic sequel, 11 Jan 2007
A fantastic murder mystery that keeps you guessing throughout. It follows the story of Jackson Brodie, an ex-policeman and ex-private investiagtor. He's in edinburgh for the festival and stumbles across a road rage incident and two murders, all closely connected. Various wonderful characters appear, each chapter written from a different viewpoint. It is a very intricate mystery with plot twists everywhere. Incredibly well written and a fantastic plot. I highly recommend reading case histories, the first book, as it will provide so much background to the characters. It's a bit of fun to read, not an average crime novel, it's more upbeat. I fully intend to read all of the author's other books she is fantastic. Highly recommended.
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29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic characters, great plot, loved it!, 23 Aug 2006
I bought this as soon as it came out as I loved Case Histories. Yes, it's different in style to her previous books such as Behind the Scenes at the Museum, but that doesn't mean it's not as good. There are some very witty moments, but it's also an intriguing detective story that really does keep you gripped. Jackson Brodie is stubborn, cynical, frustrated and dogged and yet somehow vulnerable and almost loveable here as he struggles with the fact that he is no longer a police officer and therefore not in charge of the investigation and has to come to terms with single-mum officer Louise running the show (another cynical character, but I warmed to her as I got to know her). Gloria Hatter is a wonderful creation - her life is as dull as one of Graham's homes but still I found myself growing quite fond of her, too - some of her reflections and actions are pure Victoria Wood though. The insights into an author (Martin's) life are interesting - wonder how many of these little neuroses Ms Atkinson herself has, such as looking up reader reviews on Amazon...!
It's a great story with plenty of twists and turns and I'd really recommend it.
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