Case Histories - Kate Atkinson

I was extremely glad that a friend recommended this book to me. It came as a total

(and pleasant) surprise. The opening chapters (or case histories) outline three seemingly unconnected crimes perpetrated over three decades. All are mysteries and reveal apparently violent deaths. Then a private detective (Jackson Brodie) is revealed. He is asked to investigate each crime independently of each other. Gradually the characters - relatives of the three people who have died - begin to interweave into each others lives. Jackson also has a history that also parallels the lives of these characters and the victims lives. There are so many twists and turns, surprises and shocks abound. Kate Atkinson is a good writer, she develops her characters clearly and they become people. She doesn't overload us with unecessary details, and isn't overconcerned with demonstrating how well researched her books are, so although this is set in Cambridge we don't get a tourist guide. Ms Atkinson is also clever enough to make sure that we really want to know what the destinies of the characters might be - but she leaves it to our imaginations to fillin in the blanks. Rating: a worthy 8/10