Case Histories

October 25, 2004
In this ambitious fourth novel from Whitbread winner Atkinson (Behind the Scenes at the Museum
), private detective Jackson Brodie—ex-cop, ex-husband and weekend dad—takes on three cases involving past crimes that occurred in and around London. The first case introduces two middle-aged sisters who, after the death of their vile, distant father, look again into the disappearance of their beloved sister Olivia, last seen at three years old, while they were camping under the stars during an oppressive heat wave. A retired lawyer who lives only on the fumes of possible justice next enlists Jackson's aid in solving the brutal killing of his grown daughter 10 years earlier. In the third dog-eared case file, the sibling of an infamous ax-bludgeoner seeks a reunion with her niece, who as a baby was a witness to murder. Jackson's reluctant persistence heats up these cold cases and by happenstance leads him to reassess his own painful history. The humility of the extraordinary, unabashed characters is skillfully revealed with humor and surprise. Atkinson contrasts the inevitable results of family dysfunction with random fate, gracefully weaving the three stories into a denouement that taps into collective wishful thinking and suggests that warmth and safety may be found in the aftermath of blood and abandonment. Atkinson's meaty, satisfying prose will attract many eager readers. Agent, Kim Witherspoon. (Nov. 9)

Forecast:
Blurbs from Rachel Cusk and Jim Crace and elegant, subdued jacket art should remind readers that Atkinson crosses genres, attracting readers of literary fiction as well as thrillers.

Olivia is the favorite child in the Land family; one morning when the family wakes, she is gone. Laura is Theo's favorite child, but on the first day of her summer job, before leaving for university, she is murdered. Private detective Jackson Brodie is hired years later to solve the mysteries of these events. But this is no conventional murder mystery. It is the story of how people can change when such important events remain unexplained and how our lives can be intertwined in ways in which we are not aware. Susan Jameson is flawless in her creation of a myriad of characters--the snipped tones of the buttoned-up Amelia Land, the unsubtle lengthening of words by the flirtatious Julia, the permanent anguish of Theo, and the frustration of the young mother when her husband wakes the fussy baby. Each character has recognizable tones and moods. A wonderful story and performance. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine