Case Histories
Case Histories (2004) is a detective novel by British author Kate Atkinson and is set in Cambridge, England. It introduces Jackson Brodie, a former police inspector and now private investigator. The plot revolves around three seemingly unconnected family tragedies – the disappearance of a three-year-old girl from a garden; the murder of a husband by his wife with an axe; and the apparently motiveless murder of a solicitor's daughter. Case Histories has been described as Atkinson's breakthrough,[1] and she has since published four additional novels featuring Brodie: One Good Turn (2006), When Will There Be Good News? (2008), Started Early, Took My Dog (2010) and Big Sky (2019).
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Kate Atkinson |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Jackson Brodie |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-60799-5 |
| OCLC | 491944628 |
| Followed by | One Good Turn (2006) |
Plot
'Case Histories' tells the story of Jackson Brodie, a private investigator who tries to find out the truth of some cases. Brodie meets some people who reclaim his help to solve their cases
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews found this novel revealing the talent Kate Atkinson showed in her first award-winning novel, “back on form”[2] with this story. Atkinson is “a gripping storyteller”.[2] This is a “compulsive page-turner that looks deep into the heart of sadness, cruelty, and loss,” which “ultimately grants her charming p.i. ... a chance at happiness and some measure of reconciliation with the past.”[2]
Adaptations
- An abridged audiobook adaptation of the book was released, with Jason Isaacs narrating the book.
- An unabridged audiobook version of the book, narrated by Susan Jameson.
- A three-part television adaptation of Atkinson's first three books in the Brodie series was produced for the BBC under the blanket title Case Histories (2011). It stars Jason Isaacs as Brodie. The adaptation of Case Histories itself was shown over consecutive nights on 5 June and 6 June 2011,[3] followed by adaptations of One Good Turn (2006) and When Will There Be Good News? (2008) over the succeeding two weeks.
See also
References
- Sacks, Sam (1 April 2013). "Déjà Vu All Over Again". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "Case Histories, Review". Kirkus Reviews. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- "Case Histories". BBC television. Retrieved 12 June 2019.