Case Histories Book Review
Kate Atkinson’s First Mystery Weaves Together Three Unsolved Crimes
Mar 27, 2009
This is Atkinson’s first venture into the mystery genre, and the years of writing novels has given her plenty of skill. In Case Histories, she carefully illustrates similarities in three cold case murders from over a 20-year period.
Case No. 1
The first crime is the disappearance of three-year old Olivia Land. Her older sisters discover that she is missing from their backyard tent in 1970. No trace of the girl was ever found until many years later. After the father dies, her two surviving sisters find a clue amongst his belongings.
Case No. 2
The next murder is that of Laura Wyre, a young woman gunned down in a law firm where she is employed. One of the attorneys happens to be the victim’s father, Theo, who is left grief-stricken following her murder. The gunman is never caught.
Case No. 3
The final plot line involves Michelle, a young mother and wife, overwhelmed by her present situation. She lives with her husband and baby girl in a small cottage where they are just getting by. In the heat of an argument, she ends up killing her spouse with an axe.
Jackson Brodie
Somehow private detective Jackson Brodie is able to piece together these complicated puzzles despite many obstacles. One is a non-professional relationship he develops with one of the Land sisters. Another problem is that someone is trying to do him harm, and he narrowly escapes a serious attempt on his life.
Brodie is a chain-smoking former policeman and a retired soldier from the army. He is recently divorced and trying to deal with his ex-wife and teenage daughter while establishing himself as a private eye. His business is bankrolled by an eccentric old woman who plays a small role in the story.
Despite the gruesome nature of the crimes, Atkinson uses the stories of the survivors to bring out humanity and sympathy. She shows the difficulty Brodie has in dealing with his clients’ sorrows, adding more dimension to his character.
Cases Closed
The truth in all three of the incidents needs to be unearthed in very individual ways. Brodie’s crime-solving abilities are put to the test as he doggedly solves the perplexing cases. Conclusions are reached, but he is guessing up until the end. Atkinson takes readers back in time to the day of each crime, and the stories unfold and to reveal the answers.
One Good Turn and When Will There Be Good News? are Atkinson’s follow-up novels with Brodie. More puzzles and problems seem to follow him in these stories as well.
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Publisher: Little Brown & Co.
ISBN: 0136010707
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