Case Histories Book

The scene is set in Cambridge with three case histories from the past: A young child who mysteriously disappeared from a tent in her back garden; An unidentified man in a yellow jumper who marched into an office and slashed a young girl through the throat; and a young woman found by the police sitting in her kitchen next to the body of her husband an axe buried in his head. Jackson Brodie a private investigator and former police detective is quietly contemplating life as a divorced father when he is flung into the midst of these resurrected old crimes. Julia and Amelia Land long having given up hope of uncovering the truth of what happened to their baby sister Olivia suddenly discover her lost toy mouse in the study of their recently-deceased father. Enlisting Jackson's help they embroil him in the complexities of their own jealousies obsessions and lust. A woman named Shirley needs Jackson to help find her lost niece. Amidst the incessant demands of the Land sisters Jackson meets solicitor Theo Wyre whose daughter Laura was murdered in his office and now that the police case has been closed is desperate for Jackson to help him lay Laura's ghost to rest. ; As he starts his investigations Jackson has the sinister feeling that someone is following him. As he begins to unearth secrets that have remained hidden for many years he is assailed by his former wife's plan to take his young daughter away to live in New Zealand and his stalker becomes increasingly malevolent and dangerous. In digging into the past Jackson seems to have unwittingly threatened his own future.This wonderfully crafted intricately plotted novel is heartbreaking uplifting full of suspense and often very funny and shows Kate Atkinson returning to the literary scene at the height of her powers.

A fascinating story of three unsolved mysteries and private investigator Jackson Brodie?s efforts to solve them many years later, Case Histories is a brilliantly written and unpredictable tale from Kate Atkinson. The author?s suspenseful and dramatic writing captures the reader?s imagination; drawing them into the characters and their lives, with Brodie very much being at the forefront. Filled with irony and mordant wit, this superbly constructed mystery tale is riddled with fascinating noir twists that keep the reader guessing until the very end.

To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet - lost on the left, found on the right - and the two never seem to balance. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune...