Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

The abduction of a three year old child from her backyard in the middle of the night.

The murder of a young woman in her father's law office.

The murder of a husband by his wife in front of their infant daughter.

Each case is horrific enough on its own, now thirty years after the occurance of the first, all three have come to the attention of ex-police inspector Jackson Brodie. 

For the life of me, I couldn't imagine how author Kate Atkinson was going to pull these stories together.  The only thing they seemed to have in common, was the grief of the victims' families.

I enjoyed the back and forth arguing and sisterly concern/love between Julia and Amelia.  It was obvious that the two had never got over the abduction of their youngest sister and that they truly did imagine her living her life somewhere safe.

Retire lawyer Theo Wyre is a father torn by grief.  I can't imagine what a parent would go through at the lose of a child in such a traumatic manner.  I found his character intriguing.  He would feed his daughters the healthiest of foods, yet comsume huge quantities of very fatty foods himself.  He knew he should exercise, yet would cheat and take a taxi.  So real.

This story would have been nothing without Jackson Brodie, ex-Police Inspector turned Private Investigator.  His life is a mess, divorced, small business that is possibly failing, lack of a love life, and now 3 clients who want him to solve the seemingly impossible.  oh yeah, and then there is his very first client, Binky Rains, a slightly nutty old lady who constantly calls Jackson to find her supposedly missing cats.  She really didn't do anything active in this story, but as a passive participant she was invaluable.

This mystery will keep you guessing right to the final pages.  I look forward to reading about the next cases of Jackson Brodie in 'One Good Turn'.

Thanks to Hachette Book Group for this review copy.

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