November 26, 2008

One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson


After finishing Case Histories I was very keen to read more of Kate Atkinson's books - and other people were also recommending this plan. One Good Turn was not a disappointment. I don't know what it is about this author's writing but she seems to be able to take the most mundane circumstances, events or even people and make them seem extremely interesting!

I'm not usually a murder-mystery reader but I loved this story of inter-woven plots and characters. A blurb from the author's website:


It is summer, it is the Edinburgh Festival. People queuing for a lunchtime show witness a road-rage incident — a near-homicidal attack which changes the lives of everyone involved: the wife of an unscrupulous property developer, a crime writer, a washed-up comedian. Jackson Brodie, ex-army, ex-police, ex-private detective, is also an innocent bystander — until he becomes a murder suspect.


One Good Turn sees the return of Jackson Brodie, the character we first meet in Case Histories. I have to say I didn't bond with Jackson as a character quite as well in this book - he seemed to just be in the way a lot of the time, but the new characters more than make up for this. I highly recommend these books - especially this one for the twist at the end which I did not see coming at all.

3 comments:

Sarah said...

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! When will there be good news is just as good, so hope you read that as well.

Karen said...

Hi Sarah - I have just picked it up from the library today! have you read any other Kate Atkinson books? If so, are they as good?

Ελλάδα said...

Kate Atkinson's characters are fun, quirky, and completely unique. Individually and together, they carry the plot along many twists and turns. A master of mystery, Atkinson kept me guessing until the very end.