I read Kate Atkinson's When will there be good news and could not wait to finish it - all of one evening so my expectations were very high with this one! It started slowly and for me it was disconcerting as it seemed disjointed if that is an adequate description. It seemed bits of a jigsaw puzzle which I could not seem to fit at all.
It was after over 80 pages into the read that I got into the swing of it and began to enjoy the story. Though Jackson Brodie the sleuth in the book which is part of a series, it does not matter reading one of them as they seem to stand alone as each story is not connected at all to the other.
Without trying to give out very much of the book the story is set in several parts and in different time frames. Jackson comes out of retirement to find out the birth parents of Hope who is now settled in New Zealand happily, and is just mildly curious about her original family. In trying to uncover this story - the real story begins. We have unsolved murders, prostitution, corruption in the police to add spice to the story.
The other part of this story is that Yorkshire also had its fair share of serial killers. Although prostitutes were the main victims, several other girls also fell victim to this killer. What is the connection between Hope's story and the serial killer victims.
This was the complicated part and where the book gets complex and interesting at the same time. Apart from the actual crime, the people in the book are funny, absolutely down to earth and real and you can visualise each character as they play their part in the story. A very good
read.
I have seen this book on the shelves but until your review didn't actually know what it was about. Kate Atkinson is one of those authors I think I should read but never actually get round to reading.
ReplyDeleteNot for me, it's the kind of book I would rather watch a BBc series of :)
ReplyDeleteJust today I posted my review of When Will there be Good News. I am definetely looking forward to this book. Thanks for your review.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit jealous that you got to enjoy this one; it is on my wish list. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteI've got When Will There Be Good News waiting patiently on my bookshelf, glad to hear both these books are good. Thanks for your review :)
ReplyDeleteGreat reads here! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI Haven't read Kate Atkinson yet. I always wondered if you had to read the Brodie books in order. Thanks for this review.
ReplyDeleteI loved the one Atkinson book I read - Case Histories - but haven't gotten around to any others yet. This one does sounds like one I'd enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI've read the previous Jackson Brodie books by ATkinson, but this one I'm not so sure about.
ReplyDeleteI liked your review though. Maybe I'll rethink the whole thing.
Thanks.
I wasn't as crazy about When Will There Be Good News but I liked it well enough to know that I wanted to try more Atkinson. Sounds like this is the one to pick up!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, good luck to Sri Lanka in the cricket championships!
Havent read anything by this author yet - sounds as if it would be worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and leaving a lovely comment!
Gill x
Never managed to get into Kate Atkinson's novels although I read a collection of her short stories which I liked very much. I need to try the novels again ...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this book! I hope to get to it soon.
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