Case Histories Book 5/50

Why look! I've read another book. And it's a mystery. And there's apparently a TV series based on it staring Jason Isaacs as the lead. Oh, happy day!

If you haven't read this book and enjoy mysteries, you should consider this as your next read. It's a bit different from your standard mystery novel (you know the type...murder occurs, brilliant investigator gets drawn in, all loose ends are tied up by the final page). There are certainly murders. I'm not so sure the term "brilliant" is the first to come to mind with Atkinson's protagonist, but he is not unintelligent either. And it doesn't wrap everything up for you with a neat, pretty bow at the end...which is oddly refreshing and sincere. But it has its moments where you might find yourself thinking What are the odds of that happening? or That's a bit over-the-top, Kate. Yet the mere fact that Atkinson manages a decent job of juggling three major murder plots needs to be applauded.

Also impressive is Atkinson's choice to present each chapter from the perspectives of various characters. She's not giving us first person accounts but instead a slightly different take of the same events. For example, in one chapter the reader gets an understanding of particulars from the p.o.v. of Jackson Brodie, the private investigator. He attends a funeral with the Land sisters and curiously eyes one sister's bizarre choice of brightly colored leggings. He thinks her mad and odd. A few chapters later, from the perspective of the Land sister who secretly pines for Brodie's affection, it is understood that this woman feels encouragement from him having checked out her legs that day, oblivious to his true intentions. An interesting observation on how skewed two interpretations of the same occurrence might be.

While this book may bring some novelty to the classic detective tale, there was definitely some room for improvement. With the three mysteries initially linked solely by the fact that the parties involved had contacted Jackson Brodie for assistance, Atkinson tries too hard to pull other commonalities into the story lines. Forcing the plots to weave together felt just that...forced. And implausible. That combined with some über-cliché detective plot devices (including the cutting of the detective's breaks! plus a classic car chase!), this book could have benefitted from just a wee bit more editing.

Of course, as I was reading this book, I was simultaneously casting the film/TV series in my head (unaware at the time of the existence of the TV series mentioned earlier). Perhaps it was the recent performance of Daniel Craig as the "detective-like" lead in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo that made me picture him for Jackson Brodie (and was actively trying not to since I already associated him with Mikael Blomkvist). But Jason Isaacs is a perfect pick! Can't believe I didn't even think of him! But I must admit that the Julia and Amelia I had pictured were of a slightly older look than the Natasha Little/Fenella Woolgar pairing that the BBC chose to assign. Guess I'll just have to watch the series once it airs again in order to make my final ruling on the subject. Just twist my arm, PBS! But first I'll have to read the other two books in the series, One Good Turn and When Will There Be Good News?