Here is your Advent Calendar book for today.
"Who can you compare Kate Atkinson to? I hesitate to try to compare to 'mystery' writers because her stories are more than that, but how about Margaret Atwood, Margaret Millar, Helen MacInnes, P.D. James, Holly Roth, Minette Walters. Michael Gilbert or Hillary Waugh. Now I'm just naming names. Anyway, it's the richness and intricacy of Atkinson's stories and the wonderful characters she creates that I enjoy about her writing. Whether it's the Jackson Brodie 'mysteries' or the Todd Family. She has a knack for drawing you in and making you go back and forth in time, from character to character that makes her story - telling so fascinating.
When Will There Be Good News? is the 3rd book in the Jackson Brodie series, which started with Case Histories which was published in 2004. There are now five books in this series, with a new one coming out in 2024!! Yay!!! While this is a Brodie mystery, the real star is teenage girl Reggie, baby-sitter to the Hunters, 'student' & helper to former teacher, Ms. MacDonald and sister to troublesome, Billy.
But, wait, let's go back a step. The story starts with the Mason family, mother, three children and dog walking along a country lane, returning home. Dad is absent, having made them move to the country, then basically abandoning them. One of the children is Joanna Mason (who will become Joanna Hunter, see the first link?). A stranger comes upon them, with tragic results, leaving only Joanna, hiding in the corn fields. (some crop anyway.)
Back to the present, where Joanna Hunter is now a GP with a little boy and a dog and a somewhat useless husband. Reggie, parentless due to the death of both mother, who she misses, and father, who she cares not a whit about, survives on her own and works for the Hunters.
Events are going to take a quick turn for the worse. DCI Louise Monroe (who has featured in the other Brodie books) tells her that the murderer of her family is being released from prison and the press are looking for her. Events begin to spiral after this, making for an exciting story.
Hey wait a minute, you say! What about Jackson Brodie? He is in the story. Heading home to London from some sort of case, to meet his wife, he discovers that he's on the wrong train, instead heading to Edenborough. And there is a train crash, just outside where Reggie is staying, waiting for Ms. MacDonald to return home. So there is Jackson, who will ultimately play a role in resolving this intricate, fascinating story.
But it's Reggie who is the real hero. When Joanna disappears, she is the one who prods and pokes Louise and Jackson to find out what happened. She is the one who is being terrorized by 'friends' of Billy, her waste of space brother. She is the one who takes the dog from the Hunters and keeps it safe. Such a wonderful character, brave, smart, mouthy, in a good way.
It's a beautiful story which wanders around from character to character, delving into their pasts, into their lives, filled with snappy dialogue and neat little connections that satisfy and excite you. If you've never read an Atkinson story, you don't know what you're missing. I loved it. (4.5 stars)"
Enjoy your upcoming week.
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