Case Histories

A Novel

By: Kate Atkinson

Narrated by: Susan Jameson

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Case One: A little girl goes missing in the night.

Case Two: A beautiful young office worker falls victim to a maniac's apparently random attack.

Case Three: A new mother finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making - with a very needy baby and a very demanding husband - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.

Thirty years after the first incident, as private detective Jackson Brodie begins investigating all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge.

©2004 Kate Atkinson (P)2005 BBC Audiobooks Ltd.

Kate Atkinson is simply brilliant!

All her books are wonderful. Her great analytical mind, her sense of humor, her extremely well developed plots, her wonderful cop Jackson Brodie, etc etc...
I loved Reggie, I already miss Reggie. Please bring back Reggie !

Interesting story, GREAT READER!

Where does Case Histories rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Probably in the top 20% -- not the absolute greatest, but kept my attention.

Would you be willing to try another book from Kate Atkinson? Why or why not?

She does a good job writing about relationships, so I'd probably try her again.

Which scene was your favorite?

Nothing really stands out, which would be my only criticism of the book. With so many stories, sometimes it was hard to figure out who was speaking. It was particularly difficult to determine the time period, as there was a lot of movement.

Any additional comments?

The speaker was fabulous with accents and voices.

Delightful writing

Fun from start to finish. Wry. Ironic. But telling a dark story. This was my first Atkinson. I will listen to more.

The narration makes this come alive.

Although Kate Atkinson's novels can go on and on a bit, the narration of this one made the story very enjoyable. The lovely English accent of Susan Jameson gives this story life! The characters are like so many people you know and her skill as a narrator brings out all the subtle humor within the story. The story begins with 5 separate case studies, so different and unconnected that one wonders how they will ever be brought together. They are finally entwined together with many little surprises.

Less true crime than it is annoying diatribe.

Probably better to read the actual physical book as the storyline jumps around a lot and it's hard to follow without seeing the separation in print. The author is unusually mean to some of her characters. There was a lot of focus on the character's internal dialogues and virtually no focus on the investigation. Lastly, the reader's accent seemed to flit around without reason, it was very distracting.

Put two and two Together

So many characters. Reader must stay carefully tuned in. How does one write so many words about each personality? Quite enjoyable to read. I look forward to other Kate Atkinson stories.

Very vivid characters, intriguing twists, and....

...occasionally some sexually explicit words and scenes. The plot is well written, leading the reader merrily along the proverbial garden path via a whole lot of red herrings. Most of the plot lines are tied off by the end of the book, but there are plenty of open-ended issues to encourage readers to explore the rest of the series.

Good

I liked the narration. The story was pretty good. I would rate it 4/5.

Trippy book

I liked this book a lot, it was really different. At first, the story seemed disjointed. You are slowly introduced to the tie-ins but it comes together smoothly. The characters in the stories are explored and exposed. The ending was kind of abrupt, I thought I missed something. I liked the narrator. She had perfect delivery and emotion. I was looking forward to listening to the second in the series, but it is abridged. I don't do abridged. Instead I look forward to listening to the third in the series, which has been highly rated. Give this one a try.

Beautifully read murder mystery

While the story is read beautifully, in the end it is quite disappointing. Four disappearances/murders are carefully described. A hero appears who is determined to find the villains who did them, and the writeup promises that they will all be surprisingly related. But by the end of the book only one case is resolved, and no relationship is shown with any of the other cases. Basically, the writing just peters out, giving a very blah impression.