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.

Not a typical mystery

I got this book despite some negative reviews because many people said it was really good. The story was good and eventually I did become engaged in it, despite the fact that the first chapter was really quite annoying. I think the narration harmed the book rather than helped it, the narrator was fine when just reading but as soon as she did dialogue her voice became very grating and men and women took on a strange high pitched tone which made many characters very unlikeable. I think this book would be better in paper form and I do plan on getting the next one but will probably read it myself although I might listen carefully to the audible preview to see if the different narrators do a better job.

Unbearable narrator!

This may be an enjoyable book; I couldn't tell. The narrator raises her voice every time a character speaks—and not only the volume, but the pitch, so that I had to dive to turn down the volume every time there was any dialogue. I gave up after five or six chapters.

Why can't narrators simply READ books instead of trying to (over)-dramatize them?!

Disjointed yet compelling

I like this book with some reservations. I especially liked the unexpected witticisms sprinkled throughout ,especially with Julia and Amelia. Still, the sex lives of these two was given way more attention than it deserved. It certainly didn't contribute to the mystery. As an American who loves mysteries,I found the loose end of one of the case histories annoying. Another reader said she thought she had missed something. I agree. I even re-read the closing chapters but discovered I didn't miss it, it wasn't there. Still an interesting plot development that kept me reading.

Beautifully written mystery

A highly entertaining read, with plenty of turns and twists, Kate Atkinson is a master of the English language.

Well read but not as advertised.

The book was well read and obviously well written but I was disappointed as the book came to the end. The cases didn’t come together as I expected and had been waiting to hear.

Prepare to be anti-social for 10 hours

This is one of those books that I usually find myself rationing, making myself turn it off to last longer. But this time--well, I got a lot "done" that needed hands and feet but not a lot of attention. Not too far into it I thought it sounded familiar and realized it was the book on which the PBS mini-series was based--somehow that added to, rather than distracted from, the pleasure of the whole thing. Atkinson is great at drawing characters. This is a terrific book, beautifully narrated.

Great book lends itself well to audio

Book was personally recommended and I needed something to engage me while working out —this audio book nailed it. Would’ve given 5-star performance except actor reading gave the child (Marley) a cringe-worthy voice. Highly recommend audio version also for long drives, clearing out your head, etc.

Great storytelling & perfect narration

I kept listening to each chapter twice to make the book last longer. It was an enveloping set of stories, with distinct characters that reminded me sometimes of Honeyman's "Eleanor Oliphant" and written with the intelligence and dark wit of Shirley Jackson or Margaret Atwood, and a little Tana French twist.

Wasn't what I expected

The book had lots of character development and the stories were woven throughout. An interesting way to present the material. Just wasn't what I was expecting at the time.

Entertaining! Worth a Credit!

This has been on my radar for a long time, when I search " mysteries similar to Agatha Christie's books" this one almost always pops up on the lists that I see- I'm just sorry it took me so long to finally get to it!! My only complaint is that it seemed to drag on in some areas- there was one character's p.o.v. that I felt was just too repetitive- like once we understand how she thought that was enough but it went on and on throughout the book, tediously. Other then that, the plots, the characters, the protagonist and setting were excellently fleshed out - and narration was quite good. I highly recommend especially if u enjoy British mysteries. There is some foul language, some sex talk and some talk of drugs- in regards to possible " suspects" mostly- just a warning for anyone who doesn't like that. I enjoyed this immensely and will be reading/ listening to the rest of the series ASAP