When Will There Be Good News?

A Novel

By: Kate Atkinson

Narrated by: Ellen Archer

On a hot summer day, Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment later, Joanna's life is changed forever.

On a dark night 30 years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a shocking sound.

At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little TV. Then a terrifying noise shatters her peaceful evening. Luckily, Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for an emergency.

These three lives come together in unexpected and deeply thrilling ways in the latest novel from Kate Atkinson, the critically acclaimed author who Harlan Coben calls "an absolute must-read".

©2008 Kate Atkinson (P)2008 Hachette Audio

A great story ruined by horrible narration

I love Kate Atkinson's complex characters and the twisty plots she creates. This was the first time I listened to one of her books and was too distracted by the narration to appreciate the quality of her writing. It's truly cringe-worthy narration. What a pity.

Beautifully written

Kate Atkinson is such a wonderful writer! Love her JB series. Ellen Archer does an excellent job in the narration. The Characters and story are beautifully rendered and the narration such a joy to listen too. A series for those who don’t need a straight line in their detective stories, but for those who enjoy the winding and weaving of character studies, moving life experiences and elegantly detailed writing incased in a detective novel.

Slow to start, then burns steadily

with a wonderfully intricate plot. No one can write blood and gore in a way that carries moral lessons of love like Atkinson. This one gives us Reggie, the extraordinary. And narrated with great passion.

Great listen!

Complex and extremely well written, with wonderful characters. I really enjoyed the narration as well.

Scottish accent was terrible.

Hate to say that the narrator's attempt at a Scottish accent was so bad that I almost gave up on the whole thing. She was good despite that, but I wish she would've just used her own English accent.

Wonderful book. Terrible narrator.

Kate Atkinson is my favorite writer. All of her books are wonderfully written. This narrator is absolute rubbish. An American with NO IDEA how to speak with a Scottish or British accent was hired to read this book. It is weepingly bad. To make matters worse, Steven Crossley did a recording and it is brilliant. I have asked on several occasions for Audible to carry this version to no avail. I live in a state of perpetual hope, asking myself when there will be good news . . .

Slow build- so well done

She’s a crafty, clever, funny intelligent author with a big brain and a big heart- at least one side of it😄- she can get pretty dark. I love her brain and her characters and her books. This one is a big winner.

Astonishing story, fine performance

The momentum, characters, empathy, & originality are astonishing. What readers expect from Kate Atkinson. The arc of the story & character development! Soars as a stand-alone but even richer Cin the context of the earlier Brodie novels. Excellent narrative performance. Especially the voices of Brodie, Reggie, Louise, Dr. Hunter.

Remarkable characters, gripping plot

I am reading through Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brody books. Books 1 and 2 were terrific but this one somehow was even better. With Atkinson you get a brillant writer who creates nuanced characters and action. A murder mystery, a thriller, and a literary treat… moving and funny and sad and true. Just loved this. And the performance is completely up to the task. Superb.

Shockingly bad narration (Ellen Archer) - don’t listen - buy the book

The narrator’s accents move from sounding like the Queen to a cockney to some attempt at Irish to Indian - and that’s all for one character. It is SO bad that I found myself shouting out at her pronunciations of words. Why oh why was this allowed to be released? I am sure she is a very good American narrator but she cannot maintain any consistent British accent. Maybe it’s because I buy Audible in America but the previous book in the series was beautifully read by Jason Isaacs. Not sure why I cannot download that version. This is awful.