Case Histories
Encyclopedia
Case Histories is a 2004 detective novel by Kate Atkinson
set in Cambridge
, England
. It introduces Jackson Brodie, a former police inspector and now private investigator
. The plot revolves around three seemingly unconnected family tragedies the disappearance of a three-year-old girl from a garden; the murder of a husband with an axe; and the apparently motiveless murder of a solicitor
's daughter.
under the blanket title Case Histories (2011). It stars Jason Isaacs
(who had also narrated the abridged audiobook adaptation of the book) as Brodie. The adaptation of Case Histories itself was shown over consecutive nights on 5 June and 6 June 2011, followed by adaptations of One Good Turn
(2006) and When Will There Be Good News? (2008) over the succeeding two weeks.
Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson MBE is an English author.She was born in York, and studied English Literature at the University of Dundee, gaining her Masters Degree in 1974. She subsequently studied for a doctorate in American Literature. She has often spoken publicly about the fact that she failed at the viva ...
set in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It introduces Jackson Brodie, a former police inspector and now private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
. The plot revolves around three seemingly unconnected family tragedies the disappearance of a three-year-old girl from a garden; the murder of a husband with an axe; and the apparently motiveless murder of a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
's daughter.
Reception
- "An astonishingly complex and moving literary detective story." The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- "Case Histories is a triumphant return to form: a tragi-comedy for our times." The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
- "A great read." The Boston GlobeThe Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
- Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
considered it "the best mystery of the decade".
Television adaptation
A television adaptation of the first three books in Brodie series was produced for the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
under the blanket title Case Histories (2011). It stars Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs is an English actor born in Liverpool, who is best known for his performance as the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, the brutal Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot and as lifelong criminal Michael Caffee in the internationally broadcast American television series...
(who had also narrated the abridged audiobook adaptation of the book) as Brodie. The adaptation of Case Histories itself was shown over consecutive nights on 5 June and 6 June 2011, followed by adaptations of One Good Turn
One Good Turn (novel)
One Good Turn is a 2006 crime novel by Kate Atkinson set in Edinburgh during the Festival. 'People queuing for a lunchtime show witness a brutal road rage incident - an incident that changes the lives of everyone involved.' It is the second novel to feature former private investigator Jackson...
(2006) and When Will There Be Good News? (2008) over the succeeding two weeks.