Book Review: When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Publish Date: September 24, 2008

10 Audio CDs

My Review:

I received this audiobook from the library - I can't remember where I saw it, but it caught my eye on a blog somewhere I am sure.  I had no idea that it was part of a series featuring Jackson Brody, or that it is the latest book in the series when I started it.  In fact I didn't know it until I finished it and went back to look for more of Kate Atkinson's titles and found out that the series starts with Case Histories.  Rest assured that Case Histories is now on it's way to me.

All of that said, you do not have to read these in order.  I knew there were things about Jackson's past that were just glossed over in this book, and now I know why.  I want to go back and learn more about Jackson since he was such an interesting character so I will read the other two books.

So what did I think of this novel?  Well it's really depressing in a way, and at the same time, you keep turning the pages.  Like a train wreck (and there is one of those in the book).  This book is an interesting look at how lives can intersect and small things can affect many people's lives.  It was also a look at the strength in each of the characters.  They are all facing a demon of some kind and the train wreck throws them all together in a way no one expects.

There is lots of back and forth between the characters but it's never confusing because each of the characters are different.  The novel is very character driven and the characters are well-fleshed out.  I felt that the book moved along well and it never really drug for me.  I found it interesting to see an interaction from both sides from time-to-time.  It really made the whole story and it's characters come to life.

Come join in on the lives of Joanna, Reggie, Louise and Jackson for this span of a few days and live their lives through their eyes.  It's a very interesting experience and When Will There Be Good News is not a book I am likely to forget any time soon.

Rating:  4.0/5.0

About the Book:
"On a hot and beautiful day in the English countryside, six-year old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime. Thirty years later, the man convicted of the crime is released from prison." "Sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a doctor devoted to her new young son. But Dr. Hunter has gone missing, and Reggie, no stranger to bad luck and worse, seems to be the only person who is worried." "Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling toward her is an old friend - Jackson Brodie - himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted."

As lives and histories intersect, as past mistakes and current misfortunes collide, Jackson is caught up in the most personal, and dangerous, investigation of his life.


About the Author:
Kate Atkinson won the Whitbread Book of the Year for her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum and has been an internationally bestselling author ever since. Her most recent novels, Case Histories and One Good Turn, both also featured the former private detective Jackson Brodie.




FTC Information: I checked this audiobook out from my wonderful local library.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.