Melanie H. (mhinds1259) - , reviewed Case Histories on 7/18/2009

Helpful Score: 1

Basically, this book tells the stories of three cases that are all being investigated by private detective Jackson Brodie. Not too interesting until you discover that the cases all occurred in different years. From the inside cover:

Case One [1970]: Olivia Land, youngest and most beloved of the Land girls, goes missing in the night and is never seen again. More than thirty years later, two of her surviving sisters, each achingly lonely in her own way, reunite when their cruel and distant father dies. There among the clutter of their childhood home, they unearth a shocking clue to Olivia's disappearance.

Case Two [1994]: All of Theo's happiness is tied to his devoted daughter Laura. He delights in her wit, her effortless beauty, and her selfless love, and in the fact that she's taken a position at his prestigious law firm. But on her first day on the job, a maniac storms into the office and turns Theo's entire world upside down.

Case Three [1979]: Michelle looks around one day and finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making. A very needy baby and a very demanding husband make her every waking moment a reminder that somewhere, somehow, she made a grave mistake and will spend the rest of her life paying for it - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.

At first glance you wonder what all these cases could have in common. The first three chapters of the book are devoted to setting up the particulars of each case (e.g. Chapter One (1970 case) ~ Family Plot; Chapter Two (1994 case)~ Just a Normal Day and Chapter Three (1979 case)~ Everything from Duty, Nothing from Love). The remaining chapters are then titled as the name of a character from the case. The chapters jump around from case to case. We get the impression that somehow, in some way, all three cases may be connected. But just how? You will need to read the book to find out.

The relationship between 2 of the surviving sisters from Case #1 is too strange for my liking. Too much emphasis on sex. They seem to argue way too much for sisters who (I get the impression) have not spend a lot of time together since they became adults. Too much competition, bickering. But perhaps that was done to reflect the dysfunctionality in which they spent their childhoods. The disappearance of Olivia Land is solved. Not entirely sure that I saw the end playing out the way it did. But all in all, I don't have trouble with the way it ended.

Case #2 is also solved and, oddly enough, it is tied into Case #3, again not in a way that I would have expected. The connection with Case #3 seems a bit contrived to me, but does present a twist on things. I saw it going that way as the book unfolded.

Finally, I did have trouble at times remembering who the 2 surviving sisters from Case #1 were. I kept getting their identities mixed up. I did find that confusing but that might have been just a quirk on my part and not due to Atkinson's writing style.

Would I read any of her other books? Probably. While I was not over impressed with this book I was intrigued by the concept: tying 3 apparently unrelated stories that occurred in different years together. I would probably give her another chance.

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