Kristen H. (tigger5677) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 42 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Kate Atkinson is one of the best story tellers that I have read in the last ten years. Amazingly unbelievable and yet entirely plausible, her stories intertwine from past to present and back again. I loved this book, and all of her others.
Helpful Score: 2
Three different mysteries come together here, each woven seperately and finally overlapping. One, especially compelling involved the lone childhood survivor of a family massacre, now a doctor with a child of her own, just as the murderer is to be released from prison after serving his time. She has employed a young teenage girl as her "mother's helper" Reggie, who's own mother has recently died.
Reggie is beside herself when her beloved employer and her child suddenly disappear, and is intent on solving the mystery. She tries to enlist the aid of a woman police sargent, and an ex-cop who's life she manages to save after a train crash. So many lives and stories overlapping, yet isn't life itself a series of unexplainable coincidences? Just like the train, going insistently forward before the crash, all these stories come together, as if on impact. I thought this book was very well done and kept me engaged until the very end!
Reggie is beside herself when her beloved employer and her child suddenly disappear, and is intent on solving the mystery. She tries to enlist the aid of a woman police sargent, and an ex-cop who's life she manages to save after a train crash. So many lives and stories overlapping, yet isn't life itself a series of unexplainable coincidences? Just like the train, going insistently forward before the crash, all these stories come together, as if on impact. I thought this book was very well done and kept me engaged until the very end!
Trinity B. (trinandscott) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I had to force myself all the way through this book and then I wanted to kick myself. Maybe because it was not at all what I expected when I read the back cover.
Laura R. (isitfriday) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 170 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I love Kate Atkinson's novels with Jackson Brodie- this was a great one- I liked it just as much as Case Histories and more than One Good Turn. the characters are fantastic, and the story kept me up many nights as I could not put this one down, I'm sad i just completed it!
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
First Line: The heat rising up from the tarmac seemed to get trapped between the thick hedges that towered above their heads like battlements.
When Joanna Mason was six, she obeyed her mother and lived while all the rest of them died. Thirty years later, Jackson Brodie is on a crowded train that's running late when he hears a horrible sound. Sixteen-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little television at the end of a long day, but her peaceful evening is shattered. Luckily Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for emergencies.
Once again Kate Atkinson has created three living, breathing characters with absolutely nothing in common and then brought them together in such a way that you can't take your eyes off the page. From the very first Jackson Brodie book (Case Histories), I learned that Atkinson is a master plot weaver and a master at creating characters that you come to know better than you know yourself.
Jackson Brodie is in one of his usual muddles and finds himself in Scotland where Joanna Mason now lives as an adult with her husband and infant son. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is a law unto herself and wouldn't be able to stay out of this book if her life depended on it. You see, she cares for Brodie even though she won't admit it.
To the mix of Brodie, Mason and Monroe add a sixteen-year-old who's an "unstoppable force of nature" and more than fierce enough to resemble a "Jack Russell fending off a pack of Dobermans." Young Reggie is the catalyst in this book, and she's a treasure. She single-handedly gets all the adults moving because she refuses to turn her back when she knows something is wrong. No one's ever been able to make Reggie understand that kids can't get results when they put their minds to it. (I'd love to see her as an adult!)
Each character takes a turn at telling us their side of the story, and it's the stream-of-consciousness story telling that allows us to get so far into each character's mind. Getting to know these wonderful characters almost makes the intricately woven plot surplus to requirements... almost. For, without the plot, Brodie and Louise and Joanna and Reggie wouldn't be able to meet and try to get everything put to rights again.
Reading one of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books is an experience to be savored. Her various plot threads and characters that slowly move together may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it's yours, please don't miss the pleasure of reading these excellent books.
When Joanna Mason was six, she obeyed her mother and lived while all the rest of them died. Thirty years later, Jackson Brodie is on a crowded train that's running late when he hears a horrible sound. Sixteen-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little television at the end of a long day, but her peaceful evening is shattered. Luckily Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for emergencies.
Once again Kate Atkinson has created three living, breathing characters with absolutely nothing in common and then brought them together in such a way that you can't take your eyes off the page. From the very first Jackson Brodie book (Case Histories), I learned that Atkinson is a master plot weaver and a master at creating characters that you come to know better than you know yourself.
Jackson Brodie is in one of his usual muddles and finds himself in Scotland where Joanna Mason now lives as an adult with her husband and infant son. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is a law unto herself and wouldn't be able to stay out of this book if her life depended on it. You see, she cares for Brodie even though she won't admit it.
To the mix of Brodie, Mason and Monroe add a sixteen-year-old who's an "unstoppable force of nature" and more than fierce enough to resemble a "Jack Russell fending off a pack of Dobermans." Young Reggie is the catalyst in this book, and she's a treasure. She single-handedly gets all the adults moving because she refuses to turn her back when she knows something is wrong. No one's ever been able to make Reggie understand that kids can't get results when they put their minds to it. (I'd love to see her as an adult!)
Each character takes a turn at telling us their side of the story, and it's the stream-of-consciousness story telling that allows us to get so far into each character's mind. Getting to know these wonderful characters almost makes the intricately woven plot surplus to requirements... almost. For, without the plot, Brodie and Louise and Joanna and Reggie wouldn't be able to meet and try to get everything put to rights again.
Reading one of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books is an experience to be savored. Her various plot threads and characters that slowly move together may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it's yours, please don't miss the pleasure of reading these excellent books.
Found book disappointing in the end. Started strong, ending didn't thrill
Jennifer L. (jenluxy) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 20 more book reviews
There won't be.... Not a bad book, 3 stories some how intertwine, but they don't... not really. Just ok for me. I liked the little girl character, but I kept waiting for something big to happen, and it just never came thru for me.
Victoria (YSB) -
I really enjoyed this book! I must admit, I was a bit disappointed in the end though... not only that the book was finished, but in the way that it didn't wrap up as tightly together as _Case Histories_ or even _One Good Turn_. Mostly, I was left lingering questions that make me VERY anxious for the next installment of Jackson Brodie's story. I guess, first of all - whose son is Nathan? Why call the dog Jackson, when Brodie is much better for a dog? Will Jackson and Louise end up together? I hope all of these questions and more are answered in the next book... I hope there IS a next book!! Though I have the feeling that it will probably be a very long wait...
Oh, it was quite nice how many dogs were in the book! A very good book!
Oh, it was quite nice how many dogs were in the book! A very good book!
Dianne (gardngal) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 271 more book reviews
This book was the best one of the Jackson Brodie stories so far, in my opinion. There are so many characters that at times you can loose track of just who is who, unless you read it straight through. This one was easier to follow, it had a better flow. Each person had an unfortunate past. Yet all of them are survivors, which make them very realistic people. Very good! D.
Cameron-Ashley H. (BigGreenChair) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 461 more book reviews
The title of the book really was a poor choice; but the book was very good. Great plot, characters, pace, ending. It had it all. I read her Case Histories and hadn't thought that was even half as good as this one was. Case Histories read more like a writer dropping in chapters of books she had written but not published in any form yet and then trying to 'make a book' out of it. It didn't work. But this one did.
Bree G. (paisleywings) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 232 more book reviews
I had a start and stop experience with this book - then I couldn't finish it. It just didn't grab my attention.
good book
Susan S. (beau64) reviewed When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, Bk 3) on + 84 more book reviews
I have read some of her books that are nothing but weird. This is not one of those. I really enjoyed this one. They have used parts of it in the PBS Series "Case Histories", but the series changed it around. I found the book to be much better.
I got this book through paperbackswap.com. I had heard Kate Atkinson was a good writer so decided to read the Jackson Brodie series in order. I believe I gave the first two books three-star ratings. Atkinson is a good writer but not a good storyteller. These books supposedly are "thrillers" or mysteries but thus far, all have been a little short on the mystery part. In this book, like the other two, there are far too many coincidences to be believable. As many other Amazon reviewers have noted, there are so many characters that it's sometimes hard to keep track. In this book I was trying to remember who a particular character was but wasn't interested enough to go back through the book to see if I could find where he first appeared. I just didn't care enough.
Jackson Brodie is the recurring/main character in these books. I have come to see him as rather aimless and not very likeable. Police inspector Louise Munro (sp?), who has crossed paths with Brodie in the other books, is also someone who seems self-absorbed and unappealing. There supposedly is an unspoken chemistry between the two. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next book Louise ditches her nice husband for Jackson, a relationship that likely will not last.
The Needler scenario was a secondary plot line that really had nothing to do with anything else in the story so it contributed nothing relevant. I wonder why the author decided to include it.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS: When Dr. Hunter is found by Reggie and Jackson, she doesn't want the authorities to know she was kidnapped. In spite of being a former police officer, Jackson decides that he will go along with Dr. H's wishes. Jackson then burns down the cabin (with the two bodies of the kidnappers Dr. H killed) where Dr. H was kept. Consequently, Dr. H's husband, who came across as a not particularly likeable character, is charged with arson of one of his businesses, when, in fact, it was the person behind the kidnapping who was responsible. I also thought the twist at the end where Jackson's wife left him and cleaned out his bank account was unrealistic. An acquaintance of Jackson's had engineered a "chance" encounter between "Tessa" and Jackson. In spite of being ex-military, ex-police, and an occasional private investigator as well as a guy in his late 40s who had at least two unsuccessful long-term relationships, Jackson never thought to do any background checks on Tessa. He jumped into marriage just a few months after meeting her.
Jackson Brodie is the recurring/main character in these books. I have come to see him as rather aimless and not very likeable. Police inspector Louise Munro (sp?), who has crossed paths with Brodie in the other books, is also someone who seems self-absorbed and unappealing. There supposedly is an unspoken chemistry between the two. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next book Louise ditches her nice husband for Jackson, a relationship that likely will not last.
The Needler scenario was a secondary plot line that really had nothing to do with anything else in the story so it contributed nothing relevant. I wonder why the author decided to include it.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS: When Dr. Hunter is found by Reggie and Jackson, she doesn't want the authorities to know she was kidnapped. In spite of being a former police officer, Jackson decides that he will go along with Dr. H's wishes. Jackson then burns down the cabin (with the two bodies of the kidnappers Dr. H killed) where Dr. H was kept. Consequently, Dr. H's husband, who came across as a not particularly likeable character, is charged with arson of one of his businesses, when, in fact, it was the person behind the kidnapping who was responsible. I also thought the twist at the end where Jackson's wife left him and cleaned out his bank account was unrealistic. An acquaintance of Jackson's had engineered a "chance" encounter between "Tessa" and Jackson. In spite of being ex-military, ex-police, and an occasional private investigator as well as a guy in his late 40s who had at least two unsuccessful long-term relationships, Jackson never thought to do any background checks on Tessa. He jumped into marriage just a few months after meeting her.
Taryn C. (TarynC) -
If you liked Case Histories, then you will like this book. The same characters meet again and are all interconnected in some way. The plot is involved and twisted and keeps your interest.
good read
