Case Histories

Let us begin at the end where I can honestly say, “I didn’t see that coming”. Usually writers lead you down a rambling path where you at least think you know where you are going. You might have chosen a different style or a different course, but in the end, it always leads to the most likely suspect. Well, let me tell you, the who-done-it in one of these stories completely blew me away.

Case Histories is the first in a series featuring Jackson Brodie, a retired police officer turned private detective who is hired to solve three old cases. Told in a spiral fashion, the reader is introduced to Amelia and Julia who’s three-year-old sister Olivia went missing 30 years ago. Theo Wyre whose daughter was killed by a lunatic who barged into Theo’s law practice wearing a yellow golf sweater and Shirley Morrison who is trying to locate her sister Michelle who was living a rather isolated existence with her husband and daughter.

Told in a spiral story-within-a-story fashion, the reader is dragged back and forth through all three plots and the timeframe that they take place until by the end they all seem to wrap themselves up in a rather neat orderly manner - that is all except the one that I didn’t see coming. I actually found myself looking back over the book to see what I had missed.

Be prepared for red herrings and more than a couple throw away characters, but do note, you have to pay attention. This book is not an easy read, you have your work cut out for you and there is a set ups for the next book in the series. So if you are ready for a thinking person’s book, take your time and dig in.