Jackson Brodie
When Will There Be Good News?
The third novel featuring Jackson Brodie
In a quiet corner of rural Devon, a six-year-old girl witnesses an appalling crime. Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison.
In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie, wise beyond her years, works as a nanny for a G.P. But her employer has disappeared with her baby, and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried.
Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is a former acquaintance – Jackson Brodie – himself on a journey that is about to be fatally interrupted.
“A man with an Irish accent could sound wise and poetic and interesting even when he wasn’t.”
Videos
Kate Atkinson reads from When Will There Be Good News?
Resources
Download a reading guide and discussion questions for When Will There Be Good News? to support your Book Club or Reading Group.
Please note: Resources can contain spoilers.
Reviews
Atkinson’s world is full of bizarre accidents and meaningless murders, but she celebrates love, laughter and literature so wholeheartedly that I cheered aloud. She is one of the most eccentric of crime writers, and perhaps the sanest. Everybody should read her.
Telegraph
A masterclass in plot daring, an extended riff on coincidence, and a piercing evocation of love and loss in many forms. One of the fiercest, funniest, most affecting reads of the year.
Guardian
An intricately crafted tale of coincidence and fate, love and longing. From the get-go, Atkinson’s pitch-perfect ear for dialogue is apparent…As in the best crime fiction, dramatic events and unexpected twists abound, but Atkinson subverts the genre by refusing to neatly tie up every thread. And while there is plenty of blood and bitterness, redemption and resolve are well represented too. Good news all around.
Independent
By becoming a crime writer she has – in a way that other ‘literary’ types may wish to note – become a better literary writer than ever: funny, bracingly intelligent and delightfully prickly…Kate Atkinson is that rarest of beasts, a genuinely surprising novelist.
Guardian
I love Kate’s writing…a fantastic detective mystery.
Mirror
Heralds the welcome return of Jackson Brodie…a brilliantly observed drama on the nature of fate, love and memory.
Marie Claire (Book of the Month)
The opening chapter of Kate Atkinson’s latest book is one of the finest pieces of suspense literature you will read this year…addictive…Atkinson is back at her best.
London Life
Deliciously underhanded, echo-filled novel…so rewarding…it shows off an imagination so active that When Will There Be Good News? can barely contain it.
New York Times
One of those writers who effortlessly bridges the gap between commercial and literary fiction.
Fay Weldon, Sunday Express
In this gripping new thriller by Kate Atkinson we are plunged into the heart of darkness…Suspense is tinglingly maintained throughout…shot through with wry wit and gritty realism.
Daily Express
Another faultless display by Kate Atkinson…Like the other titles in the Jackson Brodie series, this one plays with the tenets of the crime genre without ever sacrificing the essence of wit and nuance which make Atkinson’s novels such jubilant reads.
Scotland on Sunday
The good news, of course, is that here is another Jackson Brodie thriller from the brilliant Kate Atkinson. The even better news is that…it’s the most enthralling to date.
Mirror
Full of unsolved mysteries and suspense. It is one of those rare fictions that defies categorisation, creating a milieu that is a recognisable version of the real world but inflected with its author’s preoccupations…contains startling moments of truth, and its insights into human nature are simply superb.
Sunday Times
An exhilarating read. Her wry humour, sharp eye for the quirks of human behaviour and subtle characterisation are a constant joy…with writing of this quality, there is good news on every page.
Daily Mail
Atkinson’s genius is her sure control of plot…immaculately – even lovingly – paced, and it is a measure of Atkinson’s talent that I read it in one sitting…insightful, often funny, life-affirming.
Sunday Telegraph
