Kate Atkinson's brilliant new novel, bringing back Jackson Brodie from the bestselling CASE HISTORIES.
It is summer, it is the Edinburgh Festival. People queuing for a lunchtime show witness a road-rage incident - an incident which changes the lives of everyone involved. Jackson Brodie, ex-army, ex-police, ex-private detective, is also an innocent bystander - until he becomes a suspect.
With CASE HISTORIES, Kate Atkinson showed how brilliantly she could explore the crime genre and make it her own. In ONE GOOD TURN she takes her masterful plotting one step further. Like a set of Russian dolls each thread of the narrative reveals itself to be related to the last. Her Dickensian cast of characters are all looking for love or money and find it in surprising places. As ever with Atkinson what each one actually discovers is their true self.
Unputdownable and triumphant, ONE GOOD TURN is a sharply intelligent read that is also percipient, funny, and totally satisfying.
Reading Group Book Questions
- What do you think is the significance of the title?
- Were you surprised when you learned who had hired Ray, the assassin?
- Why do you think the author used the imagery of crumbling homes, particularly during Louise Monroe's narrative?
- What connection is there between Martin's experience on his trip to Russia and the way he behaves at the end of One Good Turn?
- Why do you think Jackson gets as involved as he does in the case of the dead woman?
About The Author
Kate Atkinson’s most recent novel, When Will There Be Good News? was voted Richard & Judy Book Best Read of the Year. After Case Histories and One Good Turn, it was her third novel to feature the former private detective Jackson Brodie, who makes a welcome return in Started Early, Took My Dog. She won the Whitbread Book of the Year prize for her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, and has been a critically acclaimed international bestselling author ever since.
Industry Reviews
"An absolute joy to read...the pleasure of One Good Turn lies in the ride, in Atkinson's wry, unvanquished characters, her swooping, savvy, sarcastic prose and authorial joie de vivre." Guardian "Atkinson is frequently very funny...while the tone stays light, the plot continues to darken...manages to be that rarest of things - a good literary novel and a cracking holiday read" Observer "Atkinson, while having fun with the murder-mystery genre, slyly slips us a muted tragedy" Sunday Telegraph "One Good Turn is the most fun I've had with a novel this year" -- IAN RANKIN Guardian "Thrillingly addictive...In One Good Turn Atkinson proves quite unique in her ability to fuse emotional drama and thriller...Imagine a Richard Curtis film scripted by Raymond Chandler, both a little enlivened by the collaboration...The mix is embodied by Brodie. Like all good detectives, he is a hero for men and women alike" The Times
