Description

The third Jackson Brodie novel, winner of Richard & Judy’s Best Read: literary crime from the number-one bestselling author of Big Sky and Transcription.

‘An exhilarating read. Her wry humour, sharp eye for the quirks of human behaviour and subtle characterisation are a constant joy’ Daily Mail

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 becomes fatally interrupted.

Publisher Review

'Unputdownable, Atkinson's books are like Agatha Christie mysteries that have burst at the seams-they're taut and intricate but also messy and funny and full of life' * Time * '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 * 'One of those rare fictions that defies categorisation.....contains startling moments of truth, and its insights into human nature are simply superb' * Sunday Times * 'Atkinson's world is full of bizarre accidents and meaningless murders, but she celebrates love, laughter and literature so wholeheartedly that I cheered aloud...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 ' * Independent * '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. * Sunday Telegraph * 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 *