Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger 2009.

CWA Judges’ comments: ‘A multifaceted and thought-provoking exploration of the aftermath of a savage family killing.’

Winner of the Richard & Judy Best Read 2009.

Reviewed on Richard & Judy's Book Club 2009 on Wednesday 11 February.

When this literary author turned crime writer something very special happened to her work.  The Guardian believes it has made her a better writer, I feel that her lovely style adds an extra dimension to a fascinating tale.  Characters intercept and react, there are many coincidences, twists and turns and it all comes racing together at the end, a bit like a runaway train except, of course, Jackson and Louise’s stories which remain open for the next book.

Comparison: Ian McEwan, Morag Joss, Hilary Mantel.

Synopsis

In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime.

Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison.

In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a G.P. But Dr Hunter has gone missing 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 an old friend -- Jackson Brodie -- himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

Reviews

'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

'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

'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

About the Author

Kate Atkinson’s When Will There Be Good News? was voted winner of the Richard & Judy 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 also makes a welcome return in Started Early, Took My Dog. She won the Whitbread (now Costa) 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. Kate Atkinson was born in York and now lives in Edinburgh. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation