Shortlisted for the Galaxy UK Author of the Year 2010.

Another outing for Jackson Brodie in Atkinson's next crime novel. She seems to really be getting in to her stride with this series and as each book can be read as a stand alone has not tied herself down to any set rules, but then when does she ever? Told with all her usual quirkiness and entertaining characters this is another must read.

September 2010 Good Housekeeping selection.

The Goodhousekeeping view...

The fourth title in the bestselling series sees former detective Jackson Brodie on the trail of the
birth family of an adopted girl who officially doesn’t exist. Atkinson’s novels have so far sold two million copies in the UK and this is another sharply observed piece of storytelling.

Synopsis

A day like any other for security chief Tracy Waterhouse, until she makes a purchase she hadn't bargained for. One moment of madness is all it takes for Tracy's humdrum world to be turned upside down, the tedium of everyday life replaced by fear and danger at every turn. Witnesses to Tracy's Faustian exchange in the Merrion Centre in Leeds are Tilly, an elderly actress teetering on the brink of her own disaster, and Jackson Brodie who has returned to his home county in search of someone else's roots. All three characters learn that the past is never history and that no good deed goes unpunished. Kate Atkinson dovetails and counterpoints her plots with Dickensian brilliance in a tale peopled with unlikely heroes and villains. Started Early, Took My Dog is freighted with wit, wisdom and a fierce moral intelligence. It confirms Kate Atkinson's position as one of the great writers of our time.

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