Customer Reviews
A Compelling Read - By: L. J. Roberts, 03 Dec 2008 
First Sentence: How lucky were they?
Ex-cop Jackson Brodie has three cases on which he is working. In 1970, Olivia, the youngest of three sisters disappears after she & another sister spent the night in their backyard tent. Their father has now died. When cleaning out his desk, the two middle sisters find Olivia's favorite toy. What happened to Olivia? In
1979, an overwhelmed wife & mother reaches the breaking point with disastrous results. Her sister wants Jackson to find Tanya, the niece she promised to care for. In 1997, a businessman's daughter was murdered during her first day of work in her fathers' author. Who killed her?
Along with the three cases, Jackson has his own issues including an ex-wife & Binky Rain, a 90-year-old lady who believes someone is stealing her cats, & accidents that are not accidental.
Ms. Atkinson's book was an absolute delight to read. Think macramé; lots of different colored & textured threads skillfully woven together to create a wonderful end product. It may bother some, but I love her use of parenthetical phrases & her imagery. All the elements are there; humor, pathos, suspense, tragedy, emotion, irony & a smalll touch of paranormal.
Her books are character driven, & a range of characters there is. We get to know them alll but particularly Jackson is revealed to us as the story unfolds. There are two sisters who are classic in the way one goads the other with behavior & occasional crass references.
In some ways, this isn't the easiest book to read just from the way it is structured, & it's not a gripping page-turner in the usual sense. It is, however, a page-turner in that I became so involved with the stories, I had to know what would happen next & resolution to each case. Atkinson has an unusual & compelling style that is wry, slightly noir & absolutely wonderful.
A writer outside her comfort zone - By: daisyrock, 04 Oct 2008 
Behind the Scenes... yes. Human Croquet... most definitely yes. But as brilliant a writer as Atkinson clearly is on her own territory, a crime writer she ain't. Unbelievable plot that relies almost exclusively on co-incidence, ridiculous & annoying characters & an ending so loose & stupidly unlikely (beyond any degree of suspension of disbelief!) this is almost like a teenager's attempt at a crime novel. Cack-handed, naive & woe-fully out of its depth.
Brilliant - By: A. Cashmore, 23 Sep 2008 
This is one of those books that you keep in your hand when you get off the tube so that you can read one more paragraph going up the escalator. It is immediately engaging & written extremely well. You care for the characters & the author does a brilliant job of introducing them alll well whilst keeping the mystery going so that you can't wait to turn the page. It is also very funny in parts & acutely sad in others. I was worried towards the end that I would be disappointed but I thought the book finished very well & I can't wait to order another from this author.
Wonderful Confusion - By: MeMyself, 09 Apr 2008 I reallly enjoyed this book of the lost & found centred around cases taken on by ex-policeman now PI, Brodie. Atkinson takes you into her characters musings on life after death & loss with witty observations. The cases are poignant, sad, inevitable & it is not just Brodie who is confused by the end. Not everything is tied up neatly leading to more confusion. Major & minor characters are rounded & full of life, even the sad ones.
Gripping and superbly written - By: L. H. Healy, 25 Mar 2008 Couldn't put this down! A gripping & superbly written novel, combining the excitement & tension of a crime novel with a wonderful literary style. I reallly enjoyed it & will eagerly await new work by her.
The different strands which make up the plot are so skillfully & cleverly interwoven graduallly as the novel progresses. A great read. Have since read 'One Good Turn' & loved that too.
