Book 1 (2011): Case Histories

In Kate Atkinson's novel Case Histories, there are so many twists and turns that even the best sleuth reader wont figure them all out.

We have several cold cases, a missing 3 year old girl, a woman who kills her spouse, and a dead daughter whose killer wasn't brought to justice. All three of these cold cases converge on the desk of one private detective: Jackson Brodie.

As Jackson, a former cop, tries to solve these years old cold cases, his live intertwines with the families of these victims, with the survivors who did and didn't move on with their lives. Jackson, along the way, chases his own ghosts.

This is a great thriller with complex characters. Every character is given a rich and full story and I love the layering of the stories, one over the other. I like the dollop of humor, just when the story feels as if it would be too heavy for the reader to continue, too dark, a bit of humor goes a long way. (336 pgs)

A

Book 79- Elsewhere

Elsewhere is young adult fiction. First, I am not going to make this a blog all about young adult fiction just because I now work in a high school library. This was purely a coinky-dink. I swear. But young adult fiction or not, this was a good read.

In this story, Liz dies at age 15. She finds herself, after a brief nautical journey, in a place called Elsewhere. There she meets others who are dead, yet living a life in this place.

This is an "afterlife" story with a clever plot. It's not like others with a perverted version of Heaven or tying in an aspect of hell. It's a sweet story and it could cause "deep thinking", or it could just be taken at face value, just an afterlife story.

I love the voice of Liz, while I don't always like her as a character. I think author Gabrielle Zevin addresses the question of "what happens after you die" in a creative and sweet way. This third person voice, which is so apropos, introduces many strong and likable characters, giving them clear voices as they deal with this sojourn through the hereafter.

Young adult or not, I recommend this novel!