In Kate Atkinson’s 2004 Case Histories, cop turned private detective Jackson Brodie is hired to crack three separate cold cases. Initially, he seems to have no connection to any of them, and they seem to have no connection to each other: a young girl vanishes from her backyard, a teenager is murdered in her father’s office, and a struggling wife slays her husband with an ax. Brodie quickly becomes embroiled in untangling the mysteries, and the book’s nonlinear, shattered structure lends itself to this balancing act, which soon proves more complex than Brodie anticipated. Atkinson’s meticulous writing is urgent and addictive, and she doesn’t shy away from making clever observations about the human condition, underlining larger themes around grief, loss, and cruelty. Case Histories serves as the first in a series of five, and has been adapted for the small screen by BBC One. —Meg Zukin
Buy Now: Case Histories on Bookshop | Amazon
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Why Maternity Care Is Underpaid
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time