Thursday, May 20, 2010

Recommended Reads: When Will There Be Good News?

Recommended Reads: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (FIC ATK)

When Will There Be Good News? is a perfect blend of character study and suspense novel. The novel opens with the brutal murder of a mother and two of her three children. The action quickly shifts to the present day as the lives of four characters soon become the focus: Dr. Joanna Hunter (who survived the murder of her mother and siblings), 16 year old Reggie Chase (who works as a nanny for Dr. Hunter), private investigator Jackson Brodie, and Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe of the Edinburgh police. Dr. Hunter mysteriously disappears and the lives of the characters swiftly begin to intersect. More than just a thriller, this novel offers penetrating insights into loneliness and the struggle to do the right thing in a confusing world.