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One Good Turn: A Novel

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One Good Turn: A Novel Cover

 

Awards

The Rooster 2007 Morning News Tournament of Books Nominee
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Staff Pick

It's hard to believe Kate Atkinson could follow up Case Histories with such a superb — may I suggest even superior? — novel: sly and witty, honest and humane, and, finally, complex and suspenseful. One could not ask for more than the whole package that is One Good Turn. It is undoubtedly my favorite novel of 2006.
Recommended by Georgie, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A brilliant new thriller from the author of 2005's breakout favorite, Case Histories, again featuring the irresistibly reluctant detective Jackson Brodie.

Two years after the events of Case Histories left him a retired millionaire, former detective Jackson Brodie has followed Julia, his occasional girlfriend and former client, to Edinburgh for its famous summer arts festival. But when he watches a man brutally attacked in a traffic jam — the apparent victim of an extreme case of road rage — a chain of events is set in motion that will pull the wife of an unscrupulous real estate tycoon, a timid but successful crime novelist, and a hardheaded female police detective into Jackson's orbit. Suddenly out of retirement, Brodie is once again in the midst of several mysteries that intersect in one giant and sinister scheme.

A triumphant novel filled with wit and surprise and intrigue, One Good Turn will delight the many fans who applauded Kate Atkinson's first foray into thrillers, and it will win her even more devoted readers as she continues to blur the boundaries that divide literary and crime fiction.

Review:

"Having won a wide following for her first crime novel (and fifth book), Case Histories (2004), Atkinson sends Det. Jackson Brodie to Edinburgh while girlfriend Julia performs in a Fringe Festival play. When incognito thug 'Paul Bradley' is rear-ended by a Honda driver who gets out and bashes Bradley unconscious with a baseball bat, the now-retired Jackson is a reluctant witness. Other bystanders include crime novelist Martin Canning, a valiant milquetoast who saves Bradley's life, and tart-tongued Gloria Hatter, who's plotting to end her 39-year marriage to a shady real estate developer. Jackson walks away from the incident, but keeps running into trouble, including a corpse, the Honda man and sexy, tight-lipped inspector Louise Monroe. Everyone's burdened by a secret — infidelity, unprofessional behavior, murder — adding depth and many diversions. After Martin misses a visit from the Honda man (Martin's wonderfully annoying houseguest isn't so lucky), he enlists Jackson as a bodyguard, pulling the characters into closer orbit before they collide on Gloria Hatter's lawn. Along the way, pieces of plot fall through the cracks between repeatedly shifting points of view, and the final cataclysm feels forced. But crackling one-liners, spot-on set pieces and full-blooded cameos help make this another absorbing character study from the versatile, effervescent Atkinson." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[A]n intricately plotted and quite amusing sequel....Although it's not as wonderful as its predecessor, this still makes for delightfully witty reading." Booklist

Review:

"[A] soft-hearted thriller, short on menace but long on empathy and introspection....A technically adept and pleasurable tale, but Atkinson isn't stretching herself." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Atkinson skillfully links the characters to one another, revealing twists from their various points of view, and in Brodie creates a likable star....Highly recommended." Library Journal

Review:

"The pleasure here lies in watching the intricate branches of Atkinson's plot unfurl, and in savoring the tart, quirky character portraits that hang from them." Laura Miller, Salon.com

Review:

"One Good Turn does some dawdling. Too much perhaps. Case Histories was a tighter book....This time Ms. Atkinson incorporates a good deal of the family histories of the characters, and some have similar backgrounds." Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Review:

"Atkinson's tart prose still sparkles, but while all the plot pieces connect, they never quite click. (Grade: B)" Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"One Good Turn and Case Histories lack a certain sense of ambition, of risk-taking, and use contemporary life without engaging it....Atkinson retains her always alluring style, but her vision has shrunk rather than expanded." Jane Smiley, The Los Angeles Times

Review:

"Despite the abundance of characters and actions — some mysterious Russians and a disappearing corpse — One Good Turn fails to capture the reader's attention or affection." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Synopsis:

From the author of 2005's breakout favorite Case Histories comes a brilliant new thriller featuring the irresistibly reluctant detective Jackson Brodie. A triumphant novel filled with wit and surprise, One Good Turn will delight the many fans who cheered Kate Atkinson's foray into thrillers.

Synopsis:

On a beautiful summer day, crowds lined up outside a theater witness a sudden act of extreme road rage: a tap on a fender triggers a nearly homicidal attack. Jackson Brodie, ex-cop, ex-private detective, new millionaire, is among the bystanders.The event thrusts Jackson into the orbit of the wife of an unscrupulous real estate tycoon, a washed-up comedian, a successful crime novelist, a mysterious Russian woman, and a female police detective. Each of them hiding a secret, each looking for love or money or redemption or escape, they all play a role in driving Jackson out of retirement and into the middle of several mysteries that intersect in one sinister scheme.Kate Atkinson writes such fluid, sparkling prose that an ingenious plot almost seems too much to ask, but we get it anyway, writes Laura Miller for Salon. With a keen eye for the excesses of modern life, a warm understanding of the frailties of the human heart, and a genius for plots that turn and twist, Atkinson has written a novel that delights and surprises from the first page to the last.
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About the Author

Kate Atkinson's first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread First Novel Award and was then chosen as the 1995 Whitbread Book of the Year. She is the author of a short story collection, Not the End of the World, and three other critically acclaimed novels, Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, and Case Histories. She lives in Edinburgh.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
Carol Jo, September 24, 2007 (view all comments by Carol Jo)
I love a mystery as much as the next person but I certainly got more than I bargained for with "One Good Turn." This was my first time reading Kate Atkinson so was not aware of what added talents she brings to the table. Not only was I steadily turning pages discovering who, what and why, but also I found my travel lust being tended with her description of Edinburgh during the Arts Festival. My appreciation of words was delighted by Ms Atkinson's extraordinary facility with an extensive vocabulary. She even coaxed an outloud laugh from me with her last page. Now THAT's entertainment!
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Samsara, July 15, 2007 (view all comments by Samsara)
Over the course of four days, the lives of a handful of strangers intersect as they become unwitting participants in a string of murders. But like its predecessor, Case Histories, the mystery is secondary to the beautiful and painful moments of everyday life that Atkinson captures. I couldn't put this book down, not because I was in suspense and needed to know "whodunit," but because I didn't want to leave these characters' lives.
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Madam Pince, January 16, 2007 (view all comments by Madam Pince)
This is, hands-down, the best book I read in 2006, and probably one of my best reads of the decade. It's even better than Case Histories, and I didn't think Ms. Atkinson could top that. I'm in awe of her ability to build an incredibly complex and detailed story -- and make it look so easy.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316154840
Author:
Atkinson, Kate
Publisher:
Libri
Subject:
General
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - General
Subject:
Policewomen
Subject:
Millionaires
Copyright:
2006
Publication Date:
September 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
432
Dimensions:
9.50x6.40x1.34 in. 1.46 lbs.
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Related Subjects

Featured Titles » Morning News Tournament » 2007
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » A to Z

One Good Turn: A Novel Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.50 In Stock
Product details 432 pages Little Brown and Company - English 9780316154840 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

It's hard to believe Kate Atkinson could follow up Case Histories with such a superb — may I suggest even superior? — novel: sly and witty, honest and humane, and, finally, complex and suspenseful. One could not ask for more than the whole package that is One Good Turn. It is undoubtedly my favorite novel of 2006.

by Georgie
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Having won a wide following for her first crime novel (and fifth book), Case Histories (2004), Atkinson sends Det. Jackson Brodie to Edinburgh while girlfriend Julia performs in a Fringe Festival play. When incognito thug 'Paul Bradley' is rear-ended by a Honda driver who gets out and bashes Bradley unconscious with a baseball bat, the now-retired Jackson is a reluctant witness. Other bystanders include crime novelist Martin Canning, a valiant milquetoast who saves Bradley's life, and tart-tongued Gloria Hatter, who's plotting to end her 39-year marriage to a shady real estate developer. Jackson walks away from the incident, but keeps running into trouble, including a corpse, the Honda man and sexy, tight-lipped inspector Louise Monroe. Everyone's burdened by a secret — infidelity, unprofessional behavior, murder — adding depth and many diversions. After Martin misses a visit from the Honda man (Martin's wonderfully annoying houseguest isn't so lucky), he enlists Jackson as a bodyguard, pulling the characters into closer orbit before they collide on Gloria Hatter's lawn. Along the way, pieces of plot fall through the cracks between repeatedly shifting points of view, and the final cataclysm feels forced. But crackling one-liners, spot-on set pieces and full-blooded cameos help make this another absorbing character study from the versatile, effervescent Atkinson." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review" by , "[A]n intricately plotted and quite amusing sequel....Although it's not as wonderful as its predecessor, this still makes for delightfully witty reading."
"Review" by , "[A] soft-hearted thriller, short on menace but long on empathy and introspection....A technically adept and pleasurable tale, but Atkinson isn't stretching herself."
"Review" by , "Atkinson skillfully links the characters to one another, revealing twists from their various points of view, and in Brodie creates a likable star....Highly recommended."
"Review" by , "The pleasure here lies in watching the intricate branches of Atkinson's plot unfurl, and in savoring the tart, quirky character portraits that hang from them."
"Review" by , "One Good Turn does some dawdling. Too much perhaps. Case Histories was a tighter book....This time Ms. Atkinson incorporates a good deal of the family histories of the characters, and some have similar backgrounds."
"Review" by , "Atkinson's tart prose still sparkles, but while all the plot pieces connect, they never quite click. (Grade: B)"
"Review" by , "One Good Turn and Case Histories lack a certain sense of ambition, of risk-taking, and use contemporary life without engaging it....Atkinson retains her always alluring style, but her vision has shrunk rather than expanded."
"Review" by , "Despite the abundance of characters and actions — some mysterious Russians and a disappearing corpse — One Good Turn fails to capture the reader's attention or affection."
"Synopsis" by , From the author of 2005's breakout favorite Case Histories comes a brilliant new thriller featuring the irresistibly reluctant detective Jackson Brodie. A triumphant novel filled with wit and surprise, One Good Turn will delight the many fans who cheered Kate Atkinson's foray into thrillers.
"Synopsis" by , On a beautiful summer day, crowds lined up outside a theater witness a sudden act of extreme road rage: a tap on a fender triggers a nearly homicidal attack. Jackson Brodie, ex-cop, ex-private detective, new millionaire, is among the bystanders.The event thrusts Jackson into the orbit of the wife of an unscrupulous real estate tycoon, a washed-up comedian, a successful crime novelist, a mysterious Russian woman, and a female police detective. Each of them hiding a secret, each looking for love or money or redemption or escape, they all play a role in driving Jackson out of retirement and into the middle of several mysteries that intersect in one sinister scheme.Kate Atkinson writes such fluid, sparkling prose that an ingenious plot almost seems too much to ask, but we get it anyway, writes Laura Miller for Salon. With a keen eye for the excesses of modern life, a warm understanding of the frailties of the human heart, and a genius for plots that turn and twist, Atkinson has written a novel that delights and surprises from the first page to the last.
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