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Kate Atkinson does such a good job with her characters. This is another twisty, complicated, slowly drawn together mystery. Set in Edinburgh and full of eccentric, funny, exasperating characters whose connections slowly become clear. I really enjoyed it and will be back for number three.
Not having read any of Kate Atkinson's other works I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. She is a very skillful storyteller. One Good Turn is a comtemporary crime story/murder mystery told from the point of view of 4 main characters whose lives spiral around, sometimes intersecting, but all heading to the same concluding point. It is exceptionally well done. Well worth reading.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For some reason read the Brodie series' last three in reverse order; this was the least successful of the four total, but that don't matter much; I love me some Jackson Brodie.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a fan of Atkinson's spare but precise style, and love her unique way of pulling together multiple points of view. And I love Jackson Brodie! In this story, Jackson runs into a string of connected murders/crimes in Edinburgh during an art festival.
Had a book emergency when I ran out of books while traveling so picked this up at our Airbnb. I’ve liked other books by this author and loved that the book was set in Edinburgh from which I just traveled. I loved all of the references to Edinburgh but didn’t quite get into the plot. There were several characters and it was a challenge at times connecting them all to make the story connect and flow
So there's this maid in the book. She's one of those characters that's there to do a job, move the plot along. But because it's Kate Atkinson, you get a complete character, with dreams, challenges, and a clear point of view. So the book moves along, and in the back of your head you're thinking... 'but how did things turn out for that maid?'. In a lot of ways it's not really a mystery novel, but I'd read Kate Atkinson write the phone book.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes