I mentioned (does mentioned make sense in a blog? Maybe) that I'd read Life After Life, and found it lovely and moving and strange. But what I didn't mention was that the "about the author" section noted that Kate Atkinson also writes detective novels.
I love detective novels. Not all of them—I'm not the hugest fan of the gritty tough guy aspects of the genre, and for some reason the two Jack Reacher novels I've read I figured out the mystery halfway through, which is really not my way—but the form itself is appealing to me. I like puzzles, and what is a better puzzle than a novel puzzle? It's two delightful things in one.
As a special treat, I went to the bookstore and bought the first one, Case Histories.
It was fun. I mean, a lot of fun. And textured and rich and deep, and I really loved it. And then I bought the other two I could find, and I read them too. And then I thought to myself: why isn't everyone talking about these? These are some of the most unbelievably pleasurable books I've read in a dog's age. How is it that people went on at length about The Goldfinch, but I haven't stumbled across these sooner? Have I been hanging with the wrong crowd?
All of which is to say, dear reader, are you ready for some fun? For wanting to leave the dinner table so you can get back to your book? For looking forward to your subway commute? Here you go.
Happy September.
marcialerner.com 
Thank you for this! I love mysteries, but was not aware that Kate Atkinson wrote some. I’ve put the first on reserve at my library now.
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Masterpiece Mystery did a wonderful adaptation with Jason Isaacs: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/casehistories/
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Thank you! One of my students wanted a mystery suggestion, now I have one for her!
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Well, the Goldfinch crowd is certainly the wrong crowd for me, and I do love everything that Atkinson writes. I’m not much of a mystery lover, but I did like Case Histories, and I keep hearing about Tana French. Have you read her stuff?
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Oh, I adore these books. She’s a wonderful author.
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To be fair to the goldfinch crowd,, Kate Atkinson hasn’t published a Jackson Brodie book in a while, and there’s no indication she’s going to write more. The goldfinch on the other hand is newish. That being said Kate Atkinson’s books are amazing when you get sad that there are no more Jackson Brodie books take a look at Tana French her mystery books are amazing too in the same literary way.
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Sigh, I *love* these books. And many detective books. I always feel like they are sort of a guilty pleasure that I somehow have to justify. But as readers, don’t we read to enjoy?
(And by enjoy, I mean like eating a really good meal–see it’s that need to justify reading detective novels again. . . .)
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