When Will There Be Good News? is a 2008 crime novel by Kate Atkinson and won the 2009 'Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year' at the British Book Awards. It is the third to involve retired private detective Jackson Brodie and is set in and around Edinburgh. It begins though in Devon where six-year-old Joanna witnesses the brutal murder of her mother, sister and brother and barely escapes with her own life.
Main characters
The main narrative is set thirty years later in Edinburgh and is told from the viewpoint of three main characters:
Louise Monroe a Detective Chief Inspector has warned Joanna Hunter, now a doctor that the murderer convicted of killing her family is shortly to be released from prison and that the press may also try and contact her as a result. Louise is also supervising an investigation into Joanna's husband Neil who is suspected of insurance fraud.
Regina 'Reggie' Chase is a sixteen-year-old orphan who baby-sits for Joanna, when Joanna disappears; her husband says that she has gone to visit an elderly aunt who is seriously ill, but Reggie does not believe him and tries to get Louise to take it seriously.
Jackson Brodie is ostensibly returning to his flat in London but inadvertently boards the wrong train and heads north towards Edinburgh but the train crashes at Musselburgh and Jackson finds himself fighting for his life.
Reviews were generally positive:
Rebecca Armstrong writing in The Independent, concludes with 'Through the skilfully explored inner worlds of her characters, Atkinson examines how the past can affect the future, and how the choices we make have long-lasting implications. She handles cataclysmic events – a fatal train crash, abduction, possible suicide – with a light touch. The fast pace, while exhilarating, is never exhausting. As in the best crime fiction, dramatic events and unexpected twists abound, but Atkinson subverts the genre by refusing to neatly tie up every thread. And while there is plenty of blood and bitterness, redemption and resolve are well represented too. Good news all round.'
Although Elissa Schappell writing in The New York Times writes 'While Atkinson engages us with black humor and rich character development and while Reggie Chase is a delight, the absence of sustained suspense begins to fray our connection to the characters. Sensing perhaps that she’s lollygagging, Atkinson sprints for the last 75 pages, delivering a rushed, overly neat ending that, while cleanly tying up the big threads, leaves many questions about the characters and their futures unanswered.'
The novel was adapted for television for the BBC in 2011 as the final two episodes of the first series of Case Histories.
Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie
Amanda Abbington as Louise Monroe
Gwyneth Keyworth as Reggie
Neve McIntosh as Dr Joanna Hunter
