One Good Turn
54. ONE GOOD TURN, BY KATE ATKINSON (Book 2 of Jackson Brodie)The second book in the Jackson Brodie series; I liked the first one and I’m allowed to read up to the third one this year (and I will, I’m a sucker for series).
Synopsis: Jackson is in Edinburgh for a Festival where his girlfriend, Julia, is working. He stumbles upon a case of road rage, a dead body in the water, a cozy mystery writer, shady business involving housing and prostitution. He tries to untangle those with the help of Lousie, an Edinburgh police officer.
Overall enjoyment: It was OK. Nice to read, and all that, but not particularly good or striking. A nice way to spend a couple of hours at the DMV while waiting to be seen.
Plot: There was so much stuff happening, it kinda felt like she was trying to distract us from the fact that the plot was a bit shambolic. Plus, she relies on luck and accident as a plot device way more than she should.
Characters: I think they are her strong suit. She has a way of showing their whims that can make me laugh out loud. They seem to be all middle-aged, and I suppose I would appreciate someone closer to my own age, but I really don’t feel like it’s within my rights to demand that from her.
World/setting: Except for the finding of the body, it has no great effect on the story.
Writing style: She loves to include the characters’ thoughts into the narration, without indicating when that happens. I have nothing against that in principle, but it gets tiring after a while. It feels like she’s dumping the characterization on the reader’s lap without bothering to show it with action.
Representation: Quite poor.
Political correctness: Nothing very positive, but nothing too negative, either.
Up next: Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell