The Short of It:

At first glance, Case Histories appears to be a collection of stand-alone stories but as the novel unfolds, they come together to form a very different kind of mystery.

The Rest of It:

Often, I find mysteries to be a bit predictable in nature. For this reason, I typically steer clear of them. However, my book club picked Case Histories for this month and although it’s definitely a mystery, it’s sort of veiled in its delivery. Meaning, it doesn’t hit you over the head with its mysterious-ness.

Each case is, well…a tad shocking. Shocking in that these characters tend to think out loud and their observations and feelings over a particular person, place or thing are so honest that at times, you suck in a breath and say, “Wow.”

I believe the idea was to have the stories alternate, and then eventually mesh into one. This happens, but rather loosely. You aren’t given all the details, but given enough to know what happens by the end of the novel. Although the result was a tad predictable, what happens within each case, is not.

In the end, I’m not sure I liked how the cases came together. I almost like them better as stand-alone stories. As I read each case, I was left wondering about the people within them. As horrible as some of these characters are, I could easily relate to them. But given the entire situation, I lost the ability to relate to them. Well, some of them.

As you can see, this review is a collection of my rambling thoughts because this reading experience left me rather antsy. It wasn’t a short story collection but in my opinion it didn’t really read like a novel either. ( )

More moving than the average detective story. In fact better than the average detective story in many ways. ( )

Felt slightly nervous reading about lots of missing girls as I have a baby daughter but the horror is balanced out in the end. There is a lot of humour and humanity as well as crime/detective elements. ( )

Excellent, complicated mystery--three or four different threads weave and cross and interweave to build something complex and unforgettable.

Great detective. Great read. ( )

Four cases that intertwine and resolve in connected ways. Love for daughters is strong. Missing women is a passion for Brodie, who is very ethical. Cambridge, York. Humor. Great! ( )