Author

Kate Atkinson

Q: What should I read first by Kate Atkinson?

Start with the Jackson Brodie series, since it is the first on file, then read it in publication order.

Kate Atkinson has 16 known credited books (15 published; 1 with an uncertain publication date) across 1 series. Start with Jackson Brodie.

Kate Atkinson is a British novelist who moves between literary fiction and crime writing, best known within the mystery genre for the Jackson Brodie series, which follows a former police detective turned private investigator through cases that unfold with the structural playfulness and interest in coincidence and fate more typical of Atkinson's literary novels than conventional crime fiction. Beginning with Case Histories in 2004, the series is prized for weaving together multiple, seemingly unconnected storylines that gradually reveal how they intersect.

Atkinson won the Whitbread Book of the Year (now the Costa Book Award) for her very first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, well before she turned to crime fiction, and she has continued to move fluidly between the two modes throughout her career, including the acclaimed literary novel Life After Life. That literary sensibility -- close attention to voice, structure, and coincidence -- carries directly into the Brodie novels, setting them apart from more straightforwardly procedural crime series.

A new reader should start with Case Histories, which introduces Brodie and the interwoven-narratives structure that defines the series. The Jackson Brodie novels were adapted into the BBC television series Case Histories (2011-2013), starring Jason Isaacs in the title role.

Series: 1
Credited books: 16
Published: 15
Date uncertain: 1
Latest published book: Death at the Sign of the Rook 5 September 2024
Active: 1995–present
Best known for: Jackson Brodie

Key facts about Kate Atkinson

Our list holds 16 books by Kate Atkinson. 6 of them belong to a series, while 10 stand alone. 15 are out now. 1 more has no firm date yet.

Kate Atkinson has 1 series on file. Jackson Brodie has 6 books, starting in 2004.

Since Jackson Brodie is the first series on file, it is the place to start. Their first published book on file came out in 1995. Meanwhile, Death at the Sign of the Rook is the latest published book, out on 5 September 2024.

There are also 10 standalone books. You can read them in any order, since each one stands alone. The newest one that is out is Normal Rules Don't Apply, from 2023.

The oldest on file is Behind the Scenes at the Museum, from 1995. Their series sits on our literary crime shelf.