Jana Kippo
literary crime
Series · literary crime
Jackson Brodie
The Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson has 6 known books (6 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Case Histories (2004). Death at the Sign of the Rook is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 6 known books (6 novels)
- Published
- 6
- First published
- 2004
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime , Literary Fiction
Start here: Case Histories (2004)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Case Histories
Published in 2004, Case Histories opens the Jackson Brodie series and, at 368 pages, introduces the former policeman turned private investigator whose personal life will thread through the five books that follow. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Case Histories - Book 2:
One Good Turn
One Good Turn arrived two years after Case Histories, in 2006, and runs to 418 pages -- the longest of the first four Jackson Brodie novels. Kate Atkinson continues her structurally daring approach here, braiding together several seemingly unrelated storylines that only resolve into a single picture near the end, with Jackson's own messy life, drifting through failed marriages and a nagging inability to stay retired, as much the subject as the case itself. Alternative text for cover: Cover of One Good Turn - Book 3:
When Will There Be Good News?
Kate Atkinson followed One Good Turn with When Will There Be Good News , published in 2008 at 388 pages, continuing the run of Jackson Brodie novels she had put out roughly every two years since 2004. Alternative text for cover: Cover of When Will There Be Good News? - Book 4:
Started Early, Took My Dog
Book four, Started Early, Took My Dog (2010, 371 pages), came right on the two-year rhythm of its three predecessors -- the last of the series to do so. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Started Early, Took My Dog - Book 5:
Big Sky
After Started Early, Took My Dog in 2010, Atkinson left a nine-year gap before Big Sky , published on 13 June 2019 at 400 pages -- by far the longest interval between any two books in the series. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Big Sky - Book 6:
Death at the Sign of the Rook
The sixth and, as of this record, most recent Jackson Brodie novel, Death at the Sign of the Rook , appeared on 5 September 2024, five years after Big Sky and twenty years after the series began with Case Histories . Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death at the Sign of the Rook
Key facts about the Jackson Brodie series
Our list has 6 books in the Jackson Brodie series. Since all 6 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Case Histories, since it opens the publication order in 2004. One Good Turn is book 2, from 2006. When Will There Be Good News? is book 3, from 2008.
Started Early, Took My Dog is book 4, from 2010. Big Sky is book 5, from 2019. Death at the Sign of the Rook is book 6, from 2024.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Death at the Sign of the Rook is the latest book with a full release date, out on 5 September 2024. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.
The books came out between 2004 and 2024, while their length runs from 368 to 418 pages. That is a run of 20 years.
Kate Atkinson has 16 books on our list. This is the only series by them we track, while the author page lists the rest. We shelve the books under literary crime.
About the Jackson Brodie series
Jackson Brodie is a former army policeman turned Cambridge CID detective turned semi-reluctant private investigator, drifting through a life of failed marriages, missing-persons cases and a nagging inability to stay retired. Kate Atkinson uses him less as a conventional detective-novel engine than as a connective thread through structurally daring, multi-stranded literary fiction: each book braids together several seemingly unrelated storylines and characters — old crimes, cold cases, coincidences that ripple across decades — which only resolve into a single picture near the end. Atkinson, a Whitbread and Costa Book of the Year winner for her literary fiction, brings the same formal playfulness, dark wit and precise prose to these mysteries that she brings to her non-genre novels.
The appeal is for readers who want crime fiction that rewards close reading: puzzle-box plotting, wry humour undercutting real tragedy, and a protagonist whose own messy life is as much the subject as the cases he's drawn into. It's the basis for the BBC/Case Histories TV adaptation starring Jason Isaacs, and a natural next step for readers who love smart, character-first crime writing over procedural detail.
Frequently asked questions
How many Jackson Brodie books are there?
There are six Jackson Brodie novels, from Case Histories (2004) to Death at the Sign of the Rook (2024).
What order should I read the Jackson Brodie books in?
Publication order, starting with Case Histories (2004). Jackson's personal life develops across the series, even though each book's central mystery is self-contained.
Is there a new Jackson Brodie book coming?
No new Jackson Brodie novel has been announced as of August 2026. Kate Atkinson has previously left multi-year gaps between entries (nine years before Big Sky, five before Death at the Sign of the Rook), so a wait between books is normal for this series.
Do I need to read Jackson Brodie in order?
Not strictly for the plots -- each book's central mystery is self-contained -- but Jackson's relationships and personal history carry forward, so reading in publication order gives the fullest picture.
Is the Jackson Brodie series related to a TV show?
Yes. BBC's Case Histories (2011-2013), starring Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie, adapted the first three novels.
If you like the Jackson Brodie series
Last updated