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So Disdained
So Disdained
Apr 24, 2025 6:14 AM

Author:Nevil Shute

So Disdained

When Peter Moran picks up a man on the roadside while driving through a bitter rainy night on the South Downs, he embarks upon an adventure that will lead him into treasonous international plots, flying adventures and tests of both his bravery and his loyalty.

Reviews

Any book by Nevil Shute is a delight

—— Punch

That shattering, unaffected, literary style of his is masterly

—— H.E. Bates

There is a quality of golden light that hangs over his books. That comes, I think, from his sense of order and from his own vast, undemonstrative solicitude

—— John Ezard , Guardian

Rendell’s eerier capacity to comprehend disturbed criminal minds continues to astonish

—— The Times

There are quite a few Ruth Rendells: the doyenne of the traditional English detective novel; the queen of the psychological thriller; the celebrated author of the literary thriller

—— Mail on Sunday

The best woman crime writer since Sayers, Christie, Allingham and Marsh

—— Edmund Crispin, Sunday Times

Shot through with sharp, black humour, and introducing a loveable hero in Brodie, this is storytelling that satisfies at every level

—— Marie Claire (Book of the Month)

Atkinson is very good indeed... more satisfying than many detective novels. Everyone who picks it up will feel compelled to follow it through to the last page

—— Guardian

Brilliantly playful, witty and original... massive and consistent talent for comedy

—— The Scotsman

Intriguing and affecting... she has also created a compelling central chracter in world-weary private investigator Jackson Brodie, who is determined to bring justice to all the lives that lie fractured around him

—— Red (Book of the Month)

Civilised, funny, life-affirming and hugely enjoyable

—— Literary Review

Brilliantly detailed and unexpectedly funny

—— Mirror

Perceptive and engaging

—— Independent

Murder, mystery and Atkinson's skill make for an atmospheric and moving story

—— Eve

Funny, furious fourth novel rumbustiously drives a path through the genre of detective fiction, demolishing its careful, forensic summation of human behaviour and replacing them with bloody, believable, vigorous tales

—— Rachel Cusk

Vivid, multifaceted... Case Histories manages to be such an ultimately joyful novel.. I found myself captivated throughout by the vivacity and big-hearted humour... skilled juxtaposition

—— WBQ

Not just the best novel I have read this year...but the best mystery of the decade. There are actually four mysteries, nesting like Russian dolls, and when they begin to fit together, I defy any reader not to feel a combination of delight and amazement. Case Histories is the literary equivalent of a triple axel. I read it once for pleasure and then again just to see how it was done. This is the kind of book you shove in people's faces, saying 'You gotta read this!

—— Entertainment Weekly

So well-written...Everyone who picks it up will feel compelled to follow it through to the last page.

—— Guardian

Her best book yet...a tragi-comedy for our times.'

—— Katie Owen, Sunday Telegraph

'A greedy feast of a story by a masterful author ... Will stay with you for a long time after you have finished reading it. '

—— Daily Express

'Civilised, funny, life-affirming and hugely enjoyable. I can't recall reading crime fiction quite like this before- honest, ironic, and cheerfully unselfconscious. I urge you to share my surprise and delight.'

—— Philip Oakes, Literary Review

One of the most brilliantly playful, witty and original writers we have.

—— Scotsman

'At heart a comic novelist, who explores the relationship between comedy and crime... In Case Histories, these skills have found their literary home.'

—— Heather O’Donoghue, Times Literary Supplement

'Sharp humour, together with a number of unexpected twists, make this a typically pacey and intelligent read.'

—— Daily Mail

Not just the best novel I have read this year...but the best mystery of the decade. There are actually four mysteries, nesting like Russian dolls, and when they begin to fit together, I defy any reader not to feel a combination of delight and amazement. Case Histories is the literary equivalent of a triple axel. I read it once for pleasure and then again just to see how it was done. This is the mind of book you shove in people's faces, saying 'You gotta read this!'

—— Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly
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