'Atkinson's finest novel to date. Indeed, it's one of the finest British novels, in any genre, to have emerged for years...sharp and dexterous, subtle and stylish, very funny and at time extraordinarily cutting...This is very much a state of the nation novel - far sharper and more observant and satirically understanding than anything else out there at the moment. And yet Atkinson also gives us humanity, insight and entertainment...a story that deserves to be read for decades to come

The wonder of Atkinson's novels has been their joie de vivre, extraordinary given the high incidence of violent death. An irrepressible exuberance shines throughout..folds past and present together with Atkinson's customary flair...extraordinary combination of wit, plain-speaking, tenderness and control

'As ever, Atkinson's prose is diamond-cut to twinkle and slice by turns'

I can't think why it has taken me so long to discover Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie novels. Started Early, Took My Dog is the fourth and is so brilliant that I rushed out and bought the previous three. Lauded for her literary fiction, Atkinson has taken to writing crime with ease, skilfully weaving the lives of three characters into a complex tale of murder, child abduction and corruption

Crime has given Atkinson the freedom to write an ambitious, panoramic work, full of excitement, colour and compassion

A wonderful stylist...but she was never confined to the crime genre, has written in assorted other modes and excels at them all. Whatever she goes on to write, she leaves Jackson Brodie at a suspenseful and pivotal moment. Future installments are well worth waiting for

Accept Atkinson's vision; enjoy, admire, laugh and be moved...Atkinson is witty and satirical of modern mores; she is a virtuoso of dialogue

Beautifully written...possibly the only author writing crime fiction that is also literary fiction alive today and as such she is also far and away the most interesting. Jackson cannot return soon enough

The fourth Jackson Brodie book, Atkinson's unlikely but utterly addictive detective...If only more literary authors could turn their hands to readable, commercial fiction with such elegance and verve

My friends queue up to borrow advance copies of Kate Atkinson's books...The book is full of allusions, illusions and conclusions about life, the universe and everything...original and amusing

Started Early builds into a state-of-the-nation novel that delicately balances bleak cynicism and affecting humour...She's also not averse to having fun with the genre she's adopted - her affectionate swipe at TV detective series is even funnier since the announcement of a BBC adaptation of previous Brodie novel Case Histories

Manages to sashay a fine line between comedy and tragedy, malignancy and lightness of touch...A stellar cast, the sophisticated plotting we've come to expect, and an incendiary denouement...hypnotic, compulsive reading, the result more bright fine lines of literary cocaine from Kate Atkinson

Atkinson's detective novels capture the strangeness of modern times, and our supposedly atomised lives, with spiky wit, emotional intelligence and consummate cleverness...Above all, they scrutinise an England too few literary novelists seem to notice, or care about

A funny, savvy, surprising sort of writer

Readable, compassionate and very funny...too good to miss

Superbly suspenseful storytelling, weaves missing children, romantic trauma and professional misconduct into a riveting read

Consider yourself in the hands of a most assured master - with a canny sense of humour

Sometimes touching, sometimes shocking

A rollicking read that should not be picked up at bedtime, or you'll be done for in terms of a good night's sleep

Neill's characters are so cleverly depicted, you feel as if you've met at least one of them before

Neill's plotting is beyond compare . . . an utterly absorbing account of deception and desire

I thoroughly enjoyed this brilliantly observed novel about a family in meltdown

Cracking

Contemporary issues are tackled here with both humour and realism, making for an engrossing read

The Hot List

A complex crime scene, a missing girl, a ticking clock: no one writes a more page-turning, gut-wrenching, edgy thriller. LOOK FOR ME is a page turner par excellence.

Terror, twists, and trepidation. Look for Me is a triple-salvo thriller.

So twisty, turning and grippy

It is insidiously unnerving in such a clever way . . . had me well and truly hooked!

Dark, unforgiving, suspenseful and thought-provoking

Campus novel satire and the high drama of a thriller combine in a fiendishly readable interrogation of the allure of violent fiction

One of the most believable heroines I've seen on the page in a long time. The final chapters deliver the heart-in-mouth genre denouement we’ve been waiting for

It is a beautifully written book, a masterpiece by the woman who may be Britain’s finest living crime novelist

The Long Drop is not just a success and a thrilling read in its own right, but a game-changer for the genre.

A relentlessly tense and exciting read, every page oozes menace and its core of truth makes it all the more unsettling.

Deliciously shadowy.

Dark, gritty and chilling, it is steeped in the atmosphere and mores of Glasgow in the 1950s

[An] extraordinary story of a 1950s Glasgow murder mystery.

The Long Drop is an extraordinarily unsettling, evocative and compelling novel

I’ve been a fan of Ms Mina for a while, but The Long Drop has to be my favourite. The writing is beautiful and more than once I found myself having to pause, just to take in the sheer elegance of the prose. It’s an absolute gem of a book.

[O]ne of crime fiction’s most acute observers of contemporary society.

A wonderfully punchy evocation of a legendary murder mystery, packed with the authentic sights, sounds and intrigues of Glasgow in the late Fifties.

[I] was gripped, impressed by her insight into the mind of a psychopath… A grim novel, but a very good one.

Mina's novels are engrossing, deeply rooted in reality and astutely perceptive about human nature

Powerful, passionate and compelling. Mina can chill your blood and break your heart in the same sentence

Why do Scottish writers dominate British crime fiction? With Denise Mina at least, the answer is pure class

Remarkable… It often seems as if Mina has freed herself from most of the strictures of the thriller format in order to explore altogether more literary territory. It is a pleasure to accompany her. The writing is frequently arresting

Charismatic, grimy masterpiece

Bleak and atmospheric

Deliciously dark and twisty, this is a page-turner from start to finish

If you like a touch of Stephen King mixed with British crime, then this is for you . . . this is a spooky read, but also holds its own as a police procedural novel

This flawless thriller will touch your heart and live long in your memory

This flawless thriller lives long in the memory