One Good Turn is Kate Atkinson's fourth novel. It is a rather lurid account of murder, betrayal and intrigue taking place over just four days. The setting is Edinburgh during the Festival, and Atkinson makes many allusions, mostly of a cynical nature, to the theatrics of would-be actors and writers, and to the pretensions of audiences who come to applaud the performances.

The novel begins with what could be a cunning piece of street theatre: in front of a queue of people waiting to buy tickets for a play, a man is viciously assaulted following a minor traffic accident. The occasion allows several key players in Atkinson's drama to step forward: the baseball-bat-wielding "Honda Man", retired policeman Jackson Brodie; lifelong chums Pam and Gloria (and vicariously, Gloria's ratbag husband, the crooked property developer Graham Hatter); assault victim the none-too-wholesome Paul Bradley, reluctant hero and writer of bad crime fiction Martin Canning (aka Alex Blake). These are only the major players; One Good Turn has no shortage of minors who flit in and out as the story develops. With the cast in place we are off for a breathless few days of adventure which seems set to defy Atkinson's powers to bring the whole thing together in a credible narrative. Whether you think she succeeds or not depends on how much leeway you will allow in the name of a fast paced read, one that seems to have a tongue firmly in cheek, and to suggest that credibility is a small price to pay.

Graham Hatter runs the corrupt Hatter Homes empire (Real Homes For Real People). The extent of his "business interests" only becomes fully apparent as it unravels. His wife Gloria is recklessly naïve, making her a convenient mouthpiece for a fading postwar Scotland of shortbread, hot scones and clotted cream. Once the initial scene is over, the characters go off in different directions, but as the body count rises their paths cross and collide, often with unfortunate consequences. By the end of the novel all are accounted for, escaping from Edinburgh, exorcising ghosts, even expiating guilt. To say the ending is a little contrived is not to criticize the novel. The whole thing is contrived, and Atkinson is fully aware that authors and the people they write about often just make things up.

Atkinson extends the four days of action by filling in the backstories of the characters, sometimes at length. I'm not sure how much this contributes to the characterization or plot, as most of these background details seem fairly stereotypical. In the case of Martin Canning we hear about his "old-fashioned, soft-boiled crime novels featuring a heroine named Nina Riley". As Alex Blake, Canning is famous, but he is embarrassed by the superficial nature of his writing. His desire to write something of more literary merit sets him in conflict with Atkinson-as-author who seems disdainful of "literature" although eager to include enough references to demonstrate her credentials. I read this as a nice little piece of self-parody.

Readers without the advantage of Scottish heritage might struggle with some of the language and terminology. Cheap Day Returns, Embassy cigarettes, disdain for anything from London, nutters up for rammy, knitted matinee sets: there are plenty of local references. The Scottish don't come out of the book too well. They're a dour and pessimistic lot by reputation and Atkinson doesn't do them any favors. Lovers of crime fiction will like this book. It has all the ingredients of suspense, twists of plot (some predictable, others not), villains, interesting settings, and above all the challenge of seeing how it will all come together. One Good Turn is compulsive reading and a lot of fun.

© 2007 Tony O'Brien

Tony O'Brien is a short story writer and lecturer in mental health nursing at The University of Auckland, New Zealand: a.obrien@auckland.ac.nz

Categories: Fiction