What order should I read Kate Atkinson's books in?

Read each series in its own order: start Jackson Brodie with Case Histories. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.

What is Kate Atkinson's most famous book?

Life After Life (2013) is Kate Atkinson's most widely read book.

Are Kate Atkinson's books connected?

5 books belong to 1 series (Jackson Brodie); the other 11 books stand alone.

Which Kate Atkinson books have been adapted?

1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Life After Life (TV).

Kate Atkinson books in order

English writer of novels, plays and short stories

Born: 1951
Country: United Kingdom
Books: 16
Series: 1

Kate Atkinson has published 12 novels, 1 short story collection and 3 other books, beginning with Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1995). The series is Jackson Brodie (5 books, starting with Case Histories). The best-known is Life After Life (2013). The latest is Shrines of Gaiety (2022).

Updated September 2026

Jackson Brodie books in order (5)Series page

Reading order: 1 Case Histories (2004) · 2 One Good Turn (2006) · 3 When Will There Be Good News? (2008) · 4 Started Early, Took My Dog (2011) · 5 Big Sky (2019)

1.
Case Histories (2004)
368 pages★ 3.9 (9 ratings)
Buy
2.
One Good Turn (2006)
418 pages
Buy
3.
When Will There Be Good News? (Aug 2008)
388 pages
Buy
4.
Started Early, Took My Dog (2011)
371 pages
Buy
5.
Big Sky (Jun 2019), also published as Death at the Sign of the Rook
400 pages
Buy

Where to start with Kate Atkinson

Start here
Life After Life
Kate Atkinson's most-read book.
Shortest way in
Case Histories
One of the most-read, at about 368 pages.
Newest
Shrines of Gaiety
Published 2022.

Standalone novels in order

Behind the Scenes at the Museum (Mar 1995)
381 pages
Buy
Human Croquet (Mar 1997)
349 pages
Buy
Emotionally Weird (2000)
352 pages
Buy
Life After Life (Mar 2013)
529 pages★ 4.3 (15 ratings)Adapted for TV
Buy
A God in Ruins (May 2015)
468 pages
Buy
Transcription (2018)
352 pages
Buy
Shrines of Gaiety (2022)
448 pages
Buy

Short story collections in order

Not the End of the World (2002)
278 pages
Buy

Other books in order

Pricksongs and Descants (1969)
Buy
Festive Spirits (2019)
80 pages
Buy
Normal Rules Don't Apply (2023)
Buy

Film and TV adaptations

Life After LifeTV · from Life After Life

About Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson is an English writer of novels, plays and short stories. She has written historical novels, detective novels and family novels, incorporating postmodern and magical realist elements into the plots. Her debut, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread Book Award, the precursor to the Costa Book Award, in 1995. The novels Life After Life and A God in Ruins won the Costa Book Award for Novel in 2013 and 2015. She is also known for the Jackson Brodie series of detective novels, which has been adapted into the BBC One series Case Histories.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Kate Atkinson FAQ

How many books has Kate Atkinson written?: Kate Atkinson has published 12 novels, 1 short story collection and 3 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
What order should I read Kate Atkinson's books in?: Read each series in its own order: start Jackson Brodie with Case Histories. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
What is Kate Atkinson's latest book?: Shrines of Gaiety (2022).
What is Kate Atkinson's most famous book?: Life After Life (2013) is Kate Atkinson's most widely read book.
Are Kate Atkinson's books connected?: 5 books belong to 1 series (Jackson Brodie); the other 11 books stand alone.
Which Kate Atkinson books have been adapted?: 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Life After Life (TV).