Lives intercept, collide and threaten to shatter when a seemingly senseless act of road rage propels a group of strangers into the same orbit.

Ex-private eye Jackson Brodie is tagging along with his girlfriend Julia to the Edinburgh Summer Festival when he witnesses the attack. Knowing he should stop and give a witness statement, Jackson doesn't want to get involved in the red tape that always accompanies these things, so he walks away. Also on hand is successful and very shy mystery writer Martin Canning. Martin has the presence of mind to hurl his laptop at the attacker, "Honda Man," who jumped out of his car to beat another motorist (a man in a rented Peugeot who goes by the ordinary name of Paul Bradley, even though he is neither ordinary or Paul Bradley) to death with a baseball bat. Gloria Hatter has just stepped out with a friend to catch a comedy show and is standing outside in line when the event takes place.

A street full of rubbernecking witnesses and the cops get zip in way of description. Everyone remembers the dog, but no one can describe him or his master to the authorities. It goes without saying that no one got a plate number from the Honda. In the end, the crowd drifts away. Each going back to their own lives, their own problems, their own sad and mostly solitary orbits. But Atkinson has other plans for her characters. No longer at cross purposes, now this group is connected. Their paths cross, their fates are intertwined and they all have a part to play in this dark and deadly little thriller.

Something's definitely up Bertie! Like her previous Jackson Brodie book CASE HISTORIES, ONE GOOD TURN is a page- turning, plot-twister of a book. Point of view frequently changes, giving the reader time to get to know the main characters. This is a thriller but so much more. Atkinson takes time to weave her plots and people together so at the end you've gotten more than your basic crowd-pleasing whodunit. She gives you more, makes you work a little harder and wants you to think and consider more. A lot of internalizing going on here. Except for maybe "Honda Guy," there are no cardboard cutouts. Every character is drawn with depth and perception. Martin Canning is especially entertaining. Spending time with the characters is every bit as important as solving the "mystery" of dead bodies.