Stephen King made a good point when he noted that one undervalued thriller is actually one of the best reads of the 2000s. King is a vocal critic of other writers and Stephen King adaptations, taking no prisoners in his commentary - he called Graveyard Shift "just kind of a quick exploitation picture" (Deadline). One feels inclined to trust King's honesty regarding cinema and literature. That is why it is worth paying attention to his interviews and ranking lists when it comes to good books, and King was on fire in the 2000s, making his thriller recommendation well grounded.
Although Stephen King was proficient all throughout the '70s, '80s, '90s, and well into the modern day, he gave the world some underestimated classics in the 2000s. Under the Dome provided one of Stephen King's best human villains, putting him in the right state of mind to evaluate the breakout novel by Kate Atkinson. This 2004 detective novel by British author Atkinson dives into a murky set of cold cases in Cambridge, England, investigated by the thoroughly human Jackson Brodie. King advised readers to dig into this novel to experience one of the greatest mysteries of recent years.
Stephen King Is Right About Case Histories Being One Of The Best 2000s Mystery Books
Kate Atkinson's Case Histories Is A Great Read
Case Histories wouldn't be the first instance of Stephen King praising a recent thriller, but it may be one of his best mystery suggestions. The book tackles multiple crimes, opening with all of them, one by one. This launches the reader into a depressing state of compulsion to find out how they resolve. With a disappearance and dark and violent incidents, this is no cheerful, cozy story, but a fascinating look at the human mind unraveling in the face of tragedy. This is something King often tackles through the supernatural, so it's easy to see why he liked it.
It's Disappointing Case Histories Hasn't Gotten More Attention In Recent Years
Case Histories Is An Underrated Gem
Case Histories had a decent amount of attention on its release and via an engaging adaptation, but it generally isn't known about by most readers of the crime genre in the 2020s. This excellent novel deserves to be on best-of lists and book club agendas the world over, but it will have to settle for the awards it won in 2004. Case Histories won the Saltire Book of the Year Award and Prix Westminster. These awards were fair won, which was recognized by the BBC when they picked up the story for a three-part series.
Holly Gibney has been a divisive character among Stephen King readers and while there are a few reasons for this, not all of them are arguably valid.
The three-part series has 63% on Rotten Tomatoes but deserves a better score. Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) headed up this gripping miniseries. Indeed, the audience score is stronger than the critic score. This series is only available in the U.S. on Peacock, but deserves a wider release across streaming giants like Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. One of the underrated Stephen King adaptations and one of the best head-scratcher novels of 2004, Case Histories deserves wider recognition, as Stephen King understands.
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