This book is apparently the sixth in a series by Kate Atkinson about retired police detective Jackson Brodie novel, it's the first one that I’ve read.

I am not sure how much of a difference it would make if I had already read the previous 5 books - as a standalone I think the story works fairly well. It would probably help with understanding more about Jackson's relationship with Reggie where there is an assumption the reader already knows at least some of their past history.

I have seen some reviews from dedicated Jackson Brodie fans who consider this is the least enjoyable of all the books in the series so far. I can't comment on that but did feel a bit underwhelmed with the story overall.

Jackson is a private investigator these days, so still using his detecting skills. He has been asked to investigate the alleged theft of a Renaissance painting from the home of an elderly lady who has recently died, her family don't want to involve police as the provenance of the painting is sketchy to say the least.. The prime suspect is her carer, a young woman called Melanie who has now disappeared..

Meanwhile, Jackson's police contact Reggie has also been tasked with investigating a missing painting, allegedly an original Turner from a big old country house called Burton Makepeace. The owners are old money who are now done on their luck somewhat and trying to generate funds to pay the bills and keep the place going. The suspect for this one is the housekeeper, who was a young woman called Sophie.

After a bit of labouring, Jackson and Reggie join forces to try solving both cases. There are a lot of side characters who drop in and out, which can be quite confusing and hard to follow. There is quite a bit of build-up of backstory, some which lands and some which really doesn't.

Eventually an assortment of characters including Jackson and Reggie end up at the country house during a snowstorm, on what happens to be a murder-mystery weekend. The story kicks up a notch, with an escaped prisoner with murderous intentions adding to the chaos. Very loosely based on the style of Agatha Christie with a lot more confusion.

I found this a bit hit-and-miss, the story chugs along and struggles to find its groove until about the last 15-20% when suddenly there's lots happening and ends being tied up. There are parts which are funny and interesting characters but I didnt find it easy to keep track of what was going on. I did like Jackson and Reggie and their relationship, so I may give their previous outings a look - I think this maybe wasnt the best introduction.

Jackson Brodie is such a fabulous character and this was an entertaining read. I did however find it a tad too long and difficult to keep track of all the characters.

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review

Kate Atkinson's Death at the Sign of the Rook is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to all good murder mysteries. It is apparently the sixth Jackson Brodie novel, but the only one I have read. It was a fun, light hearted read which I did enjoy (in parts). I found the huge cast of characters a little confusing and have decided I prefer Kate Atkinsons other novels much more.

Like many many people, I adore Kate Atkinson and have been reading and re-reading her books since she wrote the brilliant, Behind the Scenes at the Museum all those years ago. Having finished it, I can say it’s my least favourite of the Jackson Brodie books. As many other people have said; the plot is thin, and there are way too many characters, who, in my opinion are unecessary and superfluous. I’m used to the way Kate’s books jump back and forth and that doesn’t bother me a bit, but with this one, I found myself going back pages and pages to pick up the plot as I honestly could NOT get my head around what was supposed to be the main storyline here.

#Netgalley

Death at the Sign of the Rook is Kate Atkinson’s sixth Jackson Brodie novel, and the first in the series that I’ve read.
I’m a big fan of her books so I didn’t read the description too closely and hadn’t realised I was joining a series a bit late. Having said that, I’m not sure that makes a difference here. I’ve read a lot of reviews from Brodie fans who feel this is the least enjoyable of all six. I may still return to the previous five though as I really warmed to a couple of the characters, namely Jackson Brodie and his on/off friend DC Reggie Chase.

Jackson himself is a retired police detective, now a private investigator. He’s been tasked with solving the theft of a Renaissance painting from the home of an elderly British woman. The prime suspect is her carer Melanie, a young woman who has now scarpered.

Meanwhile, Reggie is also investigating a painting theft, this time a Turner from Burton Makepeace, a big old country house owned by an upper class family who are now a bit cash-strapped and clinging to their former glory days. The presumed thief is the housekeeper, a young woman named Sophie.

Jackson and Reggie reluctantly join forces to solve both cases. There’s a focus throughout the book on a series of different characters, which at times felt fairly tangential and difficult to follow.
Somehow they all end up at Burton Makepeace during a debilitating snow storm. There’s also a murder mystery weekend on, and a real-life escaped murderer roaming about the place.
Like Agatha Christie but slightly more sinister, and more confusing, to be honest.

This is a slower paced read; it doesn’t really get going until the last 20% of the book. There’s some funny moments and I definitely enjoyed parts of it; I absolutely want to read more from Jackson and Reggie, I just don’t think this one was for me overall.

Are you a Jackson Brodie fan?

With many thanks @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for my early copy. #DeathAtTheSignOfTheRook is available to buy now. All opinions are my own, as always.

This was a very satisfying read- in the end- let me explain: there is a cast of many and half the book is more or less setting the scene with the histories and context of each character. It’s all good stuff, but there’s more of it than I felt was needed. I loved meeting an older Brodie and very much enjoyed his relationship with Reggie Chase, who readers will remember from a previous book. The second half is great and brings the whole plot together admirably. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I hadn’t read a Jackson Brodie before and I don’t think it really matters if you have or haven’t. I felt that it took quite a while to get going properly and there was a lot of different things happening and switching between quite a big cast of characters. For me, just over halfway through it seemed to click and pick up pace and I enjoyed it a lot more from then. Definitely very different to any other books I’ve read by Kate Atkinson.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.

Kate Atkinson returns with another thriller lite book with plenty twists and turns, humourous, dark at times but compelling reading. Takes you unexpectedly into Agatha Christie territory. If you like Kate Atkinson you'll like this.

This was an enjoyable and often humorous read playing on the cosy crime tradition led by Agatha Christie, but in a tongue in cheek fashion. I did, however, find there were some plotting issues and it took me a very long time to get into the narrative. There were a few too many viewpoints and narrative strands so I also found myself getting confused and frustrated at times. Despite this, I loved the character of Jackson and his and Reggie’s perspectives were fantastic.

Kate Atkinson is an established author with a great following. There is a good reason for this - she is excellentThis book is no exception. A thoroughly good plot and well worth reading. Well done Kate

It is a while since Jackson Brodie featured in Atkinson’s books and of course time changes people and with Brodie this is no different. It seems he has stepped back into the trope of a Golden Age mystery which is not normal background for Brodie.

Brodie finds himself stuck in a big house, snowed in, a retired major, a missing piece of art or two, a few dead bodies and a large touch of humour as it is holding a murder mystery weekend.

Brodie is thinking about how his life has changed and this books is very different from the others featuring him.

The book twists and turns with black humour and at times I was a little bit lost but I went through the roller coaster of the book as it tackled so much packed in the pages.

It was great to be back with Atkinson and Jackson and I hope it isn’t five years until the next one.

After several attempts to get to grips with this new Jackson Brodie novel reluctantly admit disappointment. Numerous characters, confusing plot lines around a somewhat weird mystery with slapstick comedy generating into mayhem. Publicity identified it as an Agatha Christie take off but cannot see any connections. Not what I expected and a somewhat disappointing conclusion although as always Kate Atkinson a master of the written word. Perhaps high expectations and slim involvement of the Jackson Brodie character have led to my first lack of involvement in this book by one of my favourite authors. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I did enjoy this cleverly plotted and intricately woven story though at times, the swapping of narratives had me racing to catch up. Murder, family tensions and a cracking lead kept me intrigued till the end.

Kate Atkinson continues her Jackson Brodie detective series with another excellent novel, Death at the Sign of the Rook.
With compelling characters and a complex plot this weaves a great story.

Another thoroughly enjoyable story from
Kate Atkinson. A Jackson Brodie story with some of our old favourites. Set in Yorkshire, this is the story of a stolen painting or two (maybe) and a mysterious,
disappearing woman,.

I really loved this story. It was fascinating to learn about lost art but the atmosphere and characterisation are also fabulous - a chapter about people stuck in the snow really shouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was.

It’s five stars from me and I really hope we don’t have to wait too long to read about Jackson, Reggie and (no spoilers) one of the other key characters in this story again.

In the past I have really enjoyed Kate Atkinson's books and I was delighted to receive an ARC of this latest one.

Unfortunately, while I recognise the usual quality of the writing, I was disappointed by this one. I suppose it's because my expectations were high, but I felt the story was a bit disjointed, the plotting somewhat haphazard and the characters flat. And far too much slapstick in the action. I was loosely held rather than gripped by it.

My thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing an ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

Best of ingredients for a mystery novel: country house, cast of colourful characters, slightly grumpy and often eccentric detective, and some clever twists. Tick to all of those - and this is an enjoyable and fun read.

I always enjoy shadowing the detective Jackson Brodie...!

Having enjoyed all the Jackson Brodie books in the past, I was thrilled to see this, his latest investigation, released last month. And when I had a copy of the book, the sense of anticipation meant that I waited for the perfect moment to settle down with it and start reading the first page. But, for me, it took a while to get into the story proper.

We're introduced to a setting which is very much of the world of the golden age of crime and Agatha Christie. A group of people are looking forward to a murder mystery party in a grand country house, which is now a hotel.

All the characters are described in great detail and it takes a little while to work out what is going on in their lives, and how it will involve Jackson Brodie. Interwoven with their stories is an update on the employment of the great detective.

He is in Yorkshire and his latest job is investigating the disappearance of a painting. One theft leads to another and he eventually finds himself in Burton Makepeace, and the location of the murder mystery party.

It's an intricately plotted book with dense characterisation, but I have to confess that the storyline where Jackson and his fellow detectives appear is what most interested and entertained me. So sometimes I felt he didn't have as big a part to play as I would have liked. But it's good to read a Kate Atkinson again!

Death At The Sign Of The Rook is the sixth installment in Kate Atkinson's acclaimed Jackson Brodie series. When Dorothy Padgett passes away, her twins, Hazel and Ian, enlist Jackson to locate a missing Renaissance-era portrait from her bedroom. Although they claim the painting holds sentimental value, Jackson suspects there’s more to their story, especially regarding the suspicious behavior of Dorothy's carer, Melanie Hope.

As Jackson investigates, he uncovers a series of questionable activities surrounding Melanie, including her use of a burner phone and a fake address. His inquiries into art theft lead him to believe that someone is posing in inconspicuous roles to pilfer valuable artwork. One such theft involves Burton Makepeace House, previously investigated by DC Reggie Chase without success. Jackson’s return to her life is unwelcome; he represents chaos in a world where order is preferred.

Atkinson's plot weaves a modern tapestry of intrigue, including a Murder Mystery Weekend where not everything is as it seems. A snowstorm and a dangerous prison escapee add further layers of tension, reminding Reggie of Jackson's distinction between justice and the law.

What truly shines in Atkinson's work is her character development. The inner monologues are infused with dry British humor, showcasing the complexities of Jackson's narrative and Reggie's struggles with his comments. Characters like Honoria Milton captivate, while Ben and Simon evoke deep emotion. The dialogue is sharp and filled with humor, with moments that provoke genuine laughter.

Atkinson's mastery of language is evident, with vividly descriptive passages that draw the reader in. While prior knowledge of the series enhances the experience, new readers will still find plenty to enjoy. Overall, this novel is a delightful blend of wit, suspense, and character depth.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

My first book by this author and I wasn’t disappointed… time to go back and read all her others. Clever and perfectly paced, readers will be invested until the end!