Jackson is back. Seemed rather more light hearted than previous episodes but very enjoyable. Quite a lot of characters to keep track of, not to mention aliases, but a good holiday read, which is when I read it. Clever plot and funny too. Recommended. Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for a review copy.

I love Kate Atkinson's writing and have been looking forward to a new Jackson Brodie. I was not disappointed. This is a fabulous book, very well plotted and funny. I hardly ever laugh out loud at books but kept giggling in so many places. Jackson is working on a case of a missing oil painting which is or might be an Old Master. There's something fishy going on with his clients that he can't help investigating also. He embroils Reggie Chase into the investigation, she's not happy about him but can't stop herself. There are more missing paintings and a mysterious servant/housekeeper/carer involved in all the cases. There's a snowstorm brewing and the vicar has lost his voice. Everyone ends up at the stately home and it feels like the setting for an Agatha Christie. Which of course it isn't. This book is so great. I loved it. The Major is also brilliant.

An eagerly anticipated return of Jackson Brodie, I couldn't wait to get started. It did not disappoint. The writing is superb and Jackson so well observed he jumped off the page. The descriptive quality that Kate Atkinson has is amazing. A welcome return too of Reggie Chase. I was mesmerised from start to finish. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Death at the Sign of The Rook is another instalment in the Jackson Brodie series.
In book 6 he is employed to track down a rare painting. Add in the trusty sidekick, a runaway crook, and a bunch of quirky characters and you end up reading an enjoyable and engaging read with a dash of mystery!
It’s everything you’d expected in a Kate Atkinson book. I am now eagerly anticipating and hoping for book 7 😊

If you follow my reviews or any of my social media, you will know, I adore Kate Atkinson's books, have done since I read the first Jackson Brody book and I was so excited to read this book!
Did it live up to my expectations? It did and then some. We are back in the company of one of my favorite reluctant detectives, Jackson hasn't really changed, you might think that age has exposed his soft under belly, but that's always been there, he's just tried (usually*unsuccessfully) to hide it at times.
This was a joy of a book, with characters from earlier books popping up, Reggie Chase - village orphan, among others, it was like meeting old friends. It says much about the author that well over a decade after first meeting characters they are as fresh in my mind now as when I read about them first time round.
The book itself is wonderful, like Kate's other books, coincidence plays a big part, there are the many references that make the book feel a lot more literary than others out there. The whole story is a jaunt into Christie territory, with a big house, a huge cast, a snow storm and a surprising denouement.
Thank you to the author and the publishers for my advance copy - I'll be spreading the word far and wide on this one!

I had enjoyed Jackson Brodie books in the past but have not read the most recent ones. This, however, did not detract from my enjoyment of this novel.

The cast of a murder mystery plus paying guests, the Milton family, servants and various unexpected guests are stranded at Burton Makepeace when the snow unexpectedly arrives. Add in a murder and the escape of a convicted prisoner.

Jackson Brodie and DC Reggie Chase are investigating the loss of two paintings - one from Burton Makepeace - and suspect there is a connection.

The novel is fast paced, comedic, full of outstanding characters and home truths.

A delight to read - I will be looking out for more of this series in future.

If you like following the exploits of Jackson Brodie, Reggie Chase and Louise Monroe then you’re going to love this new book from Kate Atkinson. If you like crime fiction and a good laugh at the expense of people who take themselves much too seriously then you’ll love it even more!

Only Kate Atkinson could link Jackson Brodie, private investigator, investigating the appearance of a small portrait supposedly lifted by the housekeeper, with a crumbling aristocratic pile and an associated crumbling family, a series of major art thefts, a murder weekend, an escaped murderer on the rampage and, of course, several deaths.

There’s also the question of whether it is a weasel or a stoat in the lost artwork, whether the awful Ian and Hazel Padgett set it all up for the insurance money and whether Jackson Brodie really needs a Land Rover Defender at his age? The answers are yes, no, and yes – but only to keep the plot rolling.

It’s a very funny novel, a kind of hommage to Agatha Christie or perhaps Nancy Drew, and the ending is just on the edge of farce, all beautifully controlled by the author.

It’s a five-star read for anyone!

A welcome return from Jackson Brodie. This has a vast cast of characters, a number of locations, an enigmatic criminal with a caring side, a decrepit stately home and some missing paintings. At one point there was so much going on that I was concerned that Kate Atkinson would not be able to pull it all together, but of course she does, in a show stopping finale reminiscent of Cluedo after a heavy drinking session. A marvellous romp of a read!

Another entertaining Jackson Brodie from Kate Atkinson. A classic Agatha Christie type setting of a large stately home and a cast of eccentric characters. This is a fun, quick read, a drawing room farce with elements of slap-stick. What really makes the book so enjoyable is the clever character observations, the astute social comments and the nods and winks to other crime writers.

I was delighted about the return of the fabulous Jackson Brodie,and glad to see he hasn’t mellowed with age.This book is such good fun,with all the hallmarks of the series -black humour,tight plot,great social observation and wonderful characters,maybe not as dark as the previous book in the series.
It was good to see the return of a couple of characters from previous books,and I hope it won’t be too long till the next book.Highly recommended.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

A new Jackson Brodie novel from Atkinson is always a cause for celebration, and Death at the Sign of the Rook was a superlative example of the best things about this series: biting social satire and astute character studies, underpinned by a thick vein of humour interspersed with terrible violence.

Atkinson is clearly having fun here, riffing off Golden Age mysteries set in 'the big house' and more current cosy crime such as Richard Osman and the Rev Richard Coles. Speaking of Osman, one of my first thoughts on reading his record-breaking series was how much it reminded me of the Jackson Brodie series, so if you're a fan of the former I would highly recommend you try Kate Atkinson's books. Could you start with Death at the Sign of the Rook? I actually think you could: while there is backstory galore in Brodie's world, it's explained sufficiently here to mean a new reader will understand the lie of the land, without boring those readers who are already familiar with the characters.

Jackson Brodie returns! To lovers of crime novels that are beautifully written, full of tangents, interesting and quirky characters with shades of Christie, this is fabulous now.

This time around Brodie is tasked to track down a missing painting. This might be the most Christie yet too - a country house, vicar, dowager, butler, wealthy Americans. This is witty, charming and engaging stuff.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

I love some of Kate Atkinson's work - Behind the Scenes., Life After Life, A God in Ruins, but I have never got on with the Jackson Brodie novels, and I did not like Shrines of Gaiety at all. So, this one started off well but ended up as a drawing room farce. The way she writes is characteristic, with paragraphs going off on tangents, many bracketed asides, and switches to different scenes without warning. A lot of it is genuinely funny and the characters are interesting, particularly Brodie, Reggie and Simon the mute vicar, but others are just caricatures. So not her best for me although I know many will disagree.

Quite the shock to me how old Brodie has become, and so too how old I've become, as I've been reading his stories since the beginning.
Are they all this amusing? Almost farcical? I don't recall that.
This one though, it's such good fun.
I particularly liked Lady Milton.
A big cast of characters , and a few crimes to solve, it was a fun read, and a nice catch up with a familiar series.
Always leaves you hoping there's more.

I was very excited to read the new Atkinson novel, and in it, Jackson Brody returns in this Agatha Christie-esque over of stolen paintings. I say 'Agatha Christie-esque' but there's more to it than that: super-sharp wit and often laugh-out-loud observations about characters, and yet it's still a literary novel. How could it not be, what with it having been written by Atkinson?

Though the plot is about stolen paintings, Atkinson uses her narrative to lean against the idea of the bizarreness of the aristocracy and Jackson Brodie's wry observations are filtered through this excellent, and compelling narrative.

Highly recommended, and my thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the arc.

Death at the sign of the rook is book six in the Jackson Brodie series and is well worth the wait. The story begins with Jackson taking on a new case where a painting has been stolen from a recently deceased woman, and her children suspect their mother’s missing care worker to be the main suspect. We are then introduced to a variety of characters alongside Jackson’s investigation. These include Lady Milton of Burton Makepeace, a stately home that has seen better days, a Vicar, a retired army captain as well as other characters from previous books.
As the novel progresses the characters meet in an unlikely scenario before the situation escalates, resulting in a murder.
This is yet another fantastic book from Kate Atkinson who creates drama, mystery and humour in all her characters and narratives leaving the reader bereft when the final page has been read. Highly recommended.

Hurrah! Jackson Brodie is back – always a cause for celebration. ‘Death at the Sign of the Rook’ is the sixth in this series and Kate Atkinson gives us another comedic puzzle to solve as Jackson is employed to track down a rare painting The Woman with a Weasel, helped somewhat unwillingly by his friend DC Reggie Chase.
Atkinson clearly revels in taking time-worn Golden Age detective tropes – the crumbling stately home, the stock characters of vicar, wealthy American, haughty dowager, butler etc - and using them to depict a murder mystery entertainment weekend co-existing alongside the real thing! It’s great fun whilst also allowing the reader the satisfaction of trying to work out what has really been going on.
It's also fascinating to learn something of art theft, insurance and fraud. Jackson comes to understand that ‘…art is kidnapped and held to ransom. Sometimes the owners, but usually the insurance companies, quietly paid up in the form of a reward or a finder’s fee via shadowy middlemen…’. Is this what’s happening here?
By the end of the novel, all the loose ends have been tied up satisfactorily without any suggestion that Jackson’s days as a private investigator have come to an end. Great relief! Let’s hope he’s back soon with Reggie nearby. We’re enjoying the current spring in her step!
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Always good to re-acquaint with previously loved characters and nice to see Jackson Brodie hasn't mellowed with age although definitely getting some Victor Meldrew tendencies now.

Written with often understated wit and humour this is an engaging read and even if you've never read any of the previous stories, there's no need to enjoy this on it's own merits.

Another 5 star book from Kate.

It's always a delight to see a new Jackson Brodie book. While this doesn't hit the heights of his younger, more bad-ass incarnations ('When Will There Be Good News' is my favourite for the balance of philosophy, comedy and action and also the plot I remember most clearly after many years) there's a reason for that - after all, Jackson is now a grandad, even if he does have a macho jeep with, all right, heated seats...

Even though he's escaped babysitting duty, Jackson can't resist the urge to come to the aid of damsels in distress. The women who may need him, albeit briefly, are Reggie Chase, who some might remember from the earlier novels, and Alice Smithson, the daughter of one of Jackson's clients, who is trapped in an abusive marriage and may have something to do with the theft of the painting at the heart of the plot, Woman with a Weasel. (Or a pine marten, no one's sure).

The stakes get higher with the introduction of Simon Cate, a vicar whose feelings of guilt and hypocrisy have rendered him mute, and Ben Jennings, who was carried out of Helmand without one leg and is struggling to see the point of life in the country with his sweet lesbian sister Fran, her wife George and a selection of moth-eaten animals.

When a troupe of amateur actors (including their 'cancelled by the woke brigade' director) rock up at the local hall, madness ensues as the snow comes down and there's an actual escaped criminal on the loose. Vintage Jackson, though as usual he doesn't have that much to do with the plot - chaos (and women from his past - the ending shouldn't surprise anyone who's been waiting for it) always seem to find him.

Death at the Sign of The Rook is the sixth outing for Jackson Brodie and what a joy it is.
The first chapter could be straight out of a crime novel from the ‘golden age’ of detective fiction until I realized the author was gently poking fun at the genre, (which she continues to do throughout the book). In particular the portrayal of the eccentric family and retainers at Burton Makepiece House, headed by Lady Milton.
We then get to know the backgrounds of other main characters interspersed with the actions of our kind hearted but cynical private investigator Jackson Brodie, who has been thrust headlong into the murky world of stolen art, reluctantly assisted by his old friend DC Reggie Chase.
I like the way Kate Atkinson portrays her characters unspoken thoughts, so funny, particularly the ‘Pop up Court of Women’ who sigh at Jackson’s misogynistic tendencies.
Just when you think you can see where the plot’s going it goes whizzing off in another direction in this case aided by a severe snowstorm that cuts off Burton Makepiece.
As usual with Kate Atkinson’s writing there are sections, particularly for me when the Murder Mystery event got going, where I was doubled up with laughter, and that’s another thing, underneath her sardonic clever humour there are always undertones of sadness from unresolved events from Jackson Brodie’s past.
Like previous books in this series come along for the ride, you’ll love it!

Many thanks to Penguin Random House & NetGalley for an ARC