I love Jackson Brody so was keen to read his latest adventures!
I wasn’t as keen on Big Sky but loved this - the humour, the depth of backstory and brilliant characters- Brody’s back!

Excited for a new Jackson Brodie after all these years, I enjoyed this light read but I felt it was missing the series' normal edge.
As Jackson is now in his sixties, retired but doing some gentle investigating of art theft on the side, there is little action and, although Atkinson says there is nothing "cosy" about crime, this is a cosy crime novel..
Atkinson writes like a female Alan Bennett, with lots of sharp and witty asides throughout the book, which is what makes it for me.
Fiction blurs with fiction in this novel, as Nancy Styles crime novels are left at the grand houses and plots are borrowed from them for a farcical Murder Mystery Evening with characters reminiscent of The Play That Goes Wrong.
An enjoyable, whimsical novel that encorporates all the tropes from classic crime, presented in Atkinson's unique voice.

Atkinson's renowned dectective Jackson Brodie is pulled away from Edinburgh to Yorkshire in what at first feels like a classic Agatha Christie country house mystery, but the author brings her expected warmth, plot twists and emotional depths to superb this new installment in the Jackson Brodie cannon.

You can visualise Jason Isaacs prowling the halls and corridors as the story builds around the cast of traditional characters that the genre demands, but this isn't a predictable who done it? Atkinson twists expectations to make you smile and race to solve the mystery alongside Brodie.

Highly recommended.

Jackson Brodie meets Cosy Crime! The characters were reminiscent of those straight from an Agatha Christie novel.
When Brodie is hired to investigate an art theft he is immediately suspicious but can't quite put his finger on why so he reaches out to Reggie Chase who, despite her better judgement, finds herself drawn in. As they begin their individual investigations, they find themselves snowed in at the manor house where the first in a series of crimes was committed.
As you would expect from Kate Atkinson, the characterisation is superb (though perhaps a few less characters would have helped!). Full of humour - all in all, a great read.

It has been a while since I have read a Jackson Brodie book, so I was looking forward to this novel. However, it left me in two minds. There are lots of humorous moments, but I did find that the book dragged on, especially at the start, so it took me a while to get into it. There were a lot of characters some of whom felt surplus to requirements, until the final section of the book. The ending was funny, felt very much like a farce.

It was very much a cozy mystery book, however, I have found that after reading the Thursday Murder Club series, which smashed this genre, this one just missed the mark for me.

Despite this, it is a good book and worth a read if you like this trope.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, for the opportunity to read this book.

Another blockbuster by Kate Atkinson.
I never know what quite to call her style. As Jackson Brodie is involved it fits easily into a murder mystery category.
But her work is never a who-dunnit as such, nor is it a psychological thriller per se.
Her novels are however always excellent stories that always contain something unusual and usually of course the odd murder/death here and there.
I love her style of writing, it makes for easy reading, and I never try and guess the ending any more, because in the past I have always been way off the mark.
My thanks to the author for the hours of enjoyment that the book has brought me, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Great to have Jackson Brodie back again. This time he's investigating an art theft.
A good read as usual from Kate Atkinson, although I wasn't too keen on the murder mystery weekend aspect, hence four stars rather than five.

This is a bit of a weird book to me, I usually lap up Kate Atkinson books and Jackson Brodie titles. I am unsure if it was meant to be a homage, to Agatha Christie and felt in parts like it was a satire. It was great to see the return of Brodie, now ‘getting on’. However, for me the pacing off the book was rather stagnant and something was off - I struggled through this book. Was it enjoyable? Yes. Do I think it is Atkinson’s best novel? No.

I would recommend it to fans of Brodie novels, and Atkinsons fan, and a nice holiday mystery read.

I love the Jackson Brodie novels and I was really pleased to get the chance to review this one and follow Jackson on his journey.

This was one of my favourite novels in the series and can't wait for more

I'm so glad to read the return of Jackson Brodie. This book is like a commentary on social history. A beautiful masterpiece evoking memories of times past: preserving stately homes, decline of rural churches and the resolution of present day activities to stop the rot setting in. It also has all the ingredients of a gothic classic, with a modern twist of a murder weekend and criminal activity thrown in. Absolutely delightful to read and highly recommended.

Hooray for Jackson Brodie ! Who can't help but fall in love with the hapless, but well meaning private. detective?

Atkinson uses the cosy crime set up in an interesting way. It starts with characters on a murder mystery play in a manor house. There are the usual "suspects" of a vicar, a Nanny, a housekeeper, a Major and a rich landowner etc. Lots of sly humour and references eg the Reverend Smallbone (linked to TV programme Rev?) Also Burton Makepeace (a pun on Burtons the erstwhile tailor shop)? Brodie was the name of an infamous Scottish bodysnatcher of course.

The various strands of the plot come together in an expert way. Brodie is investigating the theft after an elderly woman's death of a Renaissance painting known as The Women with a Weasel, having been hired by a dodgy sibling pair. There is a Reverend who lives in the village where the disastrous Murder Mystery theatre company are visiting. Lots of laughs around the theatre company's incompetence. The Reverend meanwhile is struggling with the loss of his faith and congregation.

The man he gets on best with is a former Army major with PTSD who finds some peace when he inadvertently gets to be a butler character.

Another strand of the story is another case of theft from a large house which has parallels that involves Reggie from Big Sky and Louise Monroe (an old flame of Brodie's) Talking of old flames Jackson often has an imaginary chorus of them judging his behaviour particularly in relation to women.
Then there is a fugitive on the run (Magwitch parallels?

Lady Milton is imperious and humorous in a Maggie Smith in Downton sort of way. Lots of humorous asides from her!

This is all expertly intertwined and the snowstorm scene is a humorous set piece.

As usual I have highlighted some classic one-liners, which I can't list yet as I was lucky enough to get an ARC from the publishers and Netgalley and can't quote from the book pre publication.

Kate Atkinson takes the cosy crime genre and has immense fun with it. You get the impression she is stopping typing and rubbing her hands with glee when she comes out with another quirky twist. She is always a safe bet for an excellent read. no-one else can balance sardonic wit with serious subject matter like her (as I keep discussing with customers)

Jackson Brodie makes a return to investigate this atmospheric tale of art theft and murder.
His presence in this is a bit part - it takes a while for him to appear almost by default but inevitably it is he who solves the case involving a country house in the midst of a snow storm. The presence of an ensemble of actors for a Murder Mystery Experience adds a comic element to the story, and the presence of a dead body in the pantry ( the cook who died from heart attack- kept in cold storage till the ambulance could get through) all adds to the surrealism of the story. I found it hard to follow at the start- it was like a series of short stories until all the strands began to come together to make sense. Kate Atkinson is a master at characterisation and there are an abundance of diverse characters in this novel. Her writing is divine but I do not think this is her best. Still worth reading though just to find out if Jackson has wised up in his later years!

This is the fifth Jackson Brodie novel from Kate Atkinson but it works equally well as a standalone work. Brodie has been employed as a private detective to pursue a care worker who has left with a deceased old lady’s renaissance masterpiece. Could this be linked to a missing painting at a nearby stately home a couple of years ago? Atkinson’s strength is inhabiting a vast variety of characters from dowager Lady Milton to a vicar losing his faith and an Afghan war veteran haunted by the loss of his leg. She also has great fun satirising the murder mystery industry as characters gather for a murder mystery evening. Like her previous work this is a real joy to read, both extremely witty but also moving and thought-provoking.

As a huge Kate Atkinson fan, I was so excited to read Death at the Sign of the Rook. It felt like forever ago that the last Jackson Brodie novel was released. That turned out to be a slight hindrance in getting fully into Death at... as the novel references many of the characters from the JB series and I spent a lot of time trying to remember where everyone fitted in. There was also an extensive cast of new characters to hold in mind, which meant the focus was not placed as firmly on Jackson as I would have liked.

That aside, however, Death at... is a delightfully entertaining read. I absolutely loved the Agatha Christie-esque village setting and cast of characters, together with the chaotic, ramshackle murder mystery production and the fictitious Nancy Styles novels. I devoured Death at... in one sitting and was disappointed when it finished so abruptly.

I cannot wait for the next JB novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. I was also lucky enough to get a physical proof copy of the book as well, so thank you for both!

Really great read, even if (like me) you aren't familiar with the previous works in this series. Atkinson is an artist with her settings, and can truly make the reader descend into the story, a hilarious writer who weaves the humour into her story fantastically. Had me laughing out loud multiple times.

I can't wait to delve into more works based on detective Jackson Brodie, and plan to catch up on the rest of the series.

Another fabulous story. KA is the mistress of making the mundane interesting and her Brodie books are always addictive reading. There’s nothing I’ve read by her I don’t like. As always a massive 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just when you think that Kate Atkinson cannot top or match her last Jackson Brodie book - she does it again ! Another stonking good read from a most reliably great author.

Fabulous writing as always, and brilliant to be back with Jackson and Reggie. Have only given this one four stars as I found the whole murder mystery weekend scenario got a bit too farcical by the end!

Always enjoy a Kate Atkinson and especially a Jackson Brodie. I didn't feel this was as strong as the others in terms of narrative, it took a while to get going and relief heavily on knowledge of previous characters and stories rather than building anything new. Very entertaining and laugh out loud parts, but not especially memorable in the series.

I'm a huge admirer of Kate Atkinson, and I particularly love Jackson Brodie. So I'm happy to see he's back in a highly entertaining story that interconnects Brodie's latest case with a murder mystery weekend set in a crumbling stately home. As always in a Jackson Brodie novel, there are some brilliantly drawn characters, including the Lady of the Manor and a priest who has lost his faith. Kate Atkinson gives us her customary insights into people's inner lives, laying bare all the things that make them human: loss, tragedy, failings, regrets. We really get to know how these people think, which is one of the great joys of this writer's work.
Jackson Brodie is his likeable, somewhat hapless self. We don't get so much information about his personal life in this book, which is a bit of a shame, and the voices of his ex-wife, ex-partner and daughter are much less present that in earlier novels. Instead, we get the occasional judgement on his behaviour from the Court of Women!
Two of my favourite characters from previous novels in the series make a welcome appearance too - Louise and Reggie.
The plotting is as tight and satisfying as ever, although the ending is a little rushed. And, of course, it's very funny!