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!

A fun book, if a bit muddled and muddling.
Many threads link to create the storyline in this book. A grand house occupied by an even grander family, a murder-mystery weekend, and several crimes and real murders.Jackson Brodie gets involved to try and solve them all.
This was almost a very good book, but it did not quite hang together - there seemed to be too many storylines which made is rather confused. It was still enjoyable, but I think might benefit from more editing.

Private Investigator, Jackson Brodie.has headed north to a sleepy part of Yorkshire. He has been called upon to investigate the loss of a painting from the home of a deceased old lady, whose daughter and son are convinced that it is a valuable painting and part of their inheritance. They allege that it must have been stolen by their mother’s carer who has subsequently disappeared. Jackson is more than suspicious that they are not telling the truth and quietly sets out to try and trace the carer.

His former colleague, DC Reggie Brodie, is also trying to trace a painting missing from the home of Lady Milford and the mystery deepens when it turns out that her carer also disappeared overnight. Whilst on her way to visit Lady Milford Reggie gets caught in a massive thunderstorm and loses her way. She seeks the help of Jackson and they both soon end up in white-out conditions and are lucky when they espy the lights of Lady Milford’s home, Burton Makepeace House - now partly converted into a hotel where a murder mystery evening is about to take place. They have no option but to stay put and apart from the actors, are joined by the booked residents plus an ex army Major and a rather strange clergyman who no longer seems able to speak. Mayhem ensues when an escaped convict also appears! How will it all end - there’s bound to be a body (or two?)

What a disappointment. I've loved all of this author's books, including Jackson Brodie, but not this one. I found it tedious, with a plot that never got going and a long list of characters that left me forgetting who was who. Not up to her usual high standard. What a shame.

It pains me to write this as I’m a huge Jackson Brodie fan but I just did not enjoy this one. The humour and wit are still in there but the story was so long winded and then sort of dribbled out. I did not really like any of the supporting characters (lots of sterotypes) and there were a lot of them. This is a 2.5* read rounded up to three because of my love for Jackson.

Light-hearted detective story, very enjoyable.

Jackson Brodie finds himself investigating an art theft, collaborating at times with Regina Chase. Of course things get a lot more complicated and eventually there’s a murder. There’s a nice light touch to the dialogues and plotting. The characters, although many stereotypical, are well-developed and interesting. I found the whole experience well worthwhile and would recommend it to all and sundry. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Kate Atkinson is a great writer ofhigh quality literary fiction.

Jackson Brodie is a wonderful sleuth.

But...sadly, this book just didn't work for me and I was really disappointed.

I think it was just too much detail and too little plot. I was over half-way through before I'd actually got my head around the unnecessarily complex set of characters, none of whom I really cared about. Too many characters with too little character, if you see what I mean.

And when things finally started to hot up, she throws in some bad weather to force these disparate characters into the same place, and then adds in a man with a shotgun who didn't seem to have actually had much to do with all that went before.

I'm still not sure why 'Nanny' was dead at the bottom of the stairs.
But, I don't care enough to try to re-read and work it out.

So, much to my amazement as I didn't think Atkinson was capable of a bad book, this one might just have proved me wrong.

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

When I got the opportunity to read it I was very pleased as I have read all the other books in the series. This book benefits in it's rating from having read those books, in that I like the characters and the way they interact. I did, However find it very slow to get going and might even have been tempted to put it aside. This case felt very tame in comparison to earlier Brodie books. there i plenty of Jackson's trademark wry humour. It feels like Atkinson has padded this out with a Christie-esque murder mystery weekend and not done it alltogether successfully.

Jackson Brodie is back, and once again Detective Constable, Reggie, is drawn into his investigation. This time he is looking into a painting that vanished with a carer after the death of the mother of Ian and Hazel, the rather disturbing twins who hired him to look into it. But is this theft connected to others that have already taken place?

Kate Atkinson has done it again! A masterpiece of writing. The characters are so vital but so flawed or a caricature of themselves or have quirks that make them so interesting to read about. The book is full of drama, but also humorous moments, which add colour and interest to the text. I really enjoyed the book, and it made me want to go back and read all of the other Jackson Brodie books again!