LIked the previous Jackson Brodie's books, but this was one was just not my cup of tea.

The book starts at a murder mystery weekend, we then jump to Jackson Brodie speaking to a brother and sister whose late mother had a picture stolen from her, and from there we go backwards (and then forwards!!) to the country home where the weekend will eventually be held, and coincidentally a few years ago a painting also disappeared.

To be honest the book was quite farcical, it felt like a written episode of Fawlty Towers.

There was so much character set up that it wasn't until a good two thirds of the book that this actually stops, and you get to grips with the story.

It was an OK read, but nothing more than that

This is actually the sixth in the 'Jackson Brodie' series but my first time reading one and I think they do work very well as standalone novels. There are a few repeating characters and references to what I imagine were events in previous books but they're all dealt with unobtrusively so I think new readers can pick up on what's gone before while it's not too clunky for those returning to the series. The basic plot is that a brother and sister call in retired police officer turned private detective Jackson Brodie to discover if their mother's carer has stolen a picture of questionable provenance. This narrative strand is then slightly clunkily told against a murder-mystery weekend in a country house where there was a connection between the two narrative strands in that there had also been a theft in the country house but tonally these two elements were so different that it became very jarring and as though you were reading two separate novels. It could have used more deftness or a slightly tweaking of the structure to make it work but Kate Atkinson is a lovely writer and this is an engaging and funny story that sits well within the genre of 'bloodless crime' without being too twee.

Oh how I’ve missed Jackson Brodie (and Reggie!) but this was worth the wait. Classic Kate Atkinson writing - dry, warm and witty and full of the most well-turned and clever dialogue, all embellishing an inspired Agatha Christie meets Alan Ayckbourn plot. Absolute perfection.

This is the 6th Jackson Brodie novel but it can be read as a standalone book. Although a 'crime novel', it is not a thriller but rather a 'tongue-in-cheek' nod to cosy crime and Agatha Christie. What sets this book apart is the superb writing. The prose sparkles with wit and humour. There is a wonderful cast of eccentric characters including a vicar, injured ex-serviceman, and an aristocratic family fallen on hard times. Brodie is initially called in by twins Hazel and Ian to investigate the disappearance of a painting. The multiple strands of the plot culminate at Burton Makepiece where a shambolic 'murder mystery weekend' takes place during a snowstorm. Great fun and a joy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc. All opinions are my own.

The return of private detective Jackson Brodie is always a wonderful moment but add the smart and witty Reggie Chase to the mix and it’s pure magic.
This is Kate Atkinson’s sixth novel featuring Jackson. Reggie was first introduced in the third book, When Will There be Good News?, as a 16-year-old au pair student in Edinburgh worried about her missing boss and grieving the death of her mother when her path crosses with Jackson. She’s an absolute delight and it was great to have her pop up in book five, Big Sky, as a young cop whose own investigation dove-tails with a case Jackson is working on. This happens again in the latest book, much to Reggie’s annoyance. She’s fond of him but can’t stand Jackson’s dismissal of rules and procedures and doesn’t want to get dragged into the ‘messiness’ that seems to follow him.
Jackson is working on what seems like a small case, that of a stolen painting, until he stumbles onto a second missing painting. There’s a lot going on and many eccentric characters as the story culminates in a snowed-in murder-mystery evening at a crumbling stately country manor.
It’s a funny, delightful, chaotic read with lots of meandering and not a typical murder-mystery at all. It's also time for Reggie to get her own series, fingers crossed.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This cozy mystery had a charming cast of characters, and the overall tone felt very inviting. However, the pacing was a bit slower than I typically prefer, and with so many introductions, it took a while for me to fully connect with the story. If you enjoy relaxed mysteries with a focus on character development, this could be a great choice! Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't quite the perfect fit.

I’m a huge fan of Kate Atkinson, and “Death at The Sign of the Rook” did not disappoint. In the novel, a couple of crimes involving stolen paintings bring Jackson Brodie and Reggie Chase back together. Reggie is investigating a crime that takes place in a huge stately home called Burton Makepeace, where Lady Milton and her family reside. Jackson is hired by twins to investigate a painting stolen immediately after their mother’s death. Add an escaped convict and a murder mystery weekend and you have a recipe for a fantastic story and complete chaos.

This story is very humorous (almost farcical), so might not be for people who are looking for a stereotypical whodunnit, but will be loved by a wide audience. Atkinson writes beautifully, uses a wide range of vocabulary, and deploys a lot in jokes or call backs to earlier parts of the novel. The story is told from the position of a number of different larger than life characters, which Atkinson deftly moves between, until she reaches the denouement. All in all it was a tale very well told and I was sad for the book to end.

With many references to old school British murder mysteries, but with its own, much more pacey, modern momentum, Death at the Sign of the Rook is great fun. I think I’ve only read one of Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels before, years ago, but that didn’t matter. Good characterisation, suitably confusing plot twists and a satisfying denouement.

As a fan of all Kate Atkinson’s work I was excited to read a new novel and of course, was not disappointed. It is everything I hope for in a really good read, I was amused, concerned, confused and totally enthralled throughout. The plot is always complex, with lots of individual lives all intertwined and eventually all coming together in a crescendo of storytelling skill! What’s not to like? Some characters are familiar to me but I think that even if they weren’t I would understand their individual back stories and those new characters are not left behind, they all have succinct backstories, enough to become fully rounded players within the story.
Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book with its comical regular sarcastic comments occurring unexpectedly underlining excellent people observations!
The story starts with a theft and goes on to follow various leads progressing to the final chapter!
The characters develop as the story progresses and there is a light comic feel to the final chapters as the murder mystery event unfolds!
Recommended

I don't remember the other Jackson Brodie books by Kate Atkinson being that funny. "Death at the Sign of the Rook" is humorous, at times farcical and wouldn't be out of place in the world of "The Play that Goes Wrong" or Janice Hallett. I really enjoyed this book although I was slightly confused at times regarding the plot but never fear, when the Murder Mystery evening at Rook Hall kicks in all threads are tied up nicely along with lots of chaotic moments. A nice homage to Agatha Christie in a humorous manner.

Jackson Brodie is an ex policeman turned private investigator and this time he’s in a plot fit for Agatha Christie. A painting has been stolen frown the grand country house Burton Makepeace and the much loved housekeeper has disappeared at the same time. Does this have a link with the theft of another painting “The woman with the weasel” taken from an elderly woman’s house on the day she died. Jackson needs to solve the puzzle but not before the plot involves a convicted murderer on the run, a disillusioned vicar and a chaotic Murder Mystery night held at Burton Makepeace to try and stem the family’s diminishing finances.

All in all a fabulous, well plotted fun read!

Death at the sign of the rook" is a very British, Agatha Christie like mystery, a fun read with the chief protagonist Jackson Brodie, now a private investigatory, hunting down stolen paintings, one a Turner, which all seem to be tied together. A whole cast of characters create a complex, cosy mystery,  sometimes confusing me a little when I picked up the reading again, but all in a very  entertaining escapist read, solid Kate Atkinson writing.

Loved all the previous Jackson Brodie books and generally rate Kate Atkinson as an author. This did seem to drag though. Took ages to really get going then became rather silly. I get authors don't like to produce same old, same old but I don't really think this came off. I think his daughter was much cuter as a child too.
Sorry, good but didn't quite cut the (Colonel) Mustard

Another outing for Jackson Brodie, now in a quiet Yorkshire town, finding life a bit slow, and the only case he has is a missing painting. Nearby if a former stately home where the family have fallen on hard times and have opened a wing as a hotel, where they run murder mystery week-ends. Funnily enough, the one valuable painting they haven't sold goes missing just before one of these week-ends. A local murderer escapes from prison and is heading their way, snow starts to fall, the weather closes in and the stage is set for a country house murder mystery in which there is real life shooting bloodshed and violent action culminating in an almost farcical climax. Its fast and fun, and funny.

2.5 stars.
At the start of this book, you get the inkling that it’s going to be a tongue-in-cheek homage to Agatha Christie. But it seems to be trying to include as many Agatha Christie plot lines as possible, with a generous sprinkling of Cluedo and farce.
It started quite interestingly, setting the scene - old Manor House, a Cleudo-esque cast of characters- there’s surely about to be a body discovered any second now….then it jumps to Jackson Brodie, now a Private Investigator, being asked to track down a missing item for a brother and sister….then jumps to character after character, introduced and in some cases frequently revisited. They are meant to be quirky, possibly amusing; but were so very stereotyped.
And for more than half the book this goes on. And on. Mystery woman. Disillusioned vicar ( oh boy, did we hear a lot about him). A Dowager duchess who had been plucked straight from Downton Abbey. And so on. And for about 70% of the book nothing happens. I was sorely tempted to give up a couple of times.
There’s some decent banter between Brodie and Reggie, a young detective, and some fairly amusing descriptive writing but it just went on and on (bit like myself, I know! I’ll get to the point).
When things finally start to happen it descends completely into farce. Intentionally, but for me it was just too silly. And messy. But at least the pace picked up.

If you are looking for an almost wayward and unconventional work, then you've come to the right place.

It has been said that this is a homage to Agatha Christie, I'm afraid that I can neither confirm nor deny as I haven't read any of her novels. (Yes, I know, shock horror!) I haven't read any of the previous five Jackson Brodie books either (gasp!) however, I have seen the TV series and the author explains enough to answer any questions I might have had.

I enjoyed the eccentricity within these pages, particularly the characters of Lady Milton and Simon Cate, the mute vicar, and I laughed out loud at many parts. At one point, I did feel a wee bit overwhelmed by the amount of characters on the page, however, the majority of these were not fleshed out and, therefore, forgettable.

The storyline was great for a 'shut your brain off and relax' work. The writing was expressive and comedic. Very enjoyable. A beautiful - but rapidly decaying - country house, holding a Murder Mystery to die for. This has it all for the reader - a plethora of eccentrics, greed, money (or lack of), lost artworks, silliness, mysterious unsolved crimes, missing persons and, finally, a whole book of fun. Enjoy!

I chose an ARC of this work, which I voluntarily and honestly read and reviewed. All opinions are my own. My thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley.

I so wanted to enjoy this book having been a big fan of the earlier books.

Firstly, the first half overwhelmed me with characters and nothing was really happening.

Secondly, there were huge tranches of the book that were simply overwritten. I resorted to just reading first line of many paragraphs. It’s not often I read a book and wonder why the editing wasn’t stronger.

Thirdly, too many characters, and complicated with more fictitious characters from the murder mystery game. Did we really need the vicar and his flashbacks to pilgrimage walks of yesteryear?

The bits I enjoyed most (including the detail) were when Brodie was involved. But perhaps Brodie needs to retire from his career and let’s focus on Reggie?

Gifted. Publishing on 24 August, I read a Digital advance copy from Penguin Random House.

I read this voraciously as I discovered increasing numbers of characters I had met in earlier novels. Wonderful. Then I sat down and read it again more slowly.

What an amzing writer Kate Atkinson is. Story, plotting, characterisation, pathos and wonderful black humour.

Never before had I realised how many jokes and lines there are around legs in the English language. Particularly when one of the main characters has lost a leg,

You could read this as a standalone novel. That is a testament to the plotting and the way the story is constructed, but, if you have read 'One Good Turn' you have an extra layer of delight.

I will be recommending this to everyone as one of the must read novels of the year.

I will also buy copies of it when it is published for people I really like.

A fabulous read from the very fabulous Kate Atkinson. Death at the Sign of the Rook ticked every box for me. Wonderful characters, with - at times - an oldy worldy Agatha Christie feel to it. Then the much missed Jackson Brodie thrown int the mix, what's not to love.
I devoured this book.
Highly recommend.