Book Synopsis:
Welcome to Rook Hall.
The stage is set. The players are ready. By night’s end, a murderer will be revealed.
Ex-detective Jackson Brodie is staving off a bad case of midlife malaise when he is called to a sleepy Yorkshire town, and the seemingly tedious matter of a stolen painting. But one theft leads to another, including the disappearance of a valuable Turner from Burton Makepeace, home to Lady Milton and her family. Once a magnificent country house, Burton Makepeace has now partially been converted into a hotel, hosting Murder Mystery weekends.
As paying guests, a vicar, an ex-army officer, impecunious aristocrats, and old friends converge, we are treated a fiendishly clever mystery; one that pays homage to the masters of the genre―from Agatha Christie to Dorothy Sayers.
Brilliantly inventive, with all of Atkinson’s signature wit, wordplay and narrative brio, Death at the Sign of the Rook may be Jackson Brodie’s most outrageous and memorable case yet.
My Review:
Death At The Sign Of The Rook is another gripping, intriguing book in the fabulous Jackson Brodie book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The story is told from the point of view of a variety of different characters which all cleverly link together to help provide clues as to where the missing painting is. I absolutely loved the characters the author has created and enjoyed following them through the book. They initially seem to be quite random, and I couldn’t figure out how they’d fit into the story but I was so enjoying learning more about them that I didn’t mind. This changes as the story goes on and the different threads gradually join together which I thought was brilliantly done.
It was great being back with Brodie watching him solve another mystery. It was good to see that he hadn’t changed much from the last book with his wry sense of humour and ability to annoy people still firmly intact. As a huge fan of the series I was pleased to see a return for Renee and Louise as it was great to catch up with them too. My favourite character in the book however was definitely Lady Milton who I absolutely loved. Her often hilarious observations, old school mannerism and sense of humour really added to the book. I often found myself laughing out loud when reading about her antics- much to the amusement of my kids. I’m really hoping that she will appear in another book as I’d love to read more about her.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and I was soon drawn into the story and into the lives of the characters. The investigation is an interesting one and it was fun to learn more not just about art but about historical art theft which I hadn’t known much about. There were lots of revelations that kept me guessing and I absolutely loved the locked room ending which led to a very gripping finale.
Death At the Sign Of The Rook is the sixth book in the series and while it is probably better to read the books in order I think you could read this book as a standalone as anything that you need to know is explained.
Huge thanks to @alison_is_reading & @doubledayukbooks for my proof copy of this book.
About The Author:
Kate Atkinson is an international bestselling novelist, as well as playwright and short story writer. She is the author of Life After Life; Transcription; Behind the Scenes at the Museum, a Whitbread Book of the Year winner; the story collection Not the End of the World; and five novels in the Jackson Brodie crime series, which was adapted into the BBC TV show Case Histories.
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