Publication Date September 3, 2024

Death At The Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Shockingly, it has been TWENTY years since I “met” Jackson Brodie, the private investigator (who has been one of my favorite characters in recurring mystery series) in Kate’s Atkinson’s Case Histories.  So it shouldn’t have really shocked me when I began reading Kate Atkinson’s latest, Death At The Sign of the Rook, and found that Jackson Brodie is 70…but at first it did. (sigh) 

It’s well written, as expected, with a rather intricate plot and plenty of mystery. It’s reminiscent in some ways of an Agatha Christie novel, with lots of speculation around the incident at a “murder mystery weekend” taking place at a sort of Downton Abbey-ish estate. There is a valuable painting that disappears, multiple characters who all end up at the grand house on the mystery weekend, lots of red herrings and plot twists, and plenty of humor. 

If you are a fan of Kate Atkinson and/or Jackson Brodie, you will likely love it. If you are a fan of “lighter” mysteries (I hate the term “cozy mystery” almost as much as I hate “women’s fiction”), you will likely really enjoy it. It isn’t necessary to have read the previous JB books, but if you have you will be even more likely to love this book, given that you already “know” the protagonist. Recommended. Four stars. 

Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.