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Book Summary and Reviews of Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Death at the Sign of the Rook

Jackson Brodie Series

by Kate Atkinson

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2024, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The highly anticipated return of "irresistible" (New York Times) private eye Jackson Brodie in the newest installment of the bestselling series hailed as "unputdownable" by Time. Welcome to Rook Hall. The stage is set. The players are ready. By night's end, a murderer will be revealed.

In his sleepy Yorkshire town, ex-detective Jackson Brodie is staving off boredom and malaise. His only case is the seemingly tedious matter of a stolen painting. But Jackson soon uncovers a string of unsolved art thefts that lead him down a dizzying spiral of disguise and deceit to Burton Makepeace, a formerly magnificent estate now partially converted into a hotel hosting Murder Mystery weekends.

As paying guests, impecunious aristocrats and old friends collide, we are treated to Atkinson's most charming and fiendishly clever mystery yet, one that pays homage to the masters of the genre—from Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers to the modern era of Knives Out and Only Murders in the Building.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Atkinson keeps things fast, funny, and fair, delivering a twist-filled mystery that will stump armchair sleuths and a well-sketched supporting cast that's easy to fall in love with. This is sure to delight series fans and newcomers alike." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"There are too many characters, and it's a bit slow. This is funny in the way that Atkinson is often funny, but the critique stands...The pace does pick up, eventually, and fans who stick around will get what they came for. Even when she's not at her best, Atkinson is still pretty good." —Kirkus Reviews

"It has been five years since the publication of Big Sky, and Brodie fans have eagerly awaited his next caper. Fans and newcomers alike will not be disappointed." —Library Journal

This information about Death at the Sign of the Rook was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Kate Atkinson Author Biography

Kate Atkinson won the Whitbread (now Costa) Book of the Year prize with her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Her four bestselling novels featuring former detective Jackson Brodie became the BBC television series Case Histories, starring Jason Isaacs. Her 2013 novel Life After Life won the South Bank Sky Arts Literature Prize, was shortlisted for the Women's Prize, and voted Book of the Year for the independent booksellers associations on both sides of the Atlantic. It also won the Costa Novel Award, as did her subsequent novel A God in Ruins (2015).

Author Interview
Link to Kate Atkinson's Website

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