Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
9/3/24; 320 pages
Knopf Doubleday
Jackson Brodie series #6
Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson is a highly recommended murder mystery and the sixth novel in the Jackson Brodie series.
In the opening, Brodie Jackson with Detective Constable Regina
(Reggie) Chase attends a murder-mystery weekend at
Rook Hall, part of Burton Makepeace, a now rundown estate during a
blizzard. The novel then jumps back a week in time when Ian and Hazel
Padgett, twin children of recently deceased
Dorothy Padgett, hired Brodie to track down a missing Renaissance-era
painting that belonged to Dorothy. They suspect their mother’s
caretaker, Melanie Hope, stole
the painting.
Brodie and Chase’s are following the suspected theft when their investigation leads them to other art thefts, including one at Burton Makepeace House where Lady Milton had a Turner stolen with the housekeeper the suspected thief. The stage is set. The players are ready. By night’s end, a murderer will be revealed.
Death at the Sign of the Rook pays homage to the masters of
the genre, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy
Sayers, as well as modern mystery writers. There are many clever,
hilarious parts along the way that will definitely keep you reading.
Some chapters are wonderfully entertaining while, honestly, others (with
the vicar) feel slow moving.
The characters are portrayed as fully realized individuals and most of them are interesting. Jackson and Reggie are wonderful characters. Even though this is the sixth book with Brodie, it can be read as a standalone.
As the novel moves toward the conclusion the pace quickens and it is absolutely compelling, entertaining, and funny farcical mystery. Naming the painting "Woman with a Weasel" made me laugh every time it was brought up. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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