Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson [Book Review]

Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson is smart, funny, and packed with memorable characters. (Though a bit crowded and slow in the middle.) Read my review.

What a fun and funny mystery! Death at the Sign of the Rook was my first dive into Kate Atkinson’s work and, as such, my introduction to her Jackson Brodie book series. Atkinson’s wit shines, and the plot is set up like a classic Agatha Christie setup but with a modern feel. Read a synopsis of the book below and find out why I gave it three out of five stars.

**Kate Atkinson’s detective Jackson Brodie returns**

What is the book about?

The crumbling house – Burton Makepeace and its chatelaine the Dowager Lady Milton – suffered the loss of their last remaining painting of any value, a Turner, some years ago. The housekeeper, Sophie, who disappeared the same night, is suspected of stealing it.

Jackson, a reluctant hostage to the snowstorm, has been investigating the theft of another The Woman with a Weasel, a portrait, taken from the house of an elderly widow, on the morning she died. The suspect this time is the widow’s carer, Melanie. Is this a coincidence or is there a connection? And what secrets does The Woman with a Weasel hold? The puzzle is Jackson’s to solve. And let’s not forget that a convicted murderer is on the run on the moors around Burton Makepeace.

All the while, in a bid to make money, Burton Makepeace is determined to keep hosting a shambolic Murder Mystery that acts as a backdrop while the real drama is being played out in the house. [Goodreads.com]

**Book Review: Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson**

My thoughts:

In Death at the Sign of the Rook, we find Jackson Brodie snowed in at a worn-down manor house in the English countryside. As you might expect from such a cozy, locked-room mystery setting, a murder soon disrupts everyone’s evening. Brodie, along with his sidekick, DC Reggie Chase, must solve the case before the killer strikes again.

The book is smartly written, and the humor really makes it worth reading. It’s not just about the mystery; it’s about the memorable characters who populate the manor, each with their own quirks and secrets. That said, the middle section did feel a little slow at times. With so many characters introduced, it was occasionally hard to keep track of who was who, and I found myself wishing for a bit more focus in the narrative. However, the pacing picked up again toward the end, leading to a satisfying ending.

Despite some slower moments, I really enjoyed Death at the Sign of the Rook and can’t wait to read more from Kate Atkinson. If the rest of the Jackson Brodie series is as witty and well-crafted as this one, it’s well worth my time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this advanced readers copy. My thoughts and reviews are my own.