Death at the Sign of the Rook Audiobook By Kate Atkinson cover art

Death at the Sign of the Rook

A Jackson Brodie Book

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Death at the Sign of the Rook

By: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Jason Isaacs
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THE INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER (SUNDAY TIMES, UK) • 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

“How delicious to have Jackson Brodie back, this time in a story that starts off in Agatha Christie's world but soon becomes a landscape that could only have been crafted from the pen of the incomparable Kate Atkinson.”–Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus Novels

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.

©2024 Kate Atkinson (P)2024 Random House Audio Crime Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Murder Mystery Thriller & Suspense Witty Fiction

Critic reviews

"Hilarious. . . Agatha Christie fans will recognize the territory. . . Atkinson's funniest book yet."—Minnesota Star Tribune

"Harkens back to classic detective fiction. . . [Brodie's] sixth adventure [is] open to all—to Atkinson aficionados who will lap up this latest installment in the series, and to newcomers who can enjoy it as both a standalone work and a suitable entry-point to Brodie's world. . . Boldly original. . . Gripping. . . Atkinson at her most playful. She impresses with her tightly constructed, satisfyingly complex mystery laced with Agatha Christie references, and with her observations of modern life and human nature"—The Boston Globe

"[The] singular greatness [of the Jackson Brodie series] lies in Atkinson's celebration of coincidence and fortuity, her wayward plots whose threads become cunningly entwined, and, not least, her mordant wit. . . Atkinson's brilliant wit, dark humor and undimmed relish for human awfulness are still very much intact and are displayed throughout [DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK]. . . Highly entertaining"—The Washington Post
Witty Writing • Clever Plotting • Masterful Narration • Humorous Dialogue • Intricate Storytelling • Perfect Pacing
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I love how Kate Atkinson's stories come together. The big scene at the end where all the stories align was laugh out loud hilarious. I have a lot of time for Jackson Brodie!

Classic Kate Atkinson and so funny!

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Great narration, hilarious character interactions,story within a story, and Atkinson's incomparable wit. I'll listen again soon.

Laugh-out-loud funny

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I loved this new Jackson Brodie. It is full of a cast of delightfully human characters who enter the story one by one through Atkinson’s masterful writing doing what she excels at: describing them mainly through their inner thoughts as they navigate their unique world.

She is the master of witty observations about modern life made mainly through the interior voices of her characters. She’s used a witty layered plot and plays with a classic plot structure; the English country manor mystery a la Agatha Christie. If you are a Christie fan there are nods and “ Easter eggs” throughout acknowledging her influence as well as some snd less obvious ones to Dorothy Sayers (change ringing of church bells) and probably others to other British murder mystery icons I’m less familiar with. However this is such a cleverly written read that even if you’ve never read much in that genre i think you will enjoy it. It all culminates in an English manor complete with dissolute son and acerbic dowager where “ murder mystery weekends” are held to keep the finances of the family afloat A real murderer and an art thief are also there ( along with some confused actors hired to play the fictional mystery weekend plot) as well as Brodie with his former sidekick Reggie and a few other characters. The entire thing devolves into wonderful chaos while everyone there becomes unable to leave because of a snowstorm. I won’t give away anything else that could be considered a plot twist but in the end a murderer is caught, an art mystery is resolved and the detective and his sidekick find some unexpected other things. It was so much fun I didn’t want it to end.

Really fun Jackson Brodie murder mystery that plays with classic murder in British manor tropes with sit

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I love this series and this is my favorite of hers so far. I found the writing so funny, and the plot so cleverly layers the series over a country manor house mystery over comedic farce! I love the capable and warm narration of Jason Isaacs. He perfectly balances the farce, self deprecating humor of some characters, and serious moments a struggles they have. Highly recommend this book!

Best yet!

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I had hoped to see more of Louise Monroe and Jackson Brodie,’s relationship, but unfortunately most of this story is based on new characters I didn’t find as well developed as they usually are in Atkins’s writing. But It was nice to see Reggie Chase as a grown detective now and I did enjoy her interactions with/ Jackson. The story overall was not as compelling to me as the prior books, but I still adore hearing more about my favorite characters from the series. Enjoyed Jason Isaac’s narration.

Not my favorite Brodie book, but Enjoyed the Familiar Characters

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Kate Atkinson never fails to deliver, but this one was a bit baroque for my taste in a Jackson Brodie story. Still delivered and the narration was top drawer

Kate Atkinson/Jackson Brodie never disappoints

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I’m exhausted. It was like starting a new book each chapter. Too many characters to keep up with.

Too many characters

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Have read all of the Jackson Brodie novels; so witty and so moving; don’t want them to end

Storyline

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Disjointed,meandering, cast of a thousand characters, burdened by detail upon detail of little if any significance let alone interest-
The entire book was crazy making

I wish I had not read it

I have read and adored everything KA has written until now-

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I really enjoyed the narrator, however, this may be a book best read as there are a lot of characters and each has a long backstory.

It was funny at times, a good mystery. However, in the end, some of the characters had nothing really to do with the story plot, but they took up hours of the book, so I wasn’t really sure what the point of that was. It seemed to drag on before you finally got to the good stuff. But in the end, it did make me want to try the rest of her Brodie books.

Good mystery, funny

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