Death at the Sign of the Rook: A Jackson Brodie Book (Jackson Brodie Series)
“a series every lover of crime fiction should read and follow; Atkinson’s stand-alone work is also of similar superb quality. In fact, she is one of the finest writers of our time—and not just in her chosen genre.”
Death at the Sign of the Rook is the sixth book in the charming series featuring the former police detective, Jackson Brodie, who now runs a private agency, mostly locating AWOL and disappeared people who have intentionally gone missing; however, as is often the case, Jackson becomes entangled in murder and criminal mischief when he is hired by twins Ian and Hazel to find a Renaissance painting missing from their deceased mother’s estate.
The complex plot, one with echoes of those created by Agatha Christie, is set at a grand house, Burton Makepeace/Rook Hall, with its warren of rooms, dark stairways, and frightening roof “battlements.” Toss in a raging blizzard, a troupe of players enacting a Murder Mystery Weekend, an escaped convict, a cast of unforgettable characters, and Atkinson’s signature dry-martini wit, and readers will be entranced.
While Jackson Brodie is central to the plot, the novel is full of richly created people, such as the Marchioness of Milton, her three adult children, Simon Cate, a vicar, who “didn’t believe in God . . . it was easier to believe in the devil . . . the devil was everywhere, whereas God was, clearly, nowhere to be found,” and a housekeeper, who may have absconded with a painting, a similar crime that has occurred before in the area. There is also Reggie, an erudite police detective, and Ben, an amputee war hero.
As always with Atkinson’s books, sly remarks abound: “Lady Milton had watched the police cars leaving. They had arrived several hours earlier with their blue lights blazing, sirens wailing—the hunt in full halloo—but now they were traipsing back down the drive, tails between their legs, with no quarry on show.” Or: “Jackson supposed that by the time you got to Dorothy Padgett’s age [the mother of his clients] the Grim Reaper had scythed a swathe through your address book.” And: “Henderson [Lady Milton’s new butler], had an unnerving habit of entering a room very quietly, as if he had paws for feet.” The novel is chock-full of brilliant observations.
The “murder” at Rook Hall, put on during the Murder Mystery Weekend at Burton Makepeace as a means to pay for upkeep on the house, serves as a sub-plot inserted within the larger one about stolen paintings and the mysterious woman who may have taken them. This play allows Atkinson the pleasure of creating a small “cozy” within the sprawling walls of the estate, and she does so with glee as she escorts the reader through the creepy old pile.
Jackson Brodie is a nuanced character whose romantic life is in turmoil. He has recently succumbed to purchasing a Land Rover Defender, “a rugged, blokey kind of vehicle,” which he admits might have been caused by a mid-life crisis. His presence—which might have been made more dominant in the plot—still continues to intrigue since Jackson’s first appearance in Case Histories. This is a series every lover of crime fiction should read and follow; Atkinson’s stand-alone work is also of similar superb quality. In fact, she is one of the finest writers of our time—and not just in her chosen genre.