Death at the Sign of the Book

Death at the Sign of the Book by Kate Atkinson Jenny

Atkinson’s take on detective genre fiction is perceptive and deeply hilarious. Death at the Sign of the Rook is ambitious in both plot and central idea, a murder mystery within a murder mystery (and a play within a novel). Atkinson is a clever and brilliant writer who is clearly at the top of her game.

This is Atkinson’s sixth detective novel featuring her protagonist, Jackson Brodie, at the helm. Death at the Sign of the Rook is at times self-aware and wry, with the reader very much in on the joke. The setting and characters, especially Atkinson’s comedic portrayal of the players who gather at the house to participate in the murder mystery, will keep readers smiling.

It is a strong example of the genre and largely accomplishes what it sets out to do. Would I read it again? Probably not and for me, that is where it falls down, particularly as I have just reread Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. In both novels, the plots are carefully constructed and the characters well drawn, but Christie still has the edge for me.

Find Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

Jenny