Will I love Death at the Sign of the Rook?

What a send-up of the cozy British mystery! Atkinson's genius is her ability to infuse everything she writes with humor and irony. She clusters the cliches of characters (the grand dame, the greedy relatives, the vicar, the servants, the PI) and plot, and transforms them into the wildest mystery ride I've ever taken.

A complex clever cosy mystery written from a number of different viewpoints, each character with their own problems. The author has a gift for getting into different point-of-view characters' heads and writes with much humor, so much so that I occasionally laughed out loud.

I really enjoy a good detective story, and Jackson Brodie, Atkinson's detective, is one of my favorites. The characters in this yarn are eccentric, the twists and turns unexpected (although we suspect the Robin Hood like thief from the beginning.)
It was fun to follow Brodie through all his permutations and foibles until he figured out what happened to the missing paintings.
It felt right justice to leave the greedy brother and sister ungratified.

I have loved Kate Atkinson ever since my mum bought me Behind the Scenes at the Museum. She is another writer from whom I can't wait for a new book. I did enjoy Death at the Sign of the Rook and I love Kate Atkinson's versatility. I can imagine she really enjoyed writing the book too. I have put it as a favourite book because I did enjoy reading it and it was very well plotted, and I always love reading her writing style. But it's probably not one of my favourite books of hers, even though it does feature… show more.

Wonderfully written, deliriously comic, very witty. The author plays brilliantly with detective story tropes.

Pastiche plot plus real characters - great combination

I'm a long-term Kate Atkinson fan and this book - her latest - lived up to my expectations. It's a novel featuring her world-weary private detective Jackson Brodie, and his character and story are beautifully portrayed, as are those of the other protagonists. This is one of Atkinson's great strengths - her vivid, wry and amusing depictions of people - coupled with her ability to tell a tale brilliantly. This, for me, was my novel of the year