Jackson Brodie is back after almost a decade away from the bookshelves. He's living in a seaside town close to his former lover Julia and the son they share. He works as a private investigator these days--generally involving cheating spouses--and spends time with son Nathan. Things are particularly relaxing however, Brodie and Nathan witness what might have been a child abduction and Brodie has to rescue a teen who has fallen out of a boat AND a man who is about to jump off a cliff. The man on the cliff is connected to Brodie's newest client Crystal Holyroyd who is being stalked.

Although the Brodie series is a bit dark--I read all of the books terrified that nothing will end well--I've enjoyed reading all of them.

Kate Atkinson's mysteries are always funny and full of strange encounters and coincidences. This entry in the series seems a bit less madcap and darker than earlier ones, but it's great to see the series continued. Jackson Brodie is living on the northeast coast and sharing parenting duties, coping with a glum teenager and a loving but aged dog when he sees a child with a unicorn backpack picked up while hitchhiking - surely a dangerous thing to do, particularly in a community where two celebrated businessmen were banged up for running a child sex ring.

The characters in this book, especially a "trophy wife" who is adjusting to living in luxury after a rough childhood and her stepson who would prefer to study theatre rather than follow in his dodgy businessman father's footsteps, Oh, and there are the Polish girls lured to England on false pretenses and the two young detectives who are pursuing a cold case and more ... the characters are vividly drawn and Brodie's mordant observations are funny and sometimes touching. It takes a while for the multiple threads to come together, but it's fun to watch them be spun by a masterful and original writer.

This is the 2nd Jackson Brodie novel I have read by Kate Atkinson and the other one was a very long time ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book had many plot points, and many interesting characters. Even though this was the case, I was able to follow each story line and remain on top of what was going on. In addition to Jackson Brodie, there were many other characters to enjoy: Harry, Crystal, Bunny, Reggie, and Ronnie; just to name a few.

Full disclosure, I am not typically a fan of the slave trafficking topic, however, that was just one part of this book which was multi faceted.

I am grateful to Net Galley, Kate Atkinson, and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. I will definitely be going back to read the other Jackson Brodie novels I have not read yet.

Ready for summer reading?
May 23, 2019
What are you looking forward to reading this summer? There are so many great books coming out. Here in the Boston area alone, we’ll be celebrating Hallie Ephron’s Careful What You Wish For, (Aug. 6), Hank Phillippi Ryan’s The Murder List(Aug. 20), Julia Henry‘s Tilling the Truth and Edwin Hill‘s The Missing Ones (both Aug. 27). On the cozy side, former Sisters in Crime president Leslie Budewitz has her Chai Another Day coming out June 11, and many others are due soon too. But recently I was asked by an editor to compile a list of summer mysteries and in my desperate attempt to pull together books that weren’t by friends or that haven’t been recently profiled on my own blog, I came up with the following. (Then I found out I had misread the assignment – he wanted books that were already out! Oops!). Anyway, here’s a small sampling of what I’m looking forward to, with an eye to every taste. Please let me know what you’re looking forward to – we’ve got time, at last, to indulge!
1. “One Small Sacrifice,” Hilary Davidson (out June 1)
Author of the Anthony award-winning Lily Moore series launches a new police procedural series with NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling unraveling a complicated possible murder.
2. “Conviction,” Denise Mina, (June 18)
Newly single Anna McDonald tunes into a true-crime podcast for distraction only to realize that she knows what really happened – and she’s involved – in the latest grim psychological suspense from a Scottish master of the genre.
3. “Big Sky, ” Kate Atkinson (June 25)

After an eight-year hiatus, Yorkshire ex-cop turned private investigator Jackson Brodie (with dog) surfaces in a quiet seaside village where a routine domestic case turns into something darker.
4. “Paranoid,” Lisa Jackson, (June 25)
Decades after Rachel Gatson accidentally killed her half-brother, her high school reunion – and a string of new murders – make her doubt her sanity in this bestseller’s latest psychological suspense.

5. “A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder,” Dianne Freeman (June 26) The follow-up to the series’ multiple award-winning debut, this frothy, fun historical cozy once again has the American-born Countess of Harleigh solving a murder in Victorian London’s high society.
6. “The Paper Bark Tree Mystery,” Ovidia Yu (June 27)
The steamy Singaporean summer of 1937 smolders when private detective Su Lin’s ex-boss is murdered in a case involving diamonds, race, and political unrest in this third evocative Crown Colony mystery.
7. “The Whisper Man,” Alex North (June 27)
A widowed father and his young son move into a strange house in a town haunted by the memory of a serial killer in this truly creepy debut thriller.
8. “The Chain,” Adrian McKinty (July 9)
To ransom her kidnapped daughter, a mother must kidnap another child, whose parents must then do the same, in this fast-paced, nightmarish thriller from the award-winning suspense author.
9. “Lady in the Lake,” Laura Lippman (July 23)
Having bolted from a stale marriage in 1966 Baltimore, Maddie Schwarz has transitioned from housewife to crusading journalist, heedlessly seeking the truth about a missing woman in this New York Times-bestselling author’s latest standalone.
10. “The Hounds of Justice,” Claire O’Dell (July 30)
In O’Dell’s second strikingly engaging dystopian Sherlock Holmes pastiche, Dr. Janet Watson once again joins covert agent (and fellow queer black woman) Sara Holmes in infiltrating an extremist group.
11. “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,” Olga Tokarczuk, (Aug. 13)
This Man Booker International Award finalist veers from straight mystery into fantasy as Janina, the local crank in a Polish resort town, takes a break from astrology to investigate a murder.
12. “The Swallows,” Lisa Lutz, (Aug. 13)
Best known for the humorous Spellman Files books, Lutz follows up her thriller “The Passenger” by going very dark with this tale of revenge and secrets at a New England prep school.
13. “Play With Fire,” William Shaw (Aug. 13)
In his fourth series outing, Detective Sergeant Cathal Breen can’t get into the swing of 1969 London, but with his pregnant partner Helen Tozer’s help he tackles the murder of a high-society call girl.
14. “Thirteen,” Steve Cavanaugh (Aug. 13)
Conman-turned-defense attorney Eddie Flynn uses the crooked system against itself, but he’s out manipulated when he’s brought into a Hollywood star’s murder trial in this legal thriller.
15. “The Long Call, ” Anne Cleeves (Sept. 3) With her usual stunningly deft prose, Scottish master Cleeves (“Vera” and “Shetland”) debuts Detective Matthew Venn, who returns to the North Devon evangelical community he once fled when a body washes up on the beach.

Kate Atkinson is the complete package - engrossing storylines and fully formed characters. She is one of my favorite authors. It’s been ages since she wrote a Jackson Brodie book. I was worried about the gap in time, but no worries. I immediately felt a connection with him all over again. How could I not with comments like this “ he couldn’t get the knowledge to rise up from the seabed of his memory - a dismal place with the rusting wreckage and detritus of his brain cells.” He’s dealing with his cynical, hormonal son, who wants nothing to do with him, an aging Labrador with “rusty hips” and his private investigations business which is mostly tracking wandering spouses. Oh, and his ex-partner’s voice rings in his head whenever his thoughts go on a wander.

Not only did I love Jackson, but also Harry, the teenage stepson of the woman that becomes Jackson’s client. Once again, the dry humor shines through and I found myself sometimes chuckling out loud.

The book moves along at a good clip. It reminded me of Harlan Coben in some ways, especially the humor. Although Atkinson’s characters tend to be more fully formed than Coben’s. And there are lots of characters here, so be prepared to pay attention to who is whom. It takes awhile for it to become sorted as to how they will all come together. “A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen.”

As with all of Atkinson’s books, time is a variable. It’s subtle here, but when a chapter changes from one character to another, you go back in time to get their perspective on events you just witnessed.

It’s not often I award five stars to a mystery. Too often, something is lacking or the story is just too unbelievable. Not here. The writing is just spot on. I found myself highlighting phrases, not because they were important to the plot, but just because I loved the turn of phrase. And any mystery that not only tells a good story but has me consistently laughing deserves five stars.

My thanks to netgalley and Little, Brown & Company for an advance copy of this book.

Welcome back Mr. Brodie! It's been a while, though you don't seem to have aged much. But your past is quite in evidence and the cast of characters from the backstory pop up regularly as this sordid, sweet tale wends its way to a satisfactory conclusion. Actually, Brodie -- for all his presence -- is almost incidental to the plot, watching events unfold around him. No, he's not the catalyst, more like a moderator who is following the line to see where it leads and giving the occasional shove when matters seem to have slowed to a crawl. Truth be told, there are some equally compelling characters (Crystal, ready for your spin off?). Very entertaining, no heavy lifting. A palate-cleansing sorbet after the protein-rich entrees of Life After Life and Transcription.

I have only ever read one other Kate Atkinson book and Big Sky is my first of her Brodie mysteries? How have I never heard of these mysteries before? This book was filled with intrigue and and twists I never saw coming and bits of humor sprinkled in. I will admit there were moments I had wished I had known this cast of characters before so I highly recommend with starting with the first of her Brodie mysteries and than moving onto this one. Overall however an enjoyable reading experience.

I’ve spent two weeks binging all the Jackson Brodie novels preparing for this latest installment, which I received from Netgalley through the publisher. This book is typical of the series, slow moving, with brilliant observations and an underlying dark humor. As usual, there are several storylines that eventually get woven together by the end. I enjoyed seeing some previous characters make an appearance and was disappointed that one previous character didn’t make it in. A solid read.

This very dark Fargo-like comedic fifth entry in Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series is reminiscent at times of the classic Marx Brothers movie “A Night at the Opera.”

Brodie, ex-military police and ex-Cambridge Constabulary, is currently a private investigator working out of North Yorkshire. The majority of his work consists of either following spouses suspected of cheating, or being hired to try to to trap so-far-unsuspected fiancés and spouses to cheat as a “test.” This summer he has the occasional assistance of his son Nathan who stays with him when his mother Julia (and Brodie’s former girlfriend) is busy. Much of Jackson’s interactions with and observations of Nathan, aged 13, are quite humorous, and ring so true to anyone familiar with teenagers.

In other chapters we follow another family, Tommy Holyrod, his wife Chrystal, and their children Candy (3) and Harry (16), the latter being Tommy’s son from his first marriage. But Tommy is constantly busy with his company Holyrod Haulage, and Chrystal provides most of the parenting and companionship for both kids.

Yet another plot thread involves DC Reggie Chase and DC Ronnie Dibicki, who have been requested to conduct interviews in a cold case that just warmed up. The ten-year-old investigation - called “Operation Villette” - relates to two convicted sex traffickers, Bassani and Carmody.

There had been all kinds of accusations about the two men: about “parties” they sponsored, pornography purveyed, and trips abroad for assignations with underage children. Most of it hadn’t been proved, although rumors persisted of a black book with details, and even of a third man in the operation who had never been named.

As one of the characters who surreptitiously carries on the business mused: “[there were] limitless needs for sex in pop-up brothels, saunas and places that were even less legitimate, less salubrious. (You wouldn’t think that was possible, but it was.) Trade was good.”

And that ongoing business and those maintaining it are an additional plot strand. But of course all the subplots are connected. The story is all about coincidences and interconnections among the characters. As Jackson Brodie always maintained: “A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen.”

The connections form a malevolent network indeed, and a deadly one. As secrets come out, bodies begin to pile up, and time, for some of the characters, is running out quickly.

Discussion: If you have seen “A Night at the Opera” you will be familiar with the famous stateroom scene, which has been parodied numerous times in popular culture, by performers ranging from Cyndi Lauper to Seinfeld. Atkinson uses it several times in this book, so darkly funny and yet so deadly serious.

The book even ends operatically, with a scene from a famous opera, suggesting rather parodically that the story is over “when the fat lady sings.”

Evaluation: It has been a long time between Jackson Brodie books for Atkinson, and although I read the previous entries in the series, I pretty much didn’t remember a thing. It didn’t hurt my enjoyment of this book although I think I would have been happier if my memory served me better. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it even as a standalone to anyone who enjoys noir humor, clever dialogue, and/or well-constructed crime stories generally.

Jackson Brodie is back in all his cynical glory! It's been a while since Brodie last made an appearance and he's a little older, but essentially the same. In some ways, this felt like his swan song, with appearances from characters from his past (as an aside, you may want to re-read the previous books before picking this up to refresh your memory on his earlier cases), but if it is, it is a satisfying conclusion.

I am a huge fan of Kate Atkinson Jackson Brody series so I was excited for this one. Now this book deals with human trafficking and a pedophile ring. So with that being said this book was a wee hard to read. I found myself putting it down where images were getting to vivid but I always picked it back up. I credit that amazing writing by Atkinson for that!

I absolutely love the Jackson Brodie novels and this one was excellent. The story moved along at a fast pace and brought back a few old faces from previous novels. I am definitely looking forward to the next book.

3 stars--I liked the book. Trigger warnings for sexual abuse.

I have an enduring fondness for Jackson Brody (and his parenthetical conversations). The character never fails to charm, and this book is no exception. I also adored Crystal and Harry and Bunny--in fact, the range of side characters in this book was fabulous.

Like all Brody books, the main plot revolves around lost girls--in this case it takes a wide focus, as Brody gets enmeshed in human trafficking and a pedophile ring. As usual for Atkinson, all the loose ends get tied up and resolved. However, it almost seems like Brody was along for the ride in this book--he sort of stumbles into the crimes rather than actively investigating them, and isn't really the one who solves them.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

A captivating story, full of interesting characters, with Atkinson's trademark humor shining through even in the midst of a serious plot line. My biggest disappointment: not enough Jackson Brodie. It was almost like he was only a minor character.

Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels are among my favorite mysteries, with JB being an especially fun character. So, along with many others, my initial thought when I knew there was (FINALLY!) a new Jackson Brodie novel, was “how soon can I get my hands on it?” Thanks to Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley, I received a copy of Big Sky in exchange for my honest review a few months pre-publication. This gives me time to recommend it to all my mystery-loving friends! Yes, it really is good, and it was worth the wait!

Jackson has sort of retired and is living on the coast, in the same physical area as his sort of lover Julia (the actress, whose TV series provides some great counterpoint to the story), his uber-teenage son Nathan (whiny, snarky, etc) and his sort of aging Lab Dido. Jackson spends some of his time on things like tracking unfaithful spouses, but he isn’t really a full-on PI anymore – just as he is a former policeman, he is maybe a bit rusty but his instincts are all there, sharp as ever (along with his wit).

There are several main characters, with each chapter told from the point of view of one of them, which at first was a bit of a headscratcher (as in, “I KNOW that all these threads are going to come together, but WTF?”) but it all gets aligned in the end. That’s one thing I love about it, it is a bit disorganized and messy, just as life tends to be. There isn’t a nice linear plot for our lives, nor is there one for this novel.

TBH, I didn’t remember enough of the prior Brodie novels to recognize when references to earlier plotlines were made, other than in broad strokes (e.g. Julia and Jackson’s relationship), but it was fine. I would guess that even those who haven’t read earlier Brodie novels will enjoy this, and those who have read them and like them will LOVE it. Five stars.

Exceedingly compelling and unputdownable. Not only is Brodie back, but so is Reggie Chase, to my delight.

Loved this book! Was my first novel by Kate Atkinson and I loved it so much I want to go and read her others now! Definitely an awesome read!!

I found it a challenge to start with as I was not familiar with the characters from previous books, but the second half sped by!

Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son and an aging Labrador, both at the discretion of his ex-partner Julia. It's picturesque, but there's something darker lurking behind the scenes.
Jackson's current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, is fairly standard-issue, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network-and back across the path of his old friend Reggie. Old secrets and new lies intersect in this breathtaking novel by one of the most dazzling and surprising writers at work today.



Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book first time reading anything from this author and look forward to more

I'm sorry to say this is my first exposure to Atkinson; where I have I been?? I recognize all the titles but I just haven't read one until now. I know this should be a stand-alone novel and it is, but I feel a little like I walked into a fancy dinner party with many guests who all knew each other and I was on the outskirts the entire time. Clearly not the author's fault! There were just so many characters that I had to make a list to keep all the relationships straight; that takes a little enjoyment away from just immersing myself in the book. Still it was a fascinating look at Jackson Brodie, a flawed but strong character. Murder, sex trafficking, adultery, families, relationships...this book has it all and clearly Atkinson is a brilliant writer! So I'll go back to the first and read in order. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 as it's my reading habits that are at fault here.