I had enjoyed the other books in this series, so I was excited to see that a new book in the series was about to come out. But, as I was reading this book, I found that I just wasn't as into this book as I was with the other books in this series. Perhaps it's because it's been a few years since I read the most recent book in the series, perhaps I just wasn't 'into' this particular story at this time. Either way, I've decided to not finish the book, for now, and maybe I'll come back to it another time.

The whole gang is back in a BIG WAY and I'm overjoyed that the adventures and supernatural mysteries and mayhem are continuing! This new edition to the series was just as fast-paced, addictive and hard to put down as its predecessors. "Rook" returns to the "one-crime-at-a-time" vibe of the first book, before the overarching story took over the Jackaby series.

Jackaby has been one of those series that I recommend, loan out and gift to people constantly because it appeals to such a wide variety of readers. Whether you love a buddy mystery, supernatural adventure, slow burn romance, or fantasy world building, these books excel at all of it.

After the events of "The Dire King" seemed to wrap up this addictive series, I had little hope of ever going along on another adventure with my favorite supernatural Scooby gang. Thank you, William Ritter, for breathing new life into this series by turning it on its head and giving Abigail Rook Jackaby's former supernatural abilities. An inspired and sublime premise! Now we've got a strong female leading the team who are all sorting out their new roles and it couldn't be more interesting. Now more YA female readers will be attracted to the series as well.

I would definitely recommend reading all four Jackaby books before attempting this one. It's a detour you'll be thrilled to have taken. There are even more ghosts, fairy creatures, crimes to solve and parents to duck in this story. Speaking of ducks. I'm so glad my favorite mallard got some good scenes in "Rook" too. I need Douglas to become human again for an epic hero move sometime soon (pretty please?) and some more lovey scenes with Abby & Charlie and Jackaby & Jenny would also keep this girl happy as well. I love a good "kissing book!"

I can't wait to see where the series goes from here! It is and will remain an auto-buy for me! FIVE STARS! Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

received a copy through NetGalley for review.

While I hadn't read the previous books in this world, perhaps this felt different to me than some.
This was a completely new, but established world, where supernaturals now exposed and humans are trying to coexist in a city New Fiddleham. Jackaby who previously held the sight, Miss Rook now possessed through a turn of fate, she's spent the last several months trying to cope with her new eyes and senses.

It very much has a supernatural Sherlock and Holmes detective plot and feel, it was fun.
I enjoyed the mix of supernaturals, Miss Rook was a whip smart inquisitive character and her existing relationship with Jackaby worked well, a clear reversal of roles from the previous few months. But he seemed to be enjoying things none the less.

If you already like the existing series, you'll probably enjoy this, if you're brand new like me- its very easy to understand and fall into it without having to have already read the previous books.

4/5 Stars - says it's a standalone adventure but is it really? Please keep that in mind as there may be spoilers in this review to other Jackaby books, but as it is a standalone, I will review it assuming there are no spoilers for other books.

General Description: Abigail Rook can see auras. She hasn't always been able to, but after her employer Jackaby lost the sight, she gained it. Now, after months of training, Rook has to try to save the town of New Fiddleham after many people have gone missing, after many objects have been stolen, and when the case hits close to home for Rook, she's more invested than ever in honing her new ability while trying to keep the town of New Fiddleham safe.

The good:
- The writing in this book was extremely quick and humorous to me.
- I loved the pacing of the book, I feel like I couldn't put it down.
- The side characters and world-building were outstanding.
- The plot twists had my jaw on the floor.

The loss of a star:
- First off, the subplot with the parents confused me and it could have not been in there in my opinion.
- While this is a standalone, it seems very intertwined with the Jackaby series? I felt like I was getting spoiled for the entire series left and right.

Overall: If you're looking to get into a new fast-paced fantasy world, this fits the bill, but maybe read the whole Jackaby series first.

I really enjoyed this book! I haven't read the Jackaby series but they are on my list to read now. I really like how Abigail's character development was balanced with the mysteries of the plot. The plot was intense and engaging. There were multiple twists that I didn't see coming!

My appreciation to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the first four books of the series, Abigail Rook has stepped out of the shadows of her parents’ expectations and earned a place as a detective’s assistant. It has been several months since Rook and her mentor, Jackaby, literally saved the world. She is struggling with confidence and self-doubt as she learns how to be the Seer and resume working as a consultant for the police.

Now, she faces her biggest challenge of all - her parents. They show up uninvited on her doorstep expecting to find their conventional and obedient daughter, pressure her to return home and marry that absolution onion, Tommy Bellows, and slip into a conventional adulthood. I’m not a huge fan of the trope of daughters catering to overbearing mothers. They will never be happy or proud of you so you might as well do what you like. Reading her dad’s secret pride in her unusual interests (Abisaurus?! 🥰) makes up for her mother.

In addition to establishing herself as a grownup in her parents’ eyes, Abigail needs to solve magical crimes ranging from theft to kidnapping and murder - all perpetrated with the intent to foment civil unrest and put the veil between earth and Annwyn under martial law.

I do not envy the author the task of writing this book. He did such a good job spinning multiple story arcs through the first three books and wrapping up all of the loose ends so satisfactorily in the fourth, that he was starting from a blank slate in the fifth. I do appreciate that he didn’t pad the book with lots of unrelated reminders of plot points past books, and I’m particularly pleased that we weren’t reminded about Miss Lee’s backstory, because being trans is not the most important thing about her. It will be interesting to see where he takes the series.

This book was cute and fun! It is a good YA book that has a mystical mystery plot, alongside some fantastical elements. I do think that it would be best suited for people who have already read the previous series by the author, as there is a lot of reference to what happened in that series that I was not able to understand fully. Some portions of the book felt very slow, and I think there could've been more done to establish the world in this book and the character's personalities, but for what it was, it was enjoyable.

I’d like to preface this review with the confession that I’ve never read a book in Ritter’s Jackaby supernatural fantasy universe. And while this is billed as a book that can be read as a standalone, I did have some instances of feeling lost due to some references from the characters’ past/world-building.

Miss Rook, as Jackaby’s reluctant successor in her ability to “read” auras and assist the police in gaining clues of nefarious activities, comes into her own as she strives to locate a young girl’s missing mother only to discover that there are darker forces at work than just a kidnapper. Rook and Jackaby are fun to watch together…humorous, endearing and entertaining. And while the story began a little slowly for me (maybe due to my lack of Jackaby knowledge), it caught up and was an enjoyable romp for me.

My only issues were two-fold: I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked; and it felt more like a teen/young adult cozy mystery, albeit with a little more depth/lack of restraint to it…and unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of cozies…but that’s on me.

Still, this was a well-written book with a good plotline (which included some implications relative to modern-day issues along the way). All-in-all, it was a good read for me.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for providing the early arc of Rook for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this fantastic book. I really enjoyed the characters, the world they occupy, the magic, the good mystery, and the way the book is written. Starting this book, I wasn’t aware that it’s part of the series, but am so excited to now catch up on all the previous books. Can’t wait to see what William Ritter writes next!

This was the first YA novel I have read in a while that I really enjoyed! A supernatural detective story, where the "detective" is a young girl who received the gift of seeing auras after her mentor (the previous "seer") dies. Fumbling in the beginning but finding her stride throughout the novel, Rook learns to to trust her intuition and no one else, unless they earn it. Lots of fun action and all kinds of magical and supernatural creatures. I haven't read the rest of the series, this one is a standalone, but I just might have to!

I absolutely adored the Jackaby series, so I was thrilled to see it’s (sort of) continuing! The first book is still one of my favorites, and a go-to recommendation for lovers of historical fiction and mystery alike. The series goes a little off the rails by the last book, with the fairies and the veil and the whole notion of the “other side”, but in spite of all that I still really enjoyed Jackaby and Abigail’s adventures.

I had actually forgotten how the fourth book ended - with Charlie dying (albeit briefly) and Abigail getting Jackaby’s powers. When the novel opens, she’s dealing with all of this about as well as you’d imagine. This is the first time we get a sense of HOW Jackaby’s powers work - Abigail has always been the narrator, so we just get Jackaby’s explanation for what people’s motivations are. In this case, we see the process behind it - how she can tell if someone is actually lying, or if they’re nervous, or if they *believe* what they’re saying (even if it may not strictly be true). The supernatural creatures are out in the open now, and the Om Canai (Charlie’s family, essentially) are guarding the veil with help from the Department of Curiosities. Things have always been strange in New Fiddleham, but now people are actually aware of the existence of supernatural beings, so although there’s an explanation for the weirdness, there’s the predictable backlash (a campaign called Humans First, sigh).

The police department always relied, somewhat reluctantly, on Jackaby’s help as the Seer, and although Abigail doesn’t feel quite ready to take on the mantle…there’s quite literally no one else who can do it. She wants to ease her way in with a missing persons case (supernatural creatures are going missing), but she’s very quickly caught up in a murder investigation. Much like all of their previous outings, Jackaby and Abigail just can’t stop landing in the middle of trouble. They frequently cross paths with agents Kit and Garabrand, who are both immune to the duo’s charms, and definitely up to something shady. And all of that before Abigail’s parents come to town wondering why she’s been gone for so long and just what became of that archeology internship.

There’s definitely a LOT going on here! I think the story would have felt less fractured if I hadn’t been reading it in short bursts during my shifts at the service desk. Once we hone in on the main narrative (someone’s kidnapping supernatural creatures and stealing magical objects), things pick up a bit. I think another one of my issues is that I still don’t have a great handle on how magic works in this world, or just how many supernatural creatures there are. I suppose part of that is because Abigail herself is still figuring it out (and a character even mentions at one point that there are definitely far more supernatural creatures in New Fiddleham than anyone realizes). Like… we know there are fairies, and the Om Canai (who aren’t *technically* werewolves), and witches? or at least people who can perform magic (but also it sort of seems like anyone with the right ingredients and incantations can perform magic?)... It’s a little kitchen sinky.

The first half felt sort of meandering, but again, that could be how I was reading. There’s still plenty of the series’ trademark wit - Jackaby gets off some excellent deadpan one-liners as always. I do wish we had more of his perspective though - through Abigail we know it’s definitely a burden being the Seer, so does he feel relieved not to have the powers anymore? There are little hints of him having trouble coping without his powers, but he’s always been sort of a one-dimensional character - this was a chance to give him some more depth. Also - more Douglas!

Overall, I really enjoyed this continuation, and based on the ending it looks like the adventure will continue.

This series is a true joy and it was with welcome relief to see the story continued after the arc-ending events of the last four books. Ritter has really hit his stride with effortless writing that is witty, engaging, droll, and just pure fun. This is one of those rare cases when the act of reading is just as enjoyable as following the plot itself.

Story: The world has been saved! But several of Abigail's friends died in the process. Of course, death is just a setback and fortunately Charlie and Jackaby failed to remain in that unfortunate condition. There's just one wee side-effect: at Jackaby's death his powers of the sight transferred to Abigail. Now, six months later, she is learning to deal with the overwhelming sensations and information overload over seeing the truth in the world. But this buttercup needs to suck it up because there's been a murder and it looks like her boyfriend Charlie's group of canines are inexorably involved. Hot on the heels of the murder comes a pair of government agents determined to keep the small town of New Fiddleham's supernatural problems under control.

The regulars are all here again: from the crotchety police chief, to ghost Jenny, duck Douglas, to Charlie's eccentric canine family. But there are a crop of new characters that are just as fascinating and about whom whom Jackaby can make the wittiest bon mots (sotte voce, of course). There are the two government men/detectives: an uptight Dudley-Do-Right junior and a laissez fair senior. Both are there to ensure that New Fiddleham's supernatural residents are firmly catalogued and under control. But the real treat is Abigail's snooty British parents who have travelled all the way to America to discover how Abigail is doing in her paleontology digs (boy, are they going to be surprised). They amusingly get in the way all the time as Abigail is forced to use her new abilities to track down the murders/disappearances of supernatural beings in the town.

Although Jackaby doesn't have his ability, he still takes a prominent seat as a mentor/teacher to Abigail to help her use her abilities. I like that author Ritter chose to tackle this as Abigail learning to use her abilities as Abigail and not Jackaby. Which makes Jackaby often not so helpful (in his own amusing way) but very helpful at the same time. It makes for great reading.

In all, this murder mystery is a self-contained story arc and a very enjoyable read. I almost wish I had the audio version so I could have both the New England and the British accents heard. But that said, I highly recommend this fun series. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

It's been five years since the last Jackaby book came out. I thought the series was finished. After re-reading the books to my husband, I stumbled on the news that this one was coming out. It picks up shortly after the whiz-bang finale of The Dire King, and the aftermath makes a lot of sense the way it plays out here. I don't know if he plans to write more, but this book opened new doors for sure, and I hope Ritter continues with it. It was great to spend time with these characters again, and the mystery this time around was a good one!

Short and Sweet Review
After the events of The Dire King, Abigail has become the new seer and she’s been struggling to adapt to her new found ability. Abigail should be ready to help solve all the supernatural phenomena happening around New Fiddleham but she’s not ready. When some magical beings start to go missing Abigail knows she needs to put aside her fears and trust in herself and do the job of a seer.
Rook is an enjoyable book, especially if you’ve read the other books in the Jackaby series. It was nice to see characters from the past books especially Jackaby, Jenny, and Charlie. Jackaby still brings his wackiness and humor which is great because he has a carefree nature about him and he still knows when things are serious. Jackaby is living his life without the sight and he’s having a good time experiencing seeing things as a normal person, which was what Abigail used to do for him. I liked seeing how all of the characters have grown since we’ve seen them in past books. What I enjoyed the most was watching Abigail get her footing and becoming more sure of herself as the seer. I liked how this book was in Abigail’s POV but now that she’s the seer we get to see how intricate everything she’s seeing really is like peoples auras and the things left behind by people. We also see that more magical beings are out and about and there’s even a magical division at the police department now. Abigail is asked by Marlowe to look into somethings, but it ends up turning into something bigger as it usually does, and Abigail learns that magical beings are going missing. This is her first big case and luckily she’s not alone she has the help of those around her. We meet Abigails parents who aren’t really sure what she’s been doing in New Fiddleham and if she should even stay there. There’s also two agents who always seem to be one step behind Abigail and Jackaby but who are also not very helpful, they seem to do more damage than good. The mystery was great, and I wasn’t quite sure where it would lead or who the culprit was, but the ending wrapped everything up quite nicely and everything was answered.
This book was a lot of fun and it was great to be back in New Fiddleham with all of the characters I’ve grown to love. Definitely get your hands on Rook and join Abigail and Jackaby for another adventure in New Fiddleham but this time with Abigail as our paranormal detective and Jackaby as her normal mentor!

“Rook” follows newly minted paranormal detective Abigail Rook, who is reeling after receiving the power of sight from her employer Jackaby after his death and resurrection. Abigail struggles with her first case (a magical jewelry theft) while fixating on the disappearance of a local woman. While she is unable to solve either case, she also tries to understand her new role in her work with Jackaby and in her relationship with her fiancé Charlie. To make matters even more complicated, her parents have arrived from England with their own designs on Abigail’s future.
This is a perfectly endearing story with perfectly charming characters in a picturesque New England backdrop; however, I just didn’t find myself connecting to any of it. The way the characters acted didn’t really match the way they were described in the (somewhat clunky) exposition. The writing is chock full of cheesy quotes. The only series I can somewhat compare this to is the Kate Daniels novels, which also feature paranormal crime-solving, so if that’s the kind of thing you enjoy then by all means give Rook a shot. It’s just not for me.

Frankly, I loved being back in New Fiddleham. I did reread the previous four books before starting Rook and that did provide a nice refresher for me, but it is not necessary to enjoy Rook.

I loved to see how Abigail took over and had to find her footing in her new circumstances of being the Seer, and we did get some lovely Douglas time. Rook also had some lovely humor moments mixed in with the emotional scenes, which is in line with the other books in the Jackaby universe. The levity in certain moments provides a needed balance. The characters still felt like themselves, and it felt like checking in on old friends.

The pacing was sometimes a bit off for me, like taking a misstep on the stairs, but that did not hinder my enjoyment of the book overall.

If you enjoyed the previous Jackaby books I'm sure you will enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin YA for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Nice final volume to the quartet. I enjoyed seeing how she adjusted to her new powers and finally found herself.

I loved the Jackaby series and I am really excited for this new trilogy? Quartet (I hope). The story was great and gave enough backstory to read it even if you haven’t read the Jackaby series. The characters are well rounded and the mystery is interesting.

Now that Rook has "inherited" Jackaby's vision, she is training to be the lead detective on their cases. It has taken quite some work to get used to, and though she still feels uneasy about her abilities, it's time to get back to work and solve some cases. Who would have known that their first case would be a doozy, with visit from her parents and a deadly threat to her beloved Charlie thrown in just for an extra thrill.

This installment of the series still has the same humor and sarcasm that made the first volumes so fun, but it also includes a new group of characters and sets the series up for another run with Rook as the lead. I really hope there are more to come and that we can see more action with Jackaby, Rook, and Charlie, along with Jennie and all the other characters who have been brought to life in this series.

I received this from the publisher via Netgalley.com.

Return to the wonderful world of the Jackaby series but with this new standalone adventure featuring Abigail Rook as she gets accustomed to her new abilities as a seer while also juggling her parents coming to town, trying to solve cases, and figuring out how to control her new powers. The book picks up where the original series ends with Jackaby without his seer powers and Abigail with them instead. They're both still working as consultants to the police department and trying to solve paranormal cases, but this time its Jackaby helping Abigail getting use to her new powers. Abigail is also dealing with the new case she is given that include local witches and other paranormal individuals disappearing and the tensions between the humans and the supernaturals rising... it could lead the city to tear itself apart. It doesn't help that her parents decide to drop in on her without no word of warning and now she also has to find a way to break the news to them about her fiance Charlie and the fact that she is working as a private investigator with powers now. Abigail will have to find a way to trust her instincts, her wits, and find as many clues to solve the case before it's too late! I had fun diving back into this world and seeing where the characters are now. i loved the original books and this was a really fun standalone and I honestly wouldn't mind returning for another book. Abigail and Jackaby are as chaotic as ever, Charlie is a sweet fiance, and the magic of this world was really fun! Definitely pick this one up if you enjoy paranormal investigative books!

*Thanks Netgalley and Algonquin Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*