I really hope that this is not the last of the Jackson Brodie genre. It must be difficult to create a new slant upon the detective genre and Kate Atkinson manages that most effectively.

This book, like the earlier ones, kept me glued from page one to the last full stop.

Brilliant ( )

(47) The most recent (5th) Jackson Brodie installment - I have now read them all. Also recently discovered the series with Jason Isaacs which is really good although realizing that it contains more content that Atkinson actually wrote. As I was watching the series, I realized I didn't remember many events and thought that perhaps Book 5 was being spoiled for me so I bought it and read it straight away. But no, 'Big SKy' is years and years later. Marlee, Jackson's daughter, is all grown up and instead he is getting to know his son Nicholas who was the result of his relationship with Julia. A big part of the novels; not so big part of the TV series. This book was a bit harder to get into that the others, but still kept me reading and engaged.

Reggie, the young girl from an earlier book who saves his life in the train crash - she is now a police officer tracking down some leads from a cold case of a pedophile ring. Turns out the wife of one of the ring leaders has hired Jackson to find out who is following her. And both Reggie and Jackson's worlds collide again through another man, Vince Ives - a would-be-suicide who may or may not be involved in his wife's murder, and may or may not be involved in the pedophile ring. Confusing enough? Yup, that is the typical Jackson Brodie mystery.

Now that I see Jackson as Jason Isaacs, I have all new pathos as I am reading the book. His character makes the series. I would have said that the mysteries are also intriguing, but I think this one was a bit anemic and/or I am getting less enamored of the pattern. It's always some international sleazy crime ring with a mysterious 3rd party (the silver BMW in this case) and some sad story of abandonment or lost/murdered child or mother that leads to the bad guy turning to the dark side.

But regardless, Atkinson is a fabulous storyteller and writer. Her writing is effortless, engaging, unpretentious but actually quite good. I think she is officially my favorite author; she certainly is the author of the book I would have to say is one of my all-time faves ('Life after Life') ( )

Well, it was good to see Jackson Brodie again. He has proven himself a most unlikely hero in his previous adventures, and this one is no different. Atkinson once again manages to build a story that blends character development and backstory along with an elaborate and complex "case of the week." We meet characters from previous stories, some more memorable than others, and they express a realistic (and entertaining) level of surprise at encountering one another here. The stories, as always, come together as threads that are braided, and time takes some interesting jumps, as we follow a plotline a ways in and then backtrack, seeing the same scenario playing out from a different perspective. It can be a little hard to follow, but Atkinson has proven herself adept at time play, and never loses the reader completely. This is uncomfortable subject matter: the callous exploitation of humans by other humans, purely for financial gain. But, karma is pretty powerful stuff, and no evil deed goes unpunished here. Unlikely he may be, but Jackson Brodie is indeed a hero. ( )

Well written, but I never was able to follow the story or characters very well. I should definitely not have started the Jackson Brodie's with #5! That said, most of the criminal characters seemed new, and I had trouble distinguishing one from another. The three men seemed similar to each other, and the two women the same. I do love Kate Atkinson usually, and this did seem to be a new take on an old genre. ( )

Well written, but I never was able to follow the story or characters very well. I should definitely not have started the Jackson Brodie's with #5! That said, most of the criminal characters seemed new, and I had trouble distinguishing one from another. The three men seemed similar to each other, and the two women the same. I do love Kate Atkinson usually, and this did seem to be a new take on an old genre. ( )