Should I read the Jackson Brodie books

[GrandChampionBestinDungeonPrincessDonut]

I read the latest Jackson Brodie book Death at the Sign of the Rook recently but I have not read any of the others.

I thought it was well written but a bit strange it was not what I expected from a detective story and I wondered if this was typical for a Jackson Brodie book.

The first half was very slow, there are a lot of characters and we spend time with each one individually getting to know them, being told their whole life story and following them around a bit. About halfway through the book changes completely and from that point it becomes a farce with lots more characters introduced, several of the characters floundering about in a snowstorm and stumbling across each other and then more floundering around in a country house.
The case that Jackson was investigating felt like a side plot, it was uninteresting and hardly and time was spent on it and he resolved it by happening to stumble across the criminal who explained it all to him but it made no sense why the criminal was even there (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers).

But the writing was good, Jackson and his friend in the police were my favourite characters and I am considering reading the others.
Is this book typical of the Jackson Brodie books or do you spend more time with him in the other books in the series. Also do they have more satisfying detective stories in them? Should I read them considering that I am not really a fan of this one?

Thanks for all the replies.

It sounds like most people preferred the early ones in the series so I will get the first one and read from there.

I have read some other Kate Atkinson books that do not feature Jackson Brodie. I liked Life After Life but I thought both God in Ruins and Behind the Scenes at the Museum were miserable books about miserable people living miserable lives and I really hated the end of God in Ruins.

Have just read Death at the Sign of the Rook, the only one of Kate Atkinson's I've read.

It seems to be a parody of the cosy crime genre, sending itself up very knowingly with the Murder Mystery weekend and the fictional detective writer Nancy Styles. Although I recognised the tropes she was toying with, as if she'd set herself the task of making the cardboard characters seem real, I'm not such a fan of the genre and probably not the ideal reader. I prefer something a bit more psychological, whereas this felt more like an exercise. There were a lot of witty one-liners but it was all rather brittle. Brodie and Reggie are the only characters who seem to have any hinterland.

The writing is certainly very slick. Since she's so highly rated I'll probably try another, though maybe not a Brodie.

Helen Dunmore's 'Exposure' is a very good novel about a woman mixed up in an espionage plot in London during the Cold War, if you were disappointed by 'Transcription'.

I really wouldn't judge the Brodie series on that one, the rest are far, far better. I struggled to finish it and will never read it again but I re-read the rest of the series every few years.

I enjoyed the whole series right up until "Death at the Sign of the Rook" which was extremely disappointing. I almost DNF it but persevered with it in the hope it would get better but it didn't.

DATSOTR was daft and disappointing. The rest of them are good reads, but there are some very odd and contrived moments throughout the series, including one where Jackson does something vile and it's not commented on - I couldn't quite make up my mind why that was in there; he's definitely a flawed character.

When will there be good news is one of my all time favourites. The use of language is amazing.

They are not the traditional detective books as such but more like detective wanderings!

Oh yes@DifferentChoicesTooLate when will there be good news is probably the best, I don't think Rook has much meaning without reading Good News first. Though Big Sky is a favourite too.

@MignonsMorceaux I can't for the life of me remember anything particularly vile that Jackson does and I've re-read (listened) to the series a few times, please remind me! Re him being flawed, surely that's a requirement in a literary detective.

I’m ashamed to admit it as she’s one of my favourite authors, but I didn’t finish DATSOTR. This first half I actually found quite compelling but after the ex-army lad gets lost in the snowstorm, it totally loses the plot and turns into a total farce. I found it so ludicrous I just lost interest and didn’t actually care less whodunnit. I’ll maybe give it another go when I’m in a different frame of mind. Sometimes you need to be in the right place to be receptive to a novel.

I love her other works too and a friend lent me the whole JB series and I read them more or less back to back so my expectations were very high. Maybe I could read it again in the future and may appreciate it more but honestly I don't think so as it was for want of a better phrase a "real dogs dinner'. I want a spin off series with Reggie.

Avoiding spoilers - copy this text into here and choose "rot13" to decode it...

rot13.com/

Wnpxfba "grpuavpnyyl encrf" Whyvn va ure fyrrc

You're not the only one who this seems to have passed by...

Life After Life and God In Ruins - amazing books. Read in that order.

Loved Case Histories too. And the one about a dog?

Haven’t loved all her books. Sure there was one more that I absolutely loved but my brain escapes me.

Sorry just seen that you have read God In Ruins. I couldn’t get into Behind the Scenes either.

I haven't read that one yet. But best to start at case histories. There was also a series starring Jason Isaacs that was very good.

Is it so bad you can't just say it. I can't be bothered to do that. I have also read all the books and can't remember it.

If you want to avoid a spoiler you could post it then 'edit' it out so people can avoid seeing it.

That's very clever of you @MignonsMorceaux to avoid the spoiler, appreciate it! I must re-read the series.

Um, I quite enjoyed Death at the Sign of the Rook! I’ve read pretty much all of Kate Atkinson except her most recent short stories and Transcription was the only one I didn’t really get into (did finish). I took DATSOTR maybe more as a standalone than a JB though as nothing much happened in his or Reggie’s lives, unlike his others, and it felt more like a Christie skit which happened to have JB in it.

Good idea - I'll do that
SPOILER which I'll edit out shortly

second edit - if you do click on the link I posted, please be warned that there is some upsetting content at the start

I clicked the decoding link and it was really easy. I am now reading a very interesting London Review of Books article about it. Thanks @MignonsMorceaux

@MignonsMorceaux oh god yes, I remember that now. You're right of course, it's vile. Though I'd say it does fit in with Jackson's character, he is macho and sexist and his backstory is quite brutal (childhood and army). He's not an anti-hero but he's never portrayed as a particularly good guy either is he? It's interesting that Jackson/KA acknowledge what he's done, even if just 'technically'.

(Thanks for your clever use of edit and links).

Thanks. I must have mentally edited that out.

All The JB books are great, apart from the last one! I loved Transcription and Life After Life too.
Jason Isaac’s was PERFECT as Jackson Brodie and I was so disappointed when I saw him on a chat show and he was an effete Southerner instead of a granite voiced Yorkshire hotty.

Just an update to my earlier post,spotted ATSOTR in the airport bookshop, and currently enjoying it in the sunshine.
Just over halfway through, so thanks for no spoilers, much appreciated.
Very happy to be reacquainted with Reggie, and agree with @ReginaChase that a spin-off would be welcomed!

Oh my goodness - I could not agree more!

I really enjoyed Transcription as well - when we read it in our book club. One of my friends said she hated Kate Atkinson. I thought she was being difficult

But ploughing my way through Death at the Sign of the Rook with so many lengthy and yet unnecessary (and flippant) descriptions of characters - I am on the verge of gnawing my own arm off. I see her point exactly!

The novel is too 'try hard' if that makes sense. So glad I didn't buy it, but just borrowed from library when I happened to see it.

Your mistake was starting at the end...it's the worst one in the series and also relies on a lot of prior knowledge of the characters.
Case Histories is great, and I enjoyed most of the others too.