Kate Atkinson’s latest novel has her acerbic investigator Jackson Brodie embroiled in a Murder Mystery weekend, and he’s not happy about it.
Between the First and Second World Wars there flourished a wave of crime fiction that came to be known as the Golden Age. Dismissed by Raymond Chandler for its lack of realism , the formula often involved a country house and a cast of upper-class characters nobody liked and a private detective they did. This is where the clever Kate Atkinson comes in, slyly adopting the familiar tropes while transforming them into what is both a hilarious spoof and a vastly entertaining read.
While the structure is elaborate, that’s not the true strength of Atkinson’s writing. Even more wonderful are the characters, their backstories, and their take on the increasingly bizarre events as they unfold. Jackson, for example, is entirely distracted by loving thoughts of his new Land Rover Defender, which he thinks he could probably live in if he had to. Regrettably, the whole “macho construct” has been slightly undercut by his granddaughter’s baby seat in the back.
Atkinson’s take on the requisite vicar is both funny and oddly touching. Poor Simon Cate has lost his faith in God and prefers blessing the pets to preaching to his parishioners. He therefore spends a lot of time in the deer park looking for flint arrowheads and musing on his choices in life. And then there’s the handsome major, Ben Jennings, who lost a leg in Afghanistan and is clearly suffering from PTSD.
once again), the “real life” characters assemble at Rook Hall for the final Murder Mystery performance when all will be revealed about the missing paintings. Oh, how could I forget, there’s also a murderous escaped criminal on the loose. It’s all such wicked fun.
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