Status
Checked out
Due 25 Apr 2024
Description
A detective ready for a new life... For years, Jake Jackson has been a high-flying detective in London. But then one day he receives a letter from his reclusive uncle - he has left Jake his property in the middle of the countryside. For Jake, it is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. A rural idyll the stuff of dreams... At first, life in the middle of nowhere is everything Jake could wish for. His new home is beautiful, his surroundings are stunning, and he enjoys getting back to nature. A death that disrupts everything... But then, what starts as a fun village treasure hunt turns deadly, when a young woman's bones are discovered. And Jake is thrust once again into the role of detective, as he tries to unearth a dangerous killer in this most unlikely of settings.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member basilisksam
I’ve long been an admirer of Stig Abell for his skills as a broadcaster and I enjoy his breakfast show on Times Radio. It’s always worrying when someone known for a particular thing writes a novel for the first time and so often it turns out to be disappointing. In this case however the novel
I’m looking forward to the next instalment
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turns out to be well written, engaging and satisfyingly twisty. Stig’s immersion in crime fiction is clear to see in the way he writes and the references he brings up in the narrative. But it’s not just the crime and the way it’s solved that makes this book great. It’s also the superb way he describes the countryside and the weather that adds to the enjoyment. I’ve generally no time for literary fiction but this novel seems to be approaching that genre while keeping the narrative lively and the story absorbing.I’m looking forward to the next instalment
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LibraryThing member pgchuis
I didn't love this, although I thought I was going to at the beginning. I found Jake odd - did he have no other friends or relatives he needed to keep in touch with? Did he have no interest in current affairs? The sinister farmers were all interchangeably lacking in personality and Dr Peter was
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creepy and annoying. I found the plot too slight for the length of the novel, Livia blew hot and cold repeatedly, and the entire hamlet was unconvincing. It was interesting to think about living off grid though. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams
It's an atmospheric mystery story, the level of menace increases as the story progresses. The author does a good job in doing that. Two stories are woven together in the book. Jake's transformation to a sort of hermit, and in parallel to that is a present-day mystery over a suspicious death.
I lost
I lost
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interest at about two-thirds through the story and put the book aside." Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
Death Under a Little Sky is Stig Abell's excellent debut novel.
What first caught my eye was Lucy Foley's cover blurb - "Gloriously atmospheric."
But what kept me turning pages was Abell's slow burning plot, his introduction to wonderfully interesting characters and that rich atmospheric setting.
Jake Jackson was a Detective in London, but when he inherits a large isolated property, he decides to chuck it all in and move. When he hears of a historic crime in the area, he can't let it go, and starts to investigate. Abell's case slowly and surely unfolds.
Just as interesting are the changes Jackson makes to his life. A slower pace, finding and enjoying nature, eating clean, physical labor, exploring interests and more. And perhaps someone to love. I really enjoyed how the two were blended together. I sat and savored the descriptions of Jake's new life and his inner thoughts. The descriptions of the physical settings are worth savoring as well.
And....I was thrilled to see that there is a second book featuring Jake coming out in April of 2024. Keep an eye out for Death in a Lonely Place - I will be!
What first caught my eye was Lucy Foley's cover blurb - "Gloriously atmospheric."
But what kept me turning pages was Abell's slow burning plot, his introduction to wonderfully interesting characters and that rich atmospheric setting.
Show More
Jake Jackson was a Detective in London, but when he inherits a large isolated property, he decides to chuck it all in and move. When he hears of a historic crime in the area, he can't let it go, and starts to investigate. Abell's case slowly and surely unfolds.
Just as interesting are the changes Jackson makes to his life. A slower pace, finding and enjoying nature, eating clean, physical labor, exploring interests and more. And perhaps someone to love. I really enjoyed how the two were blended together. I sat and savored the descriptions of Jake's new life and his inner thoughts. The descriptions of the physical settings are worth savoring as well.
And....I was thrilled to see that there is a second book featuring Jake coming out in April of 2024. Keep an eye out for Death in a Lonely Place - I will be!
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LibraryThing member lycomayflower
Quite enjoyable in part, with engaging descriptions of the main character making a hermity life for himself in an isolated location and a compelling enough mystery (if a little light on the detecting). But the descriptions of naked bodies (sometimes incidental, such as when a character is swimming, the mysterious death the plot revolves around turns out to have been the result of a serial stalker, rapist, and murderer of women in the area. The inevitable (?) scene of peril where the murderer threatens to rape the main character's girlfriend also felt icky (of course), but it felt icky in kind of the same way the other descriptions did. Which was unpleasant in the extreme. Ultimately the book left a bad taste behind, and I am unlikely to read any more of what I expect will become a series.
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and sometimes sensual and/or sexual) felt slightly icky to me, though I couldn't for sure say why, except perhaps that they always felt tinged with nastiness when they seemed meant to be either neutral or joyful. Eventually, Show Less
Awards
Crimefest Awards (Shortlist — 2024)