Martin Mcarthur

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Perhaps the most tedious and non thrilling ‘detective’ novel I’ve ever read. It took me weeks to plough through this drivel- I decided to persevere despite feelings of revulsion and betrayal. I’ve read other Kate Atkinson novels which were good but if she had a plot or a plan it was worse than her fictional theatre group’s. Pages 1-50 can be skipped over. Most of the rest is a series of vignettes involving self— indulgent members of a heavily clichéd cast wandering round the labyrinth of a stately home. Jackson Brodie is hardly involved and no-one is killed in any mysterious way so detective work is not required. Makes Agatha Christie look classical. Martin McArthur

Death at the Sign of the Rook: A Jackson Brodie Novel

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It’s hard to say why a series with several fine actors and genuine tension should end up being so disappointing but it’s certain that anyone who stays the course will be both frustrated, annoyed and feel cheated. So many tantalising threads are left unpicked and so many scary moments are brushed over that the viewer is made to feel that they’ve been had. It’s a poor technique to create tension by never finishing a scene completely, cutting away constantly to less important relationship issues, and presenting events as if each one’s place in the drama was deigned to confuse. Don’t let this steal your time. It’s a wasted journey and the captive passenger of the title will be you.

Passenger

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