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Big Sky

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Big Sky

By: Kate Atkinson
Narrated by: Jason Isaacs
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Iconoclastic detective Jackson Brodie returns in a triumphant new novel about secrets, sex, and lies.
Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son and an aging Labrador, both at the discretion of his ex-partner Julia. It's picturesque, but there's something darker lurking behind the scenes.
Jackson's current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, is fairly standard-issue, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network -- and back across the path of his old friend Reggie. Old secrets and new lies intersect in this breathtaking novel by one of the most dazzling and surprising writers at work today.
"Thank goodness the long Jackson Brodie hiatus is over." --Janet Maslin, New York Times Private Investigators Thriller & Suspense Crime Thrillers Mystery Suspense Witty Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

One of VanityFair's Best Books of the Year
"Atkinson opens "Big Sky" with one perfect page. It's a bit of a red herring, but it couldn't do a better job of throwing the reader off base and commanding instant interest. It's a short chapter called "Eloping," and if you have a way of looking at it, do. It's a prime example of how Atkinson tells a great story, toys with expectations, deceives by omission, blows smoke and also writes like she's your favorite friend. Thank goodness the long Jackson Brodie hiatus is over."—Janet Maslin, New York Times
"The novel is brimming with the wit and let-justice-triumph tenacity that led the series to print bestsellerdom and a popular BBC-TV series... There isn't a character here - major or minor - who doesn't sashay resplendently off the page. With Atkinson it's Raymond Chandler meets Jane Austen, and amazingly she makes it all work."—The Washington Post's Best Summer Thrillers
"The bestselling British writer returns to Brodie's world for a fifth time in Big Sky, which finds the hero ensconced in a quaint northern English seaside town, making a living as a private investigator. As is often the case in Atkinson's genre-defying fiction, assignments to track lost cats and unfaithful husbands are never quite what they seem."—TIME, 32 Books You Need to Read this Summer
"The plot of Big Sky is something of a ramshackle affair, but it hardly matters. Kate Atkinson is a wayward writer, her books are, in the end, uncategorizable. Her Jackson Brodie novels are both more than crime novels - and less. They are sui generis and they, like this one, are enormously enjoyable."—Katherine A. Powers, Newsday
"The handsome investigator that Kate Atkinson introduced in 2004's Case Histories, played by Jason Isaacs on the BBC series, hasn't appeared in a new book since 2011. If you haven't met him yet, this is a fine place to start... Atkinson is so skilled at getting inside people's heads that when she introduces a new character, it's almost impossible to not feel at least a little sympathy for the person... The gangbuster ending flings a pile of spinning plates in the air. They could be picked up in a swath of new directions, including Jackson or not. But I hope he comes back. He's still the empathetic, flawed, country-music-listening detective we first fell for."—Carolyn Kellogg, The Washington Post
"The great Atkinson has returned to crime fiction and her well-beloved detective, Jackson Brodie...Atkinson masterfully juggles Brodie's consciousness with that of numerous other characters...You flit in and out of their various viewpoints, but Brodie's - warmhearted, weary, haunted by loss - always feels like coming home... I read this book in a delicious late-night rush; I suspect many of you will too."

—Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
Intricate Plot • Complex Characters • Clever Storytelling • Witty Writing • Interconnected Storylines

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I have always enjoyed Kate Atkinson work. The story was good but to be honest a bit confusing. This didn’t stop me from listening what almost did stop me was some of the parts that had the narrator yelling/hollering? If I were able to read the book I simply would not have screeching sounds in my head.

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the audio book.

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Slow the speed down to 0.8X speed, then the narrator provides a really fantastic listen!

Slow down to 0.8 speed then a great listen!

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Although this book began a bit slowly compared to my expectations, it picked up the pace fairly soon. After that it just got better and better. There is a main plot but many subplots that connect and meander throughout the story. It held my interest and I loved the narration. Especially enjoyable for me was the dialogue. The character would express himself verbally while simultaneously pondering his internal dialogue contrasting what was said and what was thought. Very clever. If you enjoy British humor and sarcasm integrated into a multifaceted mystery, you will probably like this book.

Darkly Sardonic

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Jason Isaacs brings Brody to life-as he does in film- capturing and expressing Jackson’s dark humor, exterior cynicism, and interior hope. Kate Atkinson takes us on a journey that honors survivors and redeems honorable men. She does so with a light touch that entertains. She also ties up loose threads from previous books in the series. What a treat!

Beautifully Read and Masterfully Crafted

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Head and shoulders above the usual fare. Worth the patience of a complex beginning. Fresh observations, timely topics, and great wit make this an engaging and satisfying read. True to life characters put the cherry on top of this great book.

Finely wrought, exceptional work

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