Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell

 

First Line: It is a long way, as the heron flies, between lights in this part of the countryside.

 

Inheriting his uncle's property out in the country allows police detective Jake Jackson to retire and make a new life for himself away from London. 

 

Although the amenities in his new home are sparse, the landscape is stunning, and his neighbors may be a bit eccentric, but they're friendly and invite him to join their annual treasure hunt.

 

When the hunt turns up a young woman's bones, Jake is pulled back into the role of detective and he's soon on the trail of a dangerous killer hiding in what Jake had thought to be a rural idyll.

 

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The pace of Death Under a Little Sky may be slow and deliberate, but I fell under the story's spell just the same. Stig Abell's tale is atmospheric, lyrical, and completely in tune with the natural world. 

 

The land that Jake Jackson inherits is beautiful, and as he wanders the fields and bathes in the lake, he begins naming parts of it after crime writers. (There's Morse Field and Poirot Point, for example.) The house may not have a bath or shower... or a washing machine or a dryer, but its library is any crime fiction reader's idea of paradise.

Readers follow along with Jake as he becomes acquainted with his land as well as the people in the nearby village. Some of them are friendly, like Dr. Peter, who "emerges from his house, as always like an animal from a burrow," but some folks eye him with suspicion. In fact, I found that village to be rather claustrophobic. As I walked with Jake down its main street, I felt the hair stand on the back of my neck. (How's that for getting drawn into a story?)

I enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters surrounding Jake, especially Livia the veterinarian and her daughter Diana, Chief Inspector Gerald Watson, and Sarah the pub owner. However, I can see that, if you find that you don't particularly care for Jake, you're probably not going to like the book. He is center stage almost all the time.

 

When the identity of the killer finally dawned on me, I swear someone should have been able to see the light bulb turn on above my head. From the marvelous setting to the main character to the mystery itself, all I can say is that I'm certainly looking forward to seeing Jake again.

Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell

eISBN: 9780063381070

HarperCollins © 2024

eBook, 352 pages

 

Literary Mystery, #1 Jake Jackson mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.