Description

‘The stand-out read of the summer. It’s a masterclass in brilliant writing and whether you’ve read the earlier books in the series or not, you’ll enjoy it.’ Independent

‘Like all good detectives, he is a hero for men and women alike.’ The Times

‘Laced with Atkinson’s sharp, dry humour, and one of the joys of the Brodie novels has always been that they are so funny.’ Observer

Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village in North Yorkshire, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son Nathan and ageing Labrador Dido, both at the discretion of his former partner Julia. It’s a picturesque setting, but there’s something darker lurking behind the scenes.

Jackson’s current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, seems straightforward, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network-and back into the path of someone from his past. Old secrets and new lies intersect in this breathtaking new literary crime novel, both sharply funny and achingly sad, by one of the most dazzling and surprising writers at work today.
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What readers are saying:

***** ‘A glorious tapestry of storytelling.’
***** ‘An intelligently written, gripping book with characters you fall in love with.’
***** ‘Sheer genius, with the characteristic thread of humour.’

Publisher Review

With a many-tentacled storyline distilling some of the more disturbing headlines of recent years, this dark material proves supremely compulsive...Brodie brings out the best in Atkinson, partly because he's a handy peg for what tends to come across as her regretful sense of bemusement about modern Britain. * Metro * Atkinson's nimble and endearing skill across all her fiction...is to take the determinedly domestic, find the wry, sometimes waspish humour in it, and yet reveal something profoundly humane....And deft misdirection, cheeky literary references and Brodie's flailing attempts to offer sympathy by quoting country-and-western lyrics are constantly entertaining. You finish Big Sky feeling battered - but thoroughly cheered up. * The Times * How can anyone fail to love Kate Atkinson?...A gripping beach read for lovers of detective fiction. * ES magazine * Jackson Brodie is back and how we've missed him....you're in for a treat. * Red * You can't go wrong with the majestic new Kate Atkinson book...wise, funny and sad. * Stylist * Jackson Brodie gets his fifth outing in the new novel by the reliably brilliant Atkinson. * Woman & Home * Her peerless ability to plot with audacity and with a sinuous beauty...it's the most marvellous book, so delightful you'll want to eke it out for as long as possible. * Radio Times * As usual, it's ingeniously structured and told with humour and compassion. * New Statesman * I can't get enough of Jackson Brodie...he may well be the great fictional detective of our age...her bunch of seemingly ordinary but deeply fascinating characters... seem so real that you come to care about them like your oldest friends. * Sunday Express * A stunning comeback... Told in Atkinson's typically wry prose, it is Dickensian in sweep, utterly riveting and has a wonderful ending, quite magnificent. * Daily Mail * The brilliance of Big Sky lies in its broad range of memorable characters, each with their own intriguing backstory.....sharp humour,sparkling prose and acute psychological insight. * Daily Express * Atkinson throws in many entertaining diversions, and a fair few juicy red herrings... an exuberant, entertaining read...Atkinson's work is always playful, and there's a brisk, jaunty tone to Big Sky and much dry observational comedy. * Independent * There's a lot going on here, all of it rendered with Atkinson's vastly enjoyable nonchalance...Atkinson tells a great story, toys with expectations, deceives by omission, blows smoke and also writes like she's your favourite friend. Thank goodness the long Jackson Brodie hiatus is over. * New York Times * I romped through it: as ever, the plotting is clever and complex, it's full of the dry wit Atkinson is so good at and it's an absorbing mystery. * Good Housekeeping * Atkinson brings back her much-loved PI Jackson Brodie for a tightly plotted tale...the real mystery here is the human heart, with Atkinson serving up an acute and believable look at the state of Britain today. * i * Atkinson's new mystery hits all the right notes * Sunday Times Style * A masterclass in what can be done with crime fiction, brilliantly using the form to expose what Atkinson bleakly describes as 'one more battle in the war against women'. * Sunday Times * Atkinson weaves a magically absorbing world full of crossed paths and coincidences. Her sublime turn of phrase, impeccable gallows humour, beautifully drawn characters and complex plotting make for a fabulously entertaining and moving book. It can be enjoyed as either a standalone mystery or a very welcome reunion with an old friend. * Sunday Mirror * Big Sky is laced with Atkinson's sharp, dry humour, and one of the joys of the Brodie novels has always been that they are so funny. * Observer * The main plot...is dark and disturbing, but Atkinson brings wry comic touches to the story as she both playfully inhabits and deftly subverts the crime genre. * Observer *