Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death by suicide and physical abuse.

While Death at the Sign of the Rook can be read as a standalone text, the novel builds on the fictional world of five earlier Jackson Brodie mysteries: Case Histories (2004), One Good Turn (2006), When Will There Be Good News? (2008), Started Early, Took My Dog (2010), and Big Sky (2019). Jackson Brodie, a private detective and former police officer, is the protagonist who ties the novels together. Each book features multiple storylines that converge with a twist during Jackson’s investigations. Crime drives the plots, but the emotional and psychological repercussions on the characters are the real focus of the narratives. Atkinson weaves philosophical reflections and wry observations into her narratives, breaking away from the main plot to explore her characters’ inner lives or highlight the absurdities of modern life. 

The early books reveal “the trifecta of bereavement” Jackson suffered as a child (10): his mother’s death from cancer, his sister’s murder, and his brother’s death by suicide. Atkinson also exposes the domestic violence that young Jackson witnessed and survived.