Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell

DEATH UNDER A LITTLE SKY by Stig Abell (How Britain Really Works) is the fiction debut from a former editor of The Times Literary Supplement. Perhaps that explains the relatively little dialogue in this mystery story. Instead, there are long paragraphs of description, generally told from the third person. Still, Abell offers intriguing insight on life in the English countryside. The main character (who will also feature in a subsequent mystery scheduled for mid-year publication) is Jake Jackson, a newly divorced former copper. He moves to a remote cottage that his recently deceased uncle has left to him. In many ways Jake’s world narrows to the few local inhabitants with whom he has contact and yet, he simultaneously seems to grow in self-knowledge and resourcefulness. That transformation and his somewhat reluctant involvement in investigating a local death cold case propel both the story and his increasingly affectionate feelings towards Livia, single Mom, local vet, and neighbor. Publishers Weekly issued a starred review, calling DEATH UNDER A LITTLE SKY an “impressive mystery” and saying, “Kate Atkinson fans will be in heaven.”