Yeah, the prose was so purple it was nearly eggplant. And speaking of which, the romantic subplot (main plot, more like) was bad. Insta-romance between paper thin characters that only served to give the author the opportunity to describe her milky breasts and his pubic hair. No, really. It’s told in the third person but almost entirely from Jake’s perspective. There is a prologue that is dark, atmospheric and intriguing, and I was immediately hooked. As a woman stands atop a flight of crumbling stairs, the reader is swept round the neighbourhood, peering through the windows at the various inhabitants…

What starts as an innocent game turns sinister, when a young woman’s bones are discovered. And Jake is thrust once again into the role of detective, as he tries to unearth a dangerous killer in this most unlikely of settings.All this green, all this prettiness, the quiet of the river.. you realise its a hard place to make a life sometimes.’ I enjoyed this one to a point. It did seem a bit confused about what it wanted to be. Starts as a mystery thriller then veers into cosy thriller, a sort of self discovery book and a romance novel. The end I thought was a bit of a let down and a bit hard to swallow. Jake who is recently separated leaves the bright lights and bustle of London to move into his late Uncles house in the country. An ex detective, Jake wants a quiet life away from the stress of the job and to re-evaluate his life after his marriage has failed. Still overall it’s a decent effort. The writing is pretty good, if a little over descriptive. It did feel a somewhat padded story but the main character was pretty interesting. If you enjoy a cosier type of thriller with not much gore but enough action to keep you interested and intrigued then this may be the book for you. I enjoyed about two thirds of the book and the only parts I became bored with was the relationship between Jake and the local vet. The whole on again-off again aspect grated after a time.

Abell educated at Loughborough Grammar School, and went on to graduate with a double first in English from Emmanuel College, Cambridge.I loved the uncomplicated setting (English country side), the characters and Jake’s introverted quest for isolation, books and music. Of course, all of this are interrupted by a decade old mystery that Jake just can’t leave alone.

In het begin moest ik even wennen aan de schrijfstijl, daar het niet als een thriller overkwam, maar meer als een roman die op gang moest komen. Wel is er direct heel beeldend geschreven, waardoor je het idee hebt dat je in het verhaal aanwezig bent. Geleidelijk aan begint er meer spanning te komen in het verhaal en gaat het meer op een thriller lijken. De spanning wordt na ruim de helft van het boek goed opgebouwd en je wordt nieuwsgierig wat er nu gebeurd is en wie dan uiteindelijk de dader is. When the bones of a young woman turn up during a treasure hunt, it is among these people that Jake will have to seek for answers. Strangers at first, he and the reader will gradually come to know them, to see their connections to each other – the loves and jealousies, the kindnesses and brutalities, the secrets and the fears. The depth of the characterisation is wonderful, layer built on layer. Many of the characters are eccentric, but none are caricatured – I found each one credible in his or her own life, seeing how the claustrophobia of isolation affects both individuals and community.Firstly, let’s set the scene, Jake has given up his detective job following a letter from his uncle, leaving him a property in a beautifully depicted rural escape. Jake leaves for a fresh start, but everything isn’t quite as beautiful as it seems following the annual treasure hunt and he winds up pulled into old boots to assist with solving the mystery of an uncovered death! I really enjoyed Death Under A Little Sky, it is a very accomplished well written thriller and was refreshingly different to the norm. But then, what starts as a fun village treasure hunt turns deadly, when a young woman’s bones are discovered. And Jake is thrust once again into the role of detective, as he tries to unearth a dangerous killer in this most unlikely of settings We first meet Jake as he walks for miles searching for his late uncles property, Arthur had left this to Jake in his will and as Jakes marriage wasn’t doing great he decided to move there for some peace and quiet. Second in the military crime series featuring Special Agents Scott Brodie and Magnolia "Maggie" Taylor, after The Deserter (2019).

In March 2014, Abell started co-presenting a show on LBC Radio alongside Sky News television presenter Kay Burley from 8am to 11am on Sundays. Burley was the main presenter while Abell reviewed the papers and added political comment.Stig Abell put regelmatig uit oude klassiekers om het verhaal kracht bij te zetten. De oom van Jake, Adam, laat een ware bibliotheek achter. Dit is toch de droom van elke lezer. However, for all the love and affection of detective novels on display, the plot is fairly standard and not especially gripping. And it’s just a giant, beautiful farmhouse with a lake that he can swim in, and land he can run around. He can do a five-mile run every day, always on his own land. And he then gets drawn into a little community where a crime happens, and he tries to solve it. But quite a lot of it is all about, ‘What would it be like if you could give it all up, get away from the technology, close your door for once, rather than leaving it open?’ And that's the heart of the novel.” This is classed as a thriller but it’s more of a cosy thriller imo. The pace here is very pedestrian due partly I feel to the thriller element not having much meat on the bone. The mystery itself moves at a snails pace. I’m a bit of a newbie to the crime detective genre and the pace was a slow burn, but I can confirm I was satisfied with how the plot escalates as the case draws to a head, the last few chapters had me gripped and the realisation over what’s been happening in the calm, cosy, peaceful village is unsettling to say the least!