‘I love the fact that you hide yourself away, except when you need to step up and do something.’

One of my most anticipated books of 2024 and it was everything I hoped for. Lonely Place is the second in the Jake Jackson series and follows Death Under a Little Sky which introduced our detective, Jake, and the rural idyll where he has retreated from a failed relationship and a job as detective in the city..All the things I loved are back again - the gorgeous writing which captures the beauty of the landscape so perfectly, the classical music and homage to detective writing, the glorious setting and a story about rural crime which threatens the peace of this paradise..

Jake’s relationship with Livia, a local vet with a young daughter, has progressed although they still live separately. She has a new client, a wealthy landowner with a large stable. They have been invited - or rather they are expected - to attend a weekend function at the house. And crime is once again finding Jake out, this time via an old contact who asks for his help with a current case involving a missing child. This seems to link back to cold cases from Jake’s past and reluctantly Jake finds himself drawn in…

Once again the writing is perfectly paced as we run round Little Sky with Jake, cook lunch, snuggle up with Livia and listen to classical music whilst observing gorgeous skylines. And gradually another narrative builds and begins to dominate, a narrative which hints at dark elements, threats, abducted children, trafficking and something called ‘No Taboo’..

This book feels darker. Jake’s paradise feels more fragile with his new found happiness meaning he has more to lose. There is such a sense of tension between his desire to live off grid, without a telephone, in an isolated rural area and the demands of a new family who need stronger attachments, and the dangers which lurk around even the most idyllic spot. And of course things always feel more dangerous in a ‘lonely place’!

I loved this. I listened to the playlist and searched out landscapes which replicated the cover and I wished myself into Jake’s landscape.

With many thanks to Harper Collins and Netgallley for my copy of this wonderful book.

I enjoyed reading the second book about Jake Jackson but I must admit that I preferred the first one maybe because of the subject matter.
Things really began to get interesting for me when Jake. and Livia stayed at the country mansion home of a billionaire. Once again the pair find themselves in danger and Jake is determined to find the truth. His investigations kept me engaged although some of the day to day details and scenery, although beautiful, had me skipping a few pages.

Very exciting, tense crime thriller with an unusual but likeable off-grid ex-detective, who keeps being obliged to get involved in investigating serious crimes, despite the risk to himself and his girlfriend. A really great read. Highly recommended.

Well this has multiple layers and multifaceted characters. The secret is hidden behind the layers of infinite mysteries and conspiracy. This is gripping and intriguing crime thriller. Detective Jack wanted a quiet life so he moved to country side. But the isolated life is not for him as he is carrying the burden of the past failures and not being good enough for anyone. While DCI wants him to get to the bottom of the mystery of missing child case. There is a shadowy man and the mystery of No Taboo consumed him with deception, perils, unthinkable happenings and the clandestine group with a traitor brings his life at stake. And the old case from the past makes it way back to him. The ending was good. The odd circumstances brings Livia and Jack together. I really liked the characters and the descriptive writing.

Perhaps the author focused too much on describing things and elaborating the thoughts of Jack and how he was getting closer to the mystery. I would have loved to read more from the perspectives of other characters.

I am grateful to Harper Collins Publisher and Author.

Death In A Lonely Place has so many great points that jumped out at me. Firstly, the little touches like the code names that Jake and Martha used to communicate cleverly showed the author’s love for crime fiction and this was evident throughout the story.⁣
⁣
This book also features a particularly dark take on a murder mystery weekend, which I adored! It was really interesting to read about the development of this element of the story in the acknowledgements too!⁣
⁣
However, it’s the character development in this second book that made Death In A Lonely Place stand out as being just as successful as the first book in the series. Jake is still mainly forsaking modern techniques and technology, and he falls back on the more ‘classic crime’ methods of instinct, discussion and deduction. But, the friendships he has forged means that he can rely on the others to fill in the gaps that allow the investigation to move forward. The unlikely gang of Jake, Aletheia, Rose, Martha and Watson really made this story shine for me. Such a brilliant mixed-bag of personalities and each coming in with a very different set of skills to help with the investigation. Who would have thought that Rose, one of the most unlikeable characters from the first book, would become my favourite sidekick!⁣
⁣
It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of the Jake Jackson series. Because my introduction into Crime Fiction was Agatha Christie for me personally these books have achieved the perfect balance between Golden-Age Crime Fiction and a more modern Police Procedural. Throw in an isolated and unusual setting with a group of really strong and memorable characters and you’ve got a winner! Very excited for book 3!

This story was a rewarding follow on from theprevious book, .Great characters and non stop action . The conclusion was very well revealed and a total suprise

A beautifully written thriller, you can almost feel the chill of the snowy weather and it all adds to the atmosphere in this story.
There are some particularly unsavoury characters involved so you really have to feel for the team trying to bring them to justice.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them all and the book was very good. I look forward to more.

I absolutely loved Death Under a Little Sky & was delighted to meet Jake Jackson again. Jake retreated to the house left to him when his relationship broke down & he was burned out from his work in the police force. Living off the grid has agreed with him & he is not entirely isolated having begun a relationship with Livia the local vet who has a young daughter. They don't live together but maybe one day...

After the events of the previous book (this does work as a stand alone but so much better as a continuation!) Jake looked forward to a bit of a quiet life but that doesn't last long. When an old colleague ask him to look into a shady organisation called No Taboo, Jake isn't very interested. When he & Livia are invited to a weekend at the house of a very rich man who has just offered Livia a contract to look after his horses. The guests are very strange & the whole thing makes them most uncomfortable, so much so they leave early next morning. When one of the guests is murdered & it seems the injuries are similar to a previous unsolved case Jake can't help but be drawn in, even if it puts those he loves in danger.

The story kept me interested, but the style of writing is something of beauty. I have to admit that I don't really notice the style most of the time - too busy with the story, but Stig Abell has such a wonderful way with words it enthralled me throughout. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- I do hope there will be another one soon.

Death in a Lonely Place is the second book in this series. I read the first one and thought it was OK but as I liked the characters I decided to give this one a go. Again I found this one to be an OK read but not something I would rush out to buy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

This is the second of these exciting thrillers featuring Jake, Livia & the amazing Little Skye. The house & land of Little Skye being as much a character as the people. As in the previous novel this is beautifully written the description such that the reader feels like they are there! So many twists and turns that is sometimes a little hard to follow - but most of the time I was holding my breath…A great rollercoaster of a read.

I loved the first book in this series, and everyone I recommended it to loved it as well. Same interesting characters and lovely setting, just a different crime to solve and a bit of back story. I feel that this series should be read in order to get the most from it, so if you haven't read book one, read it first, you have a real treat in store.

A second instalment from Stig Abell is a welcome return to Jake Jackson's no-so-quiet new life in the countryside. As before, this is an atmospheric read with character in the forefront of a mystery that takes over his village idyll.

This is the second in the Jake Jackson series & I loved it. Jake is now settled in Little Sky & enjoys his quiet, isolated life albeit he is sharing it with the local vet, Livia, & her daughter. This could be read as a standalone but, the author has such a way with words, I would strongly recommend reading book one first.

An ex-colleague brings Jake a missing child case, one which appears to be linked to a shadowy, dark-web based group called ‘No Taboo’. As the name suggests nothing is off limits to this group as long as you can afford it & although he doesn’t think the investigation will yield results, Jake agrees to help. Livia also takes on a new client & Jake immediately distrusts him. Are the two events connected?

The sweeping writing style fits Jake’s lifestyle & some setting descriptions & of ‘No Taboo’ itself took my breath away. A gripping sequel & I was thoroughly invested in the characters; I can’t wait for book 3. Brilliant.

Wow, this was an addictive read. I just couldn't put it down. It was so very good. What a writer this author is. Great attention to detail. Worth more than 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I have not read the first book in this series but this book was able to stand alone - I did not feel I had missed anything. There was a little too much information about how Jake would take early morning cold dips and then go into his sauna. On the one hand he lived a rural life with no tv, computer or mobile phone but on the other he was in constant contact with the necessary authorities. His romantic relationship was unnecessarily explicit and Livia suddenly changed from being a mother and vet to being a strong side-kick to Jake's police investigation.
Having said all that, it was a well-paced story which kept me reading. Three and a half stars for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Stig Abell/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rich and powerful people need bigger thrills and try to break the rules, No Taboo is an organisation that can provide anything - for a fee. When Jake Jackson is approached to help with the disappearance of a young girl, he feels that there is a connection with a couple of cold cases and so he comes to the attention of No Taboo. Now his quiet life is being invaded and his nearest and dearest are in danger.
I loved the first Jake Jackson book and this is even better. The premise of the anti-hero, burnt out in society and reinventing himself in a remote place is clever. However it is the plot that really grips, conspiracy theorists will love it!

Former Metropolitan Police detective, Jake Johnson, has settled into his rustic life at Little Sky. There’s perhaps a little uncertainty about the future of his life with his vet girlfriend, Livia and her daughter Diana, as moving in together would mean a lot of compromise: does Jake give up his off-grid and relaxing life to move in with Livia or does Livia move to Little Sky despite her reservations about whether or not this is the future she wants for herself and her daughter? For the moment they’re enjoying life in the present and putting the future on the back burner.

And so life might have continued had it not been for the approach from DCI Watson. Jake had worked with him on a case a couple of years ago and Watson would now like Jake’s help again. A young girl has been snatched and he’s run out of clues to pursue - except for a crumpled business card on which is printed ‘No Taboos’. Jake’s aware that there’s a shady organisation of that name - a concierge service to supply the super rich with experiences which they would not otherwise be able to obtain legally. He found it difficult to investigate when he was a detective: it’s going to be even more difficult now but the fate of young Laura worries him. Livia has a different approach: she’s more worried about the safety of their burgeoning family.

‘Implausible’ was a word which sprang to my mind on more than one occasion, from the convenient discovery of the business card through to some of the coincidences later in the book. Perhaps there have been too many politicians talking about shadowy cabals and conspiracies (usually to sell books, it has to be said) for me not to groan when I read about another. BUT - this is a good book. It’s Stig Abell, so the writing is exquisite. I wasn’t quite so convinced about the plot as I was when I read Death Under a Little Sky but it still made for a good read.

As well as reading the book, I listened to an audio download, which I bought myself. It’s narrated by Oliver Hembrough. Hembrough has a good range of voices and I was never in any doubt about who was speaking even if the voices were not quite as I expected.

I’d like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy: we look forward to reading the next book in the series.

The first book in the series was Death Under a Little Sky

Death In A Lonely Place takes readers back to Little Sky and reclusive former detective Jake Jackson. Picking up from the end of Death Under A Little Sky, Jake is enjoying the simple life in the rural, quiet setting. That is until a detective approaches him to help on a missing child case. A piece of evidence in the new case is connected to a cold case Jake worked, and he is now determined to discover the truth about mysterious crime organisation ‘No Taboo’. The further Jake digs, the more dangerous it becomes, risking his new idyllic life.

I find Stig Abell’s writing style really easy to read. The story had good pace I and soon got stuck in. Alongside the description and atmospheric feel, I enjoyed the new characters and thought plot was interesting. The only reason why I can’t rate it higher was because some of the context from the last book seemed a little too convenient, to the point it seemed a bit awkward and shoe-horned in.

Overall, I think it has the makings of a compelling detective story and the author seems to be getting into his stride into creating a new captivating crime series.

Another brilliant thriller from Stig Abell, which is the second in this series. After immersing himself in retiring to a quite rural life, Jake is suddenly dragged back into the criminal world when he is contacted by an old colleague about a missing child. Old habits die hard and he can't resist becoming involved, but this time it's dangerous not only for himself but those he loves. Lots of twists, turns and surprised in this dark tale.

great return to Jake and his slightly less solo solitude!
Another mystery with links to some cold cases from Jake's past the game of cat and mouse plays out throughout the book, leading the characters into greater danger with every chapter.
Lots of intrigue, several twists, a couple of red herrings and a thoroughly satisfying ending...all wrapped up in the same fabulous writing style and descriptive genius.