I really enjoyed The Burial Place by Stig Abell. It’s a solid, atmospheric mystery with just the right amount of tension to keep you turning the pages. What stood out to me most, though, was how well Abell blends the main character’s personal life with the mystery he’s trying to solve. It made the story feel more grounded and gave the character real depth.

The emotional threads running through the book made it more than just a standard whodunnit—I found myself just as interested in the character’s inner world as I was in the case itself. That balance worked really well and gave the book a more thoughtful, human feel. Jake Jackson felt real, slightly flawed, and deeply human, and his personal struggles added richness to the mystery he was trying to unravel. Rather than distracting from the central plot, these introspective moments deepened my investment in both the character and the case.

I did predict the ending, which is why it’s not quite a five-star for me, but overall it’s a really engaging read. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what Stig Abell writes next.

Really thought provoking. I am now a bit fan of this author. I actually read it in three days which is quite quick for me!! It really is one of those unputtdownable books. You won’t be disappointed

As much as I tried I just couldn’t get into this book. It had the basis of a good book but it didn’t deliver. Not sure why but I just found it a bit dull.

An archaeological dig is taking place a few miles from Little Sky, home of ex-policeman Jake Jackson. When the members of the dig start getting threatening letters from a person who uses the name Wulfnoth, Jake’s friend Rose is worried – his sister is working on the dig. Then the threats turn into actual violence – a man is murdered. The local police inspector ropes Jake in to the investigation, and Jake ropes in the people we’ve come to know from the previous books – his ex-colleague and super researcher Aletheia, IT whizz Martha, and of course Livia, Jake’s girlfriend.

I loved the first book in this series, although at the time I didn’t know it would be a series. Jake lives in Little Sky, in a house in the middle of nowhere, off-grid. In the first book, this was partly because he was trying to recover from the combined stress of the police work he had just given up and of the break-up of his marriage. The descriptions of him learning how to take life slowly, appreciate nature and become self-sufficient were a major part of the interest.

However, this is now book 3, and the novelty has worn off. I don’t need to be told again about the five kilometre run he does each morning, nor the sauna followed by the skinny-dip in the lake, nor the meals made from ingredients he has grown and cooked in the fire-pit he has built. I need an interesting mystery, which this one has, followed by an investigation, which this one really hasn’t. Instead Jake’s days are filled with the above, plus endless sex sessions with Livia and angst about her so far unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant. Then it ends with an over-the-top thriller climax.

It’s just as well written as the previous books, but Little Sky has become too restrictive and Jake’s life as a semi-hermit has become overly repetitive. As for Jake and Livia and their perfect love and constant sex life, I’m happy for them, but I don’t need to know about every time the earth moves for them. I really don’t. Thank goodness Hercule Poirot never had a girlfriend.

It's such a pleasure to be able to return to Little Sky and find Jake, Livia (and some new faces) ready to pick up where we left off and solve another mystery. I have really enjoyed seeing Jake develop in this novel to a place where he is content with his life and is able to use his skills as an ex-detective to crack the crime without feeling the strain of typical work responsibilities and pressures.

The investigation that forms the basis of this story is a really interesting one - perfect for any Time Team fans - as the unorthodox group of friends are investigating cryptic letters found at the site of an archeological dig which soon escalates to murder. The wholesome 'Golden Age' crime atmosphere once again mixes with a more sinister plot to create it's unique and intriguing style.

Stig Abell has a very distinctive form of writing - his wonderful descriptions of the area, natural surroundings, the food (I'm always hungry when I read from this series!), and the people who live there are explained and talked about in such unusual detail and really reflects Jake's love for his new home. As I always do when I read a Jake Jackson novel, I spent quite some time wishing I could steal books from Jake's thriller library and to be completely honest, I didn't want the story to come to an end.

I would be really interested to discover more about some of the secondary characters moving forward - Martha, Aletheia, Rose and new police chief, Inspector McAllister. I feel like their individual skills and back-stories have a lot more scope to explore and am obviously hoping to find out if Jake gets his wish of a baby and how this might change the dynamic in the future. An easy 5 stars!

I have loved all the Little Sky series so far and the different characters are well-described. This story is possibly the best yet, with sinister notes followed by attacks and murders on an archaeological dig. Lots of suspense and very readable!

Ahh I tried so hard to get into this book but it just didn't grab me, I found the overall premise interesting and Jake himself was a likeable character but - for me - the story was too slow and loose to hold my attention.

This is the 3rd in the series featuring Jake and his partner Livia but the first one I have read. The story takes place during an archaeological dig in which Jake has taken an active interest and, following a death, Jake sets out to investigate. I tried hard to engage with this book but, unfortunately, I found the plot very slow. There was far too much extraneous details about Jakes private life and I lost interest very quickly. Possibly not this author at their best.

I was really looking forward to reading this novel but although it had all the elements I love - a mystery to solve, history and archaeology - the pace was simply too slow and there was a total lack of tension or a sense of jeopardy.

I am very aware that books are easier to critique than to write but since I try to offer genuine opinions for books I review, here goes.

The balance between the protagonist’s personal life and the case is off for me. If I want to read a character-driven book that’s one thing but it isn’t what I’m primarily concerned with in detective fiction. There are far too many sections which are purely descriptive: colours, food, sex, and none of them further the plot.

This isn’t a terrible book but I wouldn’t rush to read another in the series, which is a shame because my favourite part of the book was the acknowledgment page - I mean who can resist an uxorious writer who also loves his mother-in-law?!

With thanks to NetGalley, Stig Abell and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant installment of Jake Jackson! Love this setting - please don’t ever let him move! I love Little Sky.

The plot was similar to a lot of books I read in the past - murders occur on an archeological site, and the group is questioned as a who-done-it until the killer is found.

The descriptions of clothes and al. were too much -distracting the reader from the story. It is almost like the author didn't trust the imagination of the reader.

A brilliant follow up story with twists and clues all over the place. I enjoyed this one and this author really knows how to keep a reader engaged. Can't wait for the next one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Book 3 about Jake Jackson. It can be read as a stand alone but the stories do follow on. Jake, a retired detective, is still living his off grid life and still has a relationship with Livia and her daughter, Diana.
A Roman dig is on top of the hill near the church. It is in its 3rd summer when the vicar, Rev Jordan, an enthusiastic amateur archaeologist, is found dead after mistakenly drinking acid from a water bottle. Jake is asked to help the police investigate.
Loved this. The story flows well with the suspects explored and several twists and turns.. I am invested in Jake and Livia's story as well and will be looking out for book 4.

When I requested this book I didn’t realise it was the 3rd in a series, I read the first 2 books and now can’t bear to finish the third!
I have loved the books, the stories are fascinating and so exciting but the food, the place and the music have made them a favourite series that I am recommending to everyone! Absolutely loved them!

This was a very intense story, based around an historical dig, where lots of artifacts had been discovered. The value of the artifacts is immense and ownership in contention. After several deaths the story is aptly concluded, with a twist in the tail

An interestingly plotted, well written and well crafted read from the author. Jake is an interesting character, a former police officer, who becomes involved with a group of archaeologists working on a Roman dig site. I struggled to really get into the read as it was all a bit unbelievable and slow paced but it is still a good, steady read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Former detective Jake Jackson has moved from the city to a quiet village where he lives off grid by a lake. When the archaeologists at a nearby dig start receiving threatening letters, the local police ask for his help. This is the third in a series. I hadn’t read the first two but the book worked well on its own. Jake is a complex character with some very interesting friends who help him solve the case. A good murder mystery with lots of interesting detail about archaeology.

Another excellent novel from Stig Abell. Having read and enjoyed the previous 2 in this series I was thoroughly looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint.
Very well fleshed out characters and a nice suspenseful story line with not a whole lot of clues which would give the game away prior to the end.
If you are a fan of murder/mystery then this is for you.
No need to have read any of the previous books as each works as a stand alone novel.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my copy for review purposes.

Gripping, thrilling, suspenseful! I love this series of books and hope there are many more to come. You could read this book as an excellent stand alone murder mystery/thriller but part of the enjoyment is returning to the familiar and very likeable group of characters, most particularly Jake and Livia, it’s like catching up with old friends and holidaying in a lovely, if somewhat dangerous at times, part of the countryside. Each book has featured a different theme but all have been exceedingly gripping and never failed to keep my interest. I can’t recommend this book and the previous two enough.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review and to Stig for his excellent writing.

The story:
Ex-police detective Jake Jackson is now happily settled into the routine of his life at Little Sky, the house and land he inherited from his late Uncle Arthur, near the village of Caelum Parvum. His days are made up with the simple pleasures of a quiet life of nature and friendships, and his relationship with local vet Livia and her young daughter Diana.

But Jake's days as a detective never seem to be quite behind him... When he is asked about some anonymous letters that have been received at a local archaeological dig, he's inclined to treat them with caution. And when a death occurs, it's clear they go beyond a practical joke. Is this attack a personal one, or could the dig itself be the target? And if so, why? Jake will need all his former skills, along with the help of some loyal ex-colleagues and his newer friends in Caelum Parvum, to unearth a truth that lies buried in the land itself.

My thoughts:
"The Burial Place" is the third book in Stig Abell's series following ex-detective Jake Jackson (following "Death Under a Little Sky" and "Death in a Lonely Place"), and it felt very easy to slip back in with these characters, Jake, Livia and Diana, and their lives at Jake's home of Little Sky near the village of Caelum Parvum.

This book, which picks up not long after the previous instalment, but could easily be read as a standalone story, centres around an archaeological dig that has been taking place over several years at the nearby village of St Giles. We meet the various characters working at the site, including head of the dig Amy Johnson, Daisy Sharma, director a film crew covering their findings, and the team of volunteers assisting, from university students to local vicar Reverend John Jordan. The team has been receiving anonymous letters demanding they abandon the dig, and Jake is sought out for his advice. Despite his claims to want to leave his life as a detective behind him, Jake is still drawn to helping his community and seeking out the truth, and as things escalate and a murder occurs, he is (semi!) reluctantly drawn in to get to the bottom of the events.

There are various potential motives to the crimes, from antagonism to the dig itself to more personal motivations - not only have the team unearthed significant findings on the site itself, but some of those involved were also responsible for the discovery of a treasure hoard nearby; one that could prove to be very lucrative to those involved.

Jake is a character I find easy to like, and I remain very envious of his crime and thriller library! He also seems to eat very well, and I always enjoy the mention of food in a book, a liking I share with Jake himself...

Alongside the mystery itself, Jake has his own life developments to focus on, with his and Livia's decision to try for a child, and its great to see how these characters and relationships are developing as this series progresses. The solution to the crimes, when it comes, is complex and surprising, and kept me guessing right to the end. Fans of this series will not be disappointed, and I find these books a great blend of modern day crime with callbacks to the golden age mysteries I love.