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.

A valuable hoard of treasure has been discovered near to an established dig. A strange vigilante is sending threatening notes to the archaelogists and then one of them is killed. All of this is happening close to Little Sky, Jake's idyllic retreat from the world but now he is being sucked in to another investigation. Jake's life is moving on, he and Livia are trying for a baby but will history repeat itself?
I love Abell's novels about retired police officer Jake and his life buried in the country. It is unrealistic but works so well. Here there are lots of undercurrents about colonialism and land rights which are put into contexts that address history and reparation. The characters are fleshing out over time and the landscape is such a vital part of the narrative. It manages to be both a satisfying police procedural and also something more, with a subtlety that hits a more literate tone.

Jake is living off grid in a beautiful wilderness cottage and has immersed himself in rural life, with a new love and idyllic surroundings. This peaceful existence is once again thwarted by drama at a local archeological project. Weaving between shocking events at the dig site and Jake’s blossoming personal relationship with local vet Livia there’s murders and mystery chronicled along with old and new characters from this third outing for the ex cop. A stand alone story but being back in the company of Jake and his friends is a good place to be, look forward to more soon.

Another wonderful murder mystery. I have read the others but that isn’t essential to enjoy this one.
The characters are fully rounded and enjoyable to be with which helps to make the task of reading easy. The descriptive is excellent as is the premise of the story. All in all a good romp of a read.

This is the third book in the ex cop Jake Jackson series but can be read as a stand alone story. Jake and is girlfriend Livia living in their separate homes in the countryside are soon involved with the strange goings on at a local archaeological dig where notes are being received threatening grave retribution unless the dig is stopped. As the dig continues the threats turn to murder and Jake is soon involved in trying to find the culprit.
More incidents and further murders occur with lost of twists and turns before Jack uncovers the murderer.
A very good story with great characters and an unusual plot,
Thanks for my ARC

Jake Jackson, an ex policeman, has moved to a cottage called Little Sky, in a remote area .trying to live in a simpler way he has previously been caught up in solving crimes locally.He has met a girlfriend Livia who has a daughter Diana and the three live between their 2 homes..He is called in after a number of threatening letters are received by local people and also members of an archeological dig which is going down nearby .This is an investigation into a Roman ruin which has previously uncovered treasure and there are disputed boundaries as to who owns the area where it was found, Eventually a body turns up at the dig and there are a number of suspects as Jake and the local police force try their best. A great story set in a beautiful community with many twists along the way. Looking forward to the next one.

As a former city detective, Jake Jackson did not expect his new life in the English countryside to be quite so eventful. Yet undeniably, that IS how it's turning out.

When those engaged in an archaeological dig aimed at unearthing Roman remains begin receiving threats, initially nobody can understand why. But as things get progressively more dangerous, it becomes increasingly clear that there is more at stake here than meets the eye...

This is a series that keeps getting better, and the latest instalment will undoubtedly leave readers eager for the next one. Entertaining and clever, it is worth checking out.

Tightly wound narrative from Abell as expected. Marked as the 3rd in the Jake Jackson series, however can be read as a standalone. Beautifully scenic settings and a pleasure to read.

I've not read the first of the series but that didn't stop me getting to know the character from this book. I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue around who was doing what and why but did find it a little slow paced at time and my interest started to wander.