Death at the Sign of the Rook: A Jackson Brodie Book

Jackson attends Dorothy’s funeral with Reggie, introducing her as his stepdaughter. Hazel’s daughter Alice is the only person who is distressed during the service, and Jackson notices her pale pink manicure. Asking Reggie to check the CCTV at the undertakers, he admits he visited Dorothy’s body looking for evidence of foul play. His girlfriend Tatiana is studying for a master’s degree in toxicology and will test Dorothy’s hair for traces of poison.

Lady Milton takes internet classes in the village and finds fellow attendee and church organist Derek Truitt “extremely gallant.” Her husband Johnny died soon after the Turner painting was stolen. His last meal was soup, made from mushrooms picked by Piers’ wife. The pathologist (a friend of Piers) pronounced that Johnny died of natural causes, but Lady Milton wonders if Piers poisoned Johnny because he was planning to disinherit Piers and Cosmo.

As part of Burton Makepeace’s “Country House Weekend package” (158), Piers organizes shoots for the hotel guests. In addition to killing pheasants, the guests are encouraged to shoot tame deer in the park. However, his newest venture is a murder mystery weekend, and he has hired agency waiting staff for the event at Rook Hall.

As the Miltons wait for the actors to arrive in the snow, their elderly Nanny falls down the stairs.