Big Sky

Kate Atkinson

2019

1.6
⚠️Content Warnings
Addiction / Substance AbuseChild TraffickingGraphic ViolenceMurderSuicide or Self-Harm
Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village in North Yorkshire, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son Nathan and ageing Labrador Dido, both at the discretion of his former partner Julia. It’s a picturesque setting, but there’s something darker lurking behind the scenes. Jackson’s current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, seems straightforward, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network-and back into the path of someone from his past. Old secrets and new lies intersect in this breathtaking new literary crime novel, both sharply funny and achingly sad, by one of the most dazzling and surprising writers at work today.
👥 Readers Engaged 📈 Live Insights 🔮 Trends for This Book
Completion Rate
50%
Avg Time To Finish
8.5 days
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Tonight’s fit

Best for readers who enjoy:  Action-packed · Mystery · Steady

Action-packed England POV: Multi-POV Published by Penguin
Characters
Detective Morally Corrupt Plastic Housewife
Sub-genre
Mystery Suspense Thriller
Experience
Action-packed Gripping Tense
Pace
Gentle Adrenaline
Balanced
Tone
Light Dark
Dark
Book length
Short Epic
Balanced
More nuance
Violence
Soft Graphic
Graphic
Romance
Background Front and centre
Background
Worldbuilding
Light touch Deep & dense
Light touch
Readability
Breezy Dense
Balanced
Humour
Serious Very funny
Balanced
Target audience
Younger Adult
Balanced
Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson

Literary Fiction, Mystery, Crime & Detective, Historical Fiction

Kate Atkinson MBE is an English writer of novels, plays and short stories. She has written historical novels, detective novels and family novels, incorporating postmodern and magical realist elements into the plots.

Books By This Author

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Reader Reviews

1.60
10 ratings
10 reviews
5 stars
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1 (10%)
2 stars
4 (40%)
1 stars
5 (50%)
6 January 2026
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Didn’t work for me: Big Sky

I went into Big Sky with pretty normal expectations and it surprised me. The middle drags and repeats the same tension a bit too long. Not perfect, but it did enough to keep me turning pages.
0
6 January 2026
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Not for me: Big Sky

⚠️ Spoilers: minor plot detail mentioned below. Big Sky is the kind of book that hooks you early if you like its vibe. A couple of sections could have been trimmed without losing anything. There’s a specific turning point late in the book that changes the tone hard — that moment will make or break it for you. I’d still read more from this author even with the flaws.
Spoiler ahead Click to reveal this review.
0
6 January 2026
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Not for me: Big Sky

0
6 January 2026
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Didn’t work for me: Big Sky

Big Sky is the kind of book that hooks you early if you like its vibe. The ending resolves fast compared to how much it builds up. Overall, I’d recommend it to the right reader.
0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Not for me: Big Sky

I went into Big Sky with pretty normal expectations and it surprised me. The middle drags and repeats the same tension a bit too long. Overall, I’d recommend it to the right reader.
0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Mixed feelings: Big Sky

0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Didn’t work for me: Big Sky

⚠️ Spoilers: minor plot detail mentioned below. Mixed feelings on Big Sky, but I can see why people love it. The middle drags and repeats the same tension a bit too long. There’s a specific turning point late in the book that changes the tone hard — that moment will make or break it for you. I’d still read more from this author even with the flaws.
Spoiler ahead Click to reveal this review.
0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Didn’t work for me: Big Sky

⚠️ Spoilers: minor plot detail mentioned below. I went into Big Sky with pretty normal expectations and it surprised me. A couple of sections could have been trimmed without losing anything. There’s a specific turning point late in the book that changes the tone hard — that moment will make or break it for you. Overall, I’d recommend it to the right reader.
Spoiler ahead Click to reveal this review.
0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Not for me: Big Sky

0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Not for me: Big Sky

I went into Big Sky with pretty normal expectations and it surprised me. A couple of sections could have been trimmed without losing anything. I’d still read more from this author even with the flaws.
0