Harper Perennial
Published August 26, 2025
Reviewed by Barbara Fister
Jake Jackson has left a crumbling marriage and a punishing job as a police detective in London to take up residence in an off-the-grid country property left to him by a deceased uncle. He’s leading a very different kind of life, now, a pastoral idyll of rural life, but crime has a way of finding him, even in the tiny community nearby. In this third book in the series, he’s curious about an expansive dig where layers of British history are being slowly unearthed by a collection of professionals, graduate students, and volunteers under the supervision of an archaeologist. A filmographer has been making a series of films about the dig and is thrilled when a valuable horde is discovered some distance from the site. It’s not clear who owns the land its on, and it could make some of the dig participants wealthy. But in the meantime, the group is troubled by a series of threatening letters that protest the very idea of digging up the land, purporting to be from someone anonymous who has taken the name of an Anglo-Saxon leader. Though they ask Jake for advice, no one is sure if the threat is serious – until one of them is killed, poisoned with a chemical they use to clean artifacts.
It’s just the first of a series of attacks on workers at the dig. It takes Jake’s skills as a detective, some friends from London, and a trip to examine land records in the city before he can uncover the culprit.
Mixed in with his investigation, we learn about his life in a rustic home that has no indoor shower but has an extensive library of crime fiction assembled by his uncle. We spend time with his friends, including a veterinarian with whom he has developed a close relationship as they consider having a child together, something Jake is torn about since an ongoing struggle with fertility was a key factor in the dissolution of his marriage. The setting, extensively and poetically described, is a halcyon picture of a world that has largely vanished, an alternative to contemporary life, lovingly depicted. The mystery itself is a bit of a throwback, too – a well-designed traditional puzzler.
Overall, the combination is a bit like a fusion of a BBC village mystery series with a lifestyle program focused on country life. Those who enjoy Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police series might find this series similarly engaging. Jake Jackson’s off-the-grid world is beautifully rendered and ambles in a leisurely way toward a solution. It’s quite a good journey, but you need to be willing to take the scenic route.