- Hardcover: 404 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; Remainder Mark Present edition (Mar 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060820829
- ISBN-13: 978-0060820824
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.9 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,576,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 69 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I almost bought this before I realised that it was the same novel that I had read last year, only then it was called 'The Death of Dalziel.' If you haven't read either, it's a fabulous novel. Just don't buy the same one twice!
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this twenty-second Dalziel and Pascoe mystery, a young Mid-Yorkshire police constable sees a man waving a gun inside a shabby video store, which has been flagged for follow-up by an anti-terrorist unit if unusual activity occurs there. The local police, including Det. Supt. Andy Dalziel and Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, arrive on the scene to investigate this report, just as an earth-shattering explosion takes place. Both Pascoe and Dalziel are seriously injured, with the hefty Dalziel comatose and dying.
Straight-talking Dalziel has always been bold and aggressive, willing to take chances and leave "the book" behind when necessary. Pascoe, by contrast, is a "master of diplomatic reticence." With Dalziel comatose, however, Pascoe determines to find out who and what caused the explosion, and he agrees to work with the Combined Anti-Terrorist Unit (CAT) of MI5 and Special Forces as they try to unravel events. Pascoe soon finds himself acting on his own, however, becoming as aggressive as Dalziel has always been, and he even begins speaking in Dalziel's bold, irreverent manner.
Alternating with this narrative about terrorism and the explosion, are Dalziel's out-of-body excursions through his subconscious as he combines nightmarish elements of his past and present and deals with his potentially fatal injuries. Several additional plots and subplots ratchet up the action and excitement. A renegade group of Knights Templar decide to take the law into their own hands, beheading and shooting two men they believe to be terrorists. A local convert to Islam, Michael Carradice, related to Pascoe's wife Ellie, is released from jail after being tried for terrorism, then disappears, and the local author of a book on the Iraq wars, a former member of the SAS, figures in the semi-conscious nightmares of a hit-and-run victim.
As is always the case in this series, the emphasis on psychological reality is strong. The backgrounds of the characters are clear, even for readers who may not be familiar with earlier novels, and the tensions which develop among the characters are well developed and realistic. The author maintains his tongue-in-cheek humor throughout the novel, from events involving Pascoe's psychic dog, to Cap Marvell's attempt to bring Dalziel out of his coma by waving Lagavulin under his nose, and Dalziel's hilarious private conversation with his own God as Fr. Kerrigan prays beside his bed. The writing is sharp and controlled, and the dialogue sparkles. A few loose ends remain at the end, and one would expect these issues to constitute the next novel in the series. A terrific mystery, even without the great Dalziel. Mary Whipple
Straight-talking Dalziel has always been bold and aggressive, willing to take chances and leave "the book" behind when necessary. Pascoe, by contrast, is a "master of diplomatic reticence." With Dalziel comatose, however, Pascoe determines to find out who and what caused the explosion, and he agrees to work with the Combined Anti-Terrorist Unit (CAT) of MI5 and Special Forces as they try to unravel events. Pascoe soon finds himself acting on his own, however, becoming as aggressive as Dalziel has always been, and he even begins speaking in Dalziel's bold, irreverent manner.
Alternating with this narrative about terrorism and the explosion, are Dalziel's out-of-body excursions through his subconscious as he combines nightmarish elements of his past and present and deals with his potentially fatal injuries. Several additional plots and subplots ratchet up the action and excitement. A renegade group of Knights Templar decide to take the law into their own hands, beheading and shooting two men they believe to be terrorists. A local convert to Islam, Michael Carradice, related to Pascoe's wife Ellie, is released from jail after being tried for terrorism, then disappears, and the local author of a book on the Iraq wars, a former member of the SAS, figures in the semi-conscious nightmares of a hit-and-run victim.
As is always the case in this series, the emphasis on psychological reality is strong. The backgrounds of the characters are clear, even for readers who may not be familiar with earlier novels, and the tensions which develop among the characters are well developed and realistic. The author maintains his tongue-in-cheek humor throughout the novel, from events involving Pascoe's psychic dog, to Cap Marvell's attempt to bring Dalziel out of his coma by waving Lagavulin under his nose, and Dalziel's hilarious private conversation with his own God as Fr. Kerrigan prays beside his bed. The writing is sharp and controlled, and the dialogue sparkles. A few loose ends remain at the end, and one would expect these issues to constitute the next novel in the series. A terrific mystery, even without the great Dalziel. Mary Whipple
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
First Sentence: Mill Street never much of a street...
Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe is summoned from his backyard hammock to assist his partner Superintendent Andy Dalziel (Dee-ell). Constable Hector saw two men in a video store, one who seemed to have a gun. The story is on the counter-terrorist watch list. Dalziel, convinced the story is empty, starts to enter with Pascoe behind him when the building explodes.
With Dalziel now in a coma, Pascoe is on his own. He joins with the Combined Anti-Terrorist Unit (CAT) and Special Forces to investigate a group who fashion themselves after Knights Templar to murder those suspected of being terrorists.
Any book that has me laughing in the first chapter and holding my breath in anticipation in the next, is my kind of book. Even coming to the series this late, Hill provides enough background on the characters that each stands apart from the others.
His characters are wonderful; Dalziel, Pascoe, Hector, Dalziel's friend Cap, Pascoe's wife and daughter, Ellie and Rosie as well as characters individual to this book: I had a real sense of them and they came to life. He has a droll style and wry wit.
It's a rare author who can use "fecund" and reference Marcus Aralias in the same chapter. Not being British, I was occasionally stumped by some of the idioms and dialect but would not want to see those go away as they are appropriate to the characters and setting. The scenes that occur within Dalziel's mind while he is in his coma are brilliant.
The plot may have been the weakest part of the story. It was predictable in spots but the writing elevated it way beyond what could have been mediocre in another author's hands. It is certainly timely, dealing with the war in Iraq, terrorism and violent crime. I was struck by the line about the contract of the US versus the UK, "they have no rules over there, just laws."
I am amazed that this is the first book I've read by Hill, but it definitely won't be the last. I'm going back to see whether I can find the full back list and start at the beginning.
Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe is summoned from his backyard hammock to assist his partner Superintendent Andy Dalziel (Dee-ell). Constable Hector saw two men in a video store, one who seemed to have a gun. The story is on the counter-terrorist watch list. Dalziel, convinced the story is empty, starts to enter with Pascoe behind him when the building explodes.
With Dalziel now in a coma, Pascoe is on his own. He joins with the Combined Anti-Terrorist Unit (CAT) and Special Forces to investigate a group who fashion themselves after Knights Templar to murder those suspected of being terrorists.
Any book that has me laughing in the first chapter and holding my breath in anticipation in the next, is my kind of book. Even coming to the series this late, Hill provides enough background on the characters that each stands apart from the others.
His characters are wonderful; Dalziel, Pascoe, Hector, Dalziel's friend Cap, Pascoe's wife and daughter, Ellie and Rosie as well as characters individual to this book: I had a real sense of them and they came to life. He has a droll style and wry wit.
It's a rare author who can use "fecund" and reference Marcus Aralias in the same chapter. Not being British, I was occasionally stumped by some of the idioms and dialect but would not want to see those go away as they are appropriate to the characters and setting. The scenes that occur within Dalziel's mind while he is in his coma are brilliant.
The plot may have been the weakest part of the story. It was predictable in spots but the writing elevated it way beyond what could have been mediocre in another author's hands. It is certainly timely, dealing with the war in Iraq, terrorism and violent crime. I was struck by the line about the contract of the US versus the UK, "they have no rules over there, just laws."
I am amazed that this is the first book I've read by Hill, but it definitely won't be the last. I'm going back to see whether I can find the full back list and start at the beginning.
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