- Hardcover: 416 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st ed edition (5 Mar 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007194846
- ISBN-13: 978-0007194841
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 428,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Death of Dalziel
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
It’s not so much Reginald Hill’s productivity that is amazing (although producing novels for nearly four decades is impressive enough); it’s the unassailable quality of his writing that takes the breath away. With barely a misstep over the years, Hill’s chronicling of the abrasive (but, of late, more accommodating) relationship between his mismatched coppers, the no-holds-barred Andy Dalziel and the more nuanced Peter Pascoe, has been non-pareil, with the author’s plotting every inch a match for his spot-on characterisation (and not just of his detective duo -- there have been many sharply observed players introduced into the dramatis personae over the years). Of course, a title like The Death of Dalziel will set alarm bells ringing (as much, one assumes, for Hill’s publishers as for dedicated readers), and there's no denying that putting the life of his corpulent copper on the line ratchets up the tension here considerably.
We’re given a taste of Andy’s corrosive wit as he and Peter Pascoe observe a video shop that’s under surveillance by the security services for its supposed terrorist connections, but (before the reader has time to draw a breath), there is an explosion, and Dalziel is left lying unconscious, bleeding heavily and covered with debris, his body having shielded his partner from the worst of the blast. And for the rest of the book, while Pascoe tracks down the reasons behind the explosion (he doesn’t buy the obvious explanation, i.e., would-be terrorists have blown themselves up by accident), Hill tries something radically different: we are taken into the consciousness of the critically ill Dalziel in his hospital bed. These sections (discursive, alternately funny and sad) are among the most successful in a very successful book. --Barry Forshaw
Review
Praise for 'The Stranger House': 'Grim, gory, fascinating, enraging and entertaining.' Independent 'A mystery novel but far more than that. It's gripping... Hill is wonderful.' The Times 'Exhilarating.' Sunday Times 'You're enthralled by the cunning of the plotting... great.' Observer 'It's a complex, multi-layered plot... it takes a master like Mr Hill to turn it into such an absorbing and atmospheric mystery.' Sunday Telegraph Praise for 'Good Morning, Midnight': 'A real treat. The characters are deftly drawn, the plot constantly delivers surprises and the assured narrative demonstrates again what a terrific writer he is.' Observer 'As absorbing and as enjoyable as anything Hill has produced. The writing is brilliant, witty and erudite.' Evening Standard 'Probably the best living male crime writer in the English-speaking world.' Independent Reviews for 'Good Morning, Midnight': 'Few writers in the genre today have Hill's gifts: formidable intelligence, quick humour, compassion and a prose style that blends elegance and grace.' Donna Leon, Sunday Times 'Reginald Hill's novels are really dances to the music of time, his heroes and villains interconnecting, their stories entwining.' Ian Rankin 'The fertility of Hill's imagination, the range of his power, the sheer quality of his literary style never ceases to delight.' Val McDermid
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The death of Dalziel,
By
This review is from: The Death of Dalziel: A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel (Hardcover)
I tried to read this as slowly as possible to prolong the sheer self-hugging joy of it all but, of course,I was unequal to the task. Swept along by the helter-skelter pace of the story line, I paused only to look up all the words and references with which I was not familiar. (Quite a few, as usual, when reading Mr Hill). To describe the plot would probably render me fit only for a Dalzielesque verbal broadside from other readers, so all I can do is recommend it with all my heart.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A return to form for Hill,
By Mrs. K. A. Wheatley "katywheatley" (Leicester, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Death of Dalziel: A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel (Paperback)
I loved this book. I have read every Dalziel and Pascoe book and looked forward to each new one with delight. With Arms and The Woman however I thought Hill had finally lost the plot, and I was so disappointed I have never approached them in the same way since. Luckily this is a classic and a real return to form. Pascoe goes it alone in this one with Fat Andy hovering between life and death caught up in what looks like a terrorist explosion. Having said that, Dalziel dominates the book as usual, leaving Pascoe desperately trying to catch up. Hector gets to shine here too, becoming a much more rounded and interesting character. Fantastic.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A spectacular return to form,
By
This review is from: The Death of Dalziel: A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel (Paperback)
Through a succession of ever-better novels, beginning with 'A Clubbable Woman' in 1970 and culminating (for me) in 'On Beulah Height' in 1999, Reginald Hill estabnlished himself as one of the finest crime writers in the business and his heroes Dalziel and Pascoe as amongst the most believable and likeable detectives. After the superlative 'On Beulah Height', however, subsequent books (and especially 'Arms and the Women') seemed to lose their way somewhat.
Not so 'The Death of Dalziel', which brings a triumphant return of the very best qualities of the Dalziel and Pascoe series - a complicated plot (which I shall not, of course, reveal), well-paced writing, excellent characterisation and a blend of subtle wit and incisive commentary. Where crime novels are concerned, it doesn't get better than this - very highly recommended!
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