Writeside.net happens to have a decent—oh well, I exaggerate a teeny bit—book reviews section, one that I have had many a fractured idea about promoting. With no further bright ideas at the moment, I have decided to showcase that on Writer’s Log, so here we go.
Reginald Hill is one of my favourite authors, and his Dalziel and Pascoe series is arguably the most entertaining crime novels one could find. Consisting of 19 full-length novels and some short stories, Hill first began writing these in 1970, and finished (I assume, given the title of the final book) in 2007.
Without further ado, here’s a look at how the famous partnership got under way. (Click on the titles for detailed reviews.)
A Clubbable Woman
Veteran rugby player Sam Connon comes home after a rough game at the club, quite out of sorts. He passes out on his bed, and wakes to find that his wife has been murdered…. As the case progesses, only one thing is certain. That Mary Connon was indeed a very clubbable woman!
An Advancement of Learning
While Superintendent Andrew Dalziel maintains a healthy scepticism about the benefits of higher education, not even his fertile imagination can explain away the discovery of a long-buried body under a statue at Holm Coultram College in Yorkshire.
Ruling Passion
Looking forward to a weekend break with some old friends, Peter Pascoe and Ellie Soper arrive at Brookside Cottage, Thornton Lacey, only to find three of their friends murdered and the fourth one absconding.
These early Dalziel and Pascoe books are, admittedly, not the easiest to lay your hands on. While the first two have an air of the modern Agatha Christie about them, by Ruling Passion Hill had certainly found his class. If you’re interested in crime fiction, ignoring Reginald Hill will be entirely your loss.
~PD