One of the joys of reading is to have a stock of books that you know will repay the reading. My last read proved a profound disappointment and so, to ensure that this was not a re-run, I picked a book that I knew wouldn't let me down. I was correct.
Reginald Hill is a very special author: his books are amongst the few which have, for me, a genuine laugh out loud quality but, that's not all, a few pages later, and a dewy mist descends over the eyeball as he expertly changes the mood.
This book is a tight interweaving of two stories, the attempt to entrap a shrewd murderer and to get to a suicide, who perhaps deserves more attention.
Of course, the story is fantastic but, the people are real. 500 pages pass within the blinking of an eye and my only regret is, that whilst I shall certainly read this book again, I shall no more have the pleasure of its first reading. ( )

Another cracking tale from Reg Hill, full of Dalziel witticisms from the opening. In this one Dalziel gets to play God, not just act like him. A convoluted plot whose true path only becomes apparent very near the end. Highly recommended to D & P fans and others. ( )

There are sooooooo many mediocre mysteries out there. After all, Sturgeon’s Revelation applies to mysteries as well as science fiction. It is no wonder that when readers find a good series, they read all of it. Since most of my mystery reading is done while driving, I am limited to books I can find on cassette. When I replace my 99 Civic, maybe I will be able to expand to CDs, but by then, I might skip a generation and go digital/IPOD.

This explains how I happened on the Dalziel/Pascoe series. It was available on tape. Series are a plus for drivers, who need a steady supply of good but not too serious titles. Most series continue because at least some readers think it is worth purchasing. Being a fan of P.D. James and Martha Grimes, I have rather high standards for British police procedurals. Hill meets them.

Dalziel, (pronounced DL) by my narrator, is a very different cup of tea than Dalgliesh or Jury, or even Morse. Beyond eccentric and more like a rouge / cowboy American PI than a proper Brit. Profane, rude almost beyond credibility, intuitive to a point that would horrify most police officers, he is nevertheless right most of the time. Usually, it is the PI who fills this role, with the police playing straight man. Thus, it is up to poor Peter Pascoe to play by the rules. Dalziel’s subordinate, Pascoe is a sensitive man, with an even more sensitive wife.

Without going into what is a comfortingly twisty plot, Dalziel is playing God, not just in the case at hand, but in a production of the Mystery Plays being presented locally. Add in a questionable suicide that Dalziel is a near witness to, a missing deadbeat dad, a rift between Pascoe and his wife and the story is involving and a puzzle to those who like that. I don’t know if the rest of the series is this good, but I will find out ( )

Dalziel gets picked to play God in a medieval mystery play, both otherwise not worth the ride ( )

Like the lead character, Dalziel, this book is fat, humorous and sometimes slow moving but, when necessary, it can put on a surprisingly fast turn.

As usual, Dalziel is his perturbing, acidic, and curmudgeonly self. He doesn't like it when he ends up on the other side as a witness to a crime, that he's having a heck of a time proving actually happened as a homicide and not an accident. Like most of us, he doesn't like it when the shoe is on the other foot, and Dalziel doesn't take well to being seen as wrong. In the end...well...that would ruin the story.

You can't help but admire the villain's cleverness and ability to get on the fat man's goat more and more. Of course, Dalziel continues to gnaw at the problem until he sees through to the truth and, eventually, the villain gets his comeuppance.

Although it is a bit ponderous at times, pretty much anything can be forgiven for the thought of Dalziel being cast as God in a community production of the York mystery cycle, a religious play from medieval times. Now, there's a mental picture that will stay with me for some time!

This was worthwhile reading and I bet you will not be able to put it down until the very surprising ending. ( )