A Clubbable Woman (Dalziel & Pascoe Novel S.) (edition 1998)

This was a recommendation from a patron, actually, who knows my taste in stuff and I was actually surprised by how much I liked it. The characters involved in the murder are truly interesting and the two detectives are likable, almost instantaneously, in their own unique ways. I think my enjoyment of this first book was based on the fact that the story revolved around rugby, which isn't a sport I'm familiar with, but it's a sport all the same. That started the novel off on the right foot and it just got better from there. I quite liked Dalziel and Pascoe -- especially the way they ended up playing off each other as the novel went on. The plot was interesting, I kept trying to guess who the killer was (and got close a few times and figured out, then was like, no that can't be ... and then it was). I will definitely attempt to read more of this series. It definitely fits into my obsession with things created before I was born (aka in the 60s and early to mid 70s). ( )

Abridged audio adaptation of the first book in the Dalziel & Pascoe series (which I've previously reviewed), on 3 CDs. It's read by Warren Clarke, who played Dalziell in the tv adaptation. This is a good abridgement, which from following along in places on the printed edition I thought cut about half the text while retaining everything needed for the plot, plus a good chunk of the characterisations. Clarke does an excellent job of reading. ( )

A good enough entry to the Dalziel and Pascoe series. It is the first one, so readers more familiar with Hill's later work may be surprised by how his narrative voice feels. I don't remember Pascoe having quite so many internal monologues in later works, but it's interesting to see them in a more rambly form.

The case itself had decent twists and turns, but the atmosphere of the book was definitely saturated in rugby; the family at the heart of the case are involved with a rugby club. Not being a rugby person myself, I found the rugby discussion bits/metaphors going over my head. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book, but I would suggest that newcomers to Dalziel and Pascoe get a few of the more recent ones under their belt before going back to this one. ( )

This is the first time I’ve picked up one of Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe books because there’s simply too many writers of good crime fiction out there to cover them all, and I tend to arrow for the newer ones; if I haven’t started a series at the beginning, I won’t relish tackling the dated feel, the scenarios that have been rehashed in crime telly episodes every week. I don’t know why I continue to carry this prejudice, because it’s been blown out of the water several times, most recently by A Clubbable Woman, the debut of Reginald Hill’s disparate duo, written in 1970 and marvellously readable today (or, more accurately, most evenings this week).

One of the wives of the players at Dalziel’s rugby club has been murdered. Despite knowing the crowd and finding an abundance of motives, he and Pascoe seem to be getting nowhere except on one another’s nerves.

I’ve heard from people who’ve recommended the series that these books stray a little from the norm of detective fiction (sometimes they don’t get the guy, or even notice the odd crime, or there’s something added to the novel’s structure)… this one follows the basic rules, though, with an interesting if not staggering twist towards the end; but what impressed me most was that, for a first-in-the-series book, the relationship between the Detective Superintendant and his Sergeant is wholly formed and antsy, and the unfolding of the plot feels unforced, organic… I also enjoyed the rabidly misogynistic and lustful atmosphere of the rugby club, untempered by the political correctness of later decades; yes, maybe it’s a bit dated, but it’s also utterly true-to-life for the time and location. Even the better-educated Pascoe, believed by both of them to be a different creature from Dalziel, finds himself far with more on his mind than the case.

I’ll probably have to read one or two more of Hill’s books before deciding whether he’s a ‘full collection’ author for me, but this was a very enjoyable beginning. ( )

Mary Connon is clubbed to death in her living room. Her husband Connie, a former rugby player, is suspected. The world of the rugby club is one of hard drinking and illicit sex. Marcus Felstead, a friend of Connie's, is having an affair with Gwen Evans, wife of a Welsh player. Mary was blackmailing them to amuse herself. Marcus said it was an accident but Connie was so relieved she was dead that he felt like he was guilty of something.

As several others have said, this is a perfectly good detective story by anyone's standards, unless you happen to have read the author's more recent work, in which case it becomes a bit of a disappointment. The story isn't as complex, there aren't as many jokes and literary sleights of hand (though the book gets at least half a star extra for the clever title), we only get two detectives instead of the whole team, etc. As far as I can remember, there's not much they had to miss out when they made the TV version, which is a bad sign in a novel.

But it's worth reading, just to see where it all started. And there are some surprises - not least when a character is charged 2/6 for a whisky in the opening pages, and you realise that D&P have been together since before the introduction of decimal currency. If Dalziel was already a superintendent in 1970, what age would that make him in 2008? Fortunately, there's no law that says that fictional characters have to age at the same rate as the rest of us... ( )

First in one of the best series I have read. I have read only a few scattered numbers in this series, and all were very good. I am now out to read them all in order. ( )

Police superintendent Andrew Dalziel and Sgt. Peter Pascoe make an odd partnership. Dalziel is an ex-rugby player (nickname: Bruiser) who seems to spend a great deal of time scratching himself. Pascoe is a college graduate, relatively inexperienced, eager to make his way up the ladder and as sorry as he can be to be paired with Dalziel. But partners they are.

When Mary Connon is murdered in a particularly brutal fashion, her husband Sam is a suspect. After all, he admits he was at home when she died. However, according to him, he was in his bed all but unconscious after being hit in the head during a rugby game. But Dalziel believes the motive was more complicated than wanting to get rid of a particularly obnoxious – and likely unfaithful -- wife. Dalziel zeroes in on the rugby club and the relationships – marital and extramarital – of its members for his personal pool of suspects.

When Felony & Mayhem Press began reissuing classic mysteries that were out of print, Reginald Hill was one of the authors I hoped to read and review. My friend and walking buddy Liz counts Mr. Hill among her favorite authors. What better place to begin than A Clubbable Woman Dalziel’s and Pascoe’s first case together?

Although A Clubbable Woman was written more than three decades ago, it seems surprisingly up to date. Granted, there are no cell phones, no Internet, no CSI. Ultimately, however, police procedure boils down to pounding the pavement, exploring relationships and getting people to spill their secrets. That’s where both Dalziel and Pascoe excel, albeit in different ways.

In addition to the characters and writing style – and its humorous touches – I also like the physical format of the book. It’s slightly shorter than most trade (large format) paperbacks and, therefore, easier to hold while reading in bed. (It may seem trivial, but I know that is a concern to many avid readers.) The whiteness of the paper and the size of the type were particularly pleasing. All in all, it’s a very sharp-looking book.

By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library November 15, 2007. ( )

The first Dalziel and Pascoe novel and it kind of shows. It's still an enjoyable read but the characters haven't quite arrived at their final destinations yet and the mystery is a bit clumsy. The resolution of the crime was a bit of a damp squib, there were a couple of interesting twists along the way but also some very clumsy setups. ( )

The first Dalziel & Pascoe novel. I've been half-heartedly looking for this book a while when I came across a second-hand copy in October; it wasn't until now that I picked it up for reading on my way to work. I have read all the other Dalziel & Pascoe novels (but not all the short stories) and I've seen most of the televisual adaptations (which I don't think very much of), but as far I can remember, I never saw A Clubbable Woman that way either. Reading this book after Good Morning, Midnight shows how far Hill has come from his starting point. Worth reading as a curiosity (especially for a completist like me) but the excellence is elsewhere. ( )

The first of the Dalziel and Pascoe novels is not as complex or thoughtful as some of the later books in the series, but it's still an entertaining mystery that lays the foundations of the relationship between two very different men who together form a formidable detective team. Even this first book displays Hill's witty style and elegant prose, if not to the same high level as later books.

The book is based around the goings-on at a rugby club that may or may not be connected with the murder of the wife of one of the players, but no knowledge of the game is required to enjoy the book -- it's a study of the social interactions in such a venue rather than the sport itself. The main problem readers are likely to face is that the book was first published in 1970, and as such is recent enough not to be immediately obviously a period work, while still being old enough for the culture and mores to feel somewhat odd to the modern reader. It's important to be aware of the period when reading the book, as many of the potential motivations for the characters revolve around sexual jealousy and flouting of mores. Hill draws a detailed picture of life in a relatively small Yorkshire town in the 1970s, with its web of social obligations and friendships that can be exploited by both the police and those they're pursuing.

Not my favourite of the series, and the characters aren't yet fully developed, but well worth reading both in its own right and as an introduction to the series. ( )