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Dalziel & Pascoe #22
The Death of Dalziel
There was no sign of life. But not for a second did Pascoe admit the possibility of death. Dalziel was indestructible. Dalziel is, and was, and forever shall be, world without end, amen. Chief constables might come and chief constables might go, but Fat Andy went on forever.
Caught in the full blast of a huge explosion, Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel lies on a hospital bed, with only a life support system and his indomitable will between him and the Great Beyond. His colleague, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, is determined to bring those responsible to justice.
Pascoe suspects a group called The Templars, and the deeper he digs, the more certain he is that The Templars are getting help from within the police force.
The plot is complex, the pace fast, the jokes furious, and the climax astounding. And above it all, like a huge dirigible threatening to break from its moorings, hovers the disembodied spirit of Andy Dalziel.
Caught in the full blast of a huge explosion, Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel lies on a hospital bed, with only a life support system and his indomitable will between him and the Great Beyond. His colleague, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, is determined to bring those responsible to justice.
Pascoe suspects a group called The Templars, and the deeper he digs, the more certain he is that The Templars are getting help from within the police force.
The plot is complex, the pace fast, the jokes furious, and the climax astounding. And above it all, like a huge dirigible threatening to break from its moorings, hovers the disembodied spirit of Andy Dalziel.
5 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2007
127 people are currently reading
855 people want to read
About the author
Reginald Hill
154 books503 followersReginald Charles Hill was a contemporary English crime writer, and the winner in 1995 of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement.
After National Service (1955-57) and studying English at St Catherine's College, Oxford University (1957-60) he worked as a teacher for many years, rising to Senior Lecturer at Doncaster College of Education. In 1980 he retired from salaried work in order to devote himself full-time to writing.
Hill is best known for his more than 20 novels featuring the Yorkshire detectives Andrew Dalziel, Peter Pascoe and Edgar Wield. He has also written more than 30 other novels, including five featuring Joe Sixsmith, a black machine operator turned private detective in a fictional Luton. Novels originally published under the pseudonyms of Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland, and Charles Underhill have now appeared under his own name. Hill is also a writer of short stories, and ghost tales.
After National Service (1955-57) and studying English at St Catherine's College, Oxford University (1957-60) he worked as a teacher for many years, rising to Senior Lecturer at Doncaster College of Education. In 1980 he retired from salaried work in order to devote himself full-time to writing.
Hill is best known for his more than 20 novels featuring the Yorkshire detectives Andrew Dalziel, Peter Pascoe and Edgar Wield. He has also written more than 30 other novels, including five featuring Joe Sixsmith, a black machine operator turned private detective in a fictional Luton. Novels originally published under the pseudonyms of Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland, and Charles Underhill have now appeared under his own name. Hill is also a writer of short stories, and ghost tales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
June 28, 2023
Terrorism and Templars…
When PC Hector reports that he thinks he saw two men with a gun in a video shop, Andy Dalziel doesn’t take it too seriously – Hector is not the brightest star in Mid-Yorkshire’s firmament. Peter Pascoe is more cautious, since it appears the shop has been of interest to CAT – the Combined Anti-Terrorist unit, half police, half “funny buggers” as Dalziel calls the Secret Services. So they go along to check it out, and Andy marches confidently towards the shop, with Peter in his wake. When the bomb goes off, then, Andy takes the brunt of it while his body acts as a shield for Peter. Andy is alive, but only just, and as he lies in hospital in a coma hovering between this life and the next, Peter gets co-opted into CAT to help with their investigation.
As he often did, Hill incorporates the big real-life story of the day into the novel. First published in 2007, the big story of that day was Iraq and Muslim terrorism. Much though I love Hill, his occasional forays into the world of intelligence never ring as true as his more domestic plots, and this is a prime example of that. It transpires that there is a secret anti-Muslim society based on the Knights Templar who are carrying out attacks on prominent Muslims in revenge for Muslim terrorist attacks on British soil. Trust Hill to find a way to make the terrorists the victims and the “far right” the villains! I’m afraid the plot is unconvincing and relies on all kinds of coincidences to provide reasons for Peter to be involved in an investigation that isn’t being headed up by the police. As if that’s not enough of a stretch, Hill uses even more unlikely coincidences to get Elly involved too, including creating a family backstory for her out of the blue that we have never heard about in any of the preceding twenty-one books.
Peter is again angst-ridden throughout this one, this time because he feels survivor guilt from having been behind Dalziel when the bomb went off. This leads him to behave in a way that I unkindly described in my notes as “even more deranged” than usual. Poor Peter! Hill has been very hard on him over the last few books.
However, as always with Hill, there’s plenty of good stuff to make up for some of these weaknesses. Funnily enough, even in a comatose condition Andy steals the limelight. We are privy to his disordered thoughts as he is pulled between the opposing forces of life and death, and these are often amusing and occasionally moving. We also see the reactions of the other characters to his possible death, and Hill handles this well without descending into mawkishness.
While many of the earlier books work well as standalones, I wouldn’t recommend jumping in at this late stage in the series. These later books all tend to have elements that are carried over from previous books, especially in the main characters’ lives, and they also tend to set the scene for the next book. Overall, this is not one of my favourites – as well as the lack of credibility and over-reliance on coincidence it is rather slow, with too much focus (again) on Peter’s state of mind. But as I have said about a million times now, the quality of Hill’s writing is such that even his less good novels are head and shoulders above most of what’s out there, so it’s still well worth reading. And it provides a great set-up for the next book which, if memory serves me right, is a treat…
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When PC Hector reports that he thinks he saw two men with a gun in a video shop, Andy Dalziel doesn’t take it too seriously – Hector is not the brightest star in Mid-Yorkshire’s firmament. Peter Pascoe is more cautious, since it appears the shop has been of interest to CAT – the Combined Anti-Terrorist unit, half police, half “funny buggers” as Dalziel calls the Secret Services. So they go along to check it out, and Andy marches confidently towards the shop, with Peter in his wake. When the bomb goes off, then, Andy takes the brunt of it while his body acts as a shield for Peter. Andy is alive, but only just, and as he lies in hospital in a coma hovering between this life and the next, Peter gets co-opted into CAT to help with their investigation.
As he often did, Hill incorporates the big real-life story of the day into the novel. First published in 2007, the big story of that day was Iraq and Muslim terrorism. Much though I love Hill, his occasional forays into the world of intelligence never ring as true as his more domestic plots, and this is a prime example of that. It transpires that there is a secret anti-Muslim society based on the Knights Templar who are carrying out attacks on prominent Muslims in revenge for Muslim terrorist attacks on British soil. Trust Hill to find a way to make the terrorists the victims and the “far right” the villains! I’m afraid the plot is unconvincing and relies on all kinds of coincidences to provide reasons for Peter to be involved in an investigation that isn’t being headed up by the police. As if that’s not enough of a stretch, Hill uses even more unlikely coincidences to get Elly involved too, including creating a family backstory for her out of the blue that we have never heard about in any of the preceding twenty-one books.
Peter is again angst-ridden throughout this one, this time because he feels survivor guilt from having been behind Dalziel when the bomb went off. This leads him to behave in a way that I unkindly described in my notes as “even more deranged” than usual. Poor Peter! Hill has been very hard on him over the last few books.
However, as always with Hill, there’s plenty of good stuff to make up for some of these weaknesses. Funnily enough, even in a comatose condition Andy steals the limelight. We are privy to his disordered thoughts as he is pulled between the opposing forces of life and death, and these are often amusing and occasionally moving. We also see the reactions of the other characters to his possible death, and Hill handles this well without descending into mawkishness.
While many of the earlier books work well as standalones, I wouldn’t recommend jumping in at this late stage in the series. These later books all tend to have elements that are carried over from previous books, especially in the main characters’ lives, and they also tend to set the scene for the next book. Overall, this is not one of my favourites – as well as the lack of credibility and over-reliance on coincidence it is rather slow, with too much focus (again) on Peter’s state of mind. But as I have said about a million times now, the quality of Hill’s writing is such that even his less good novels are head and shoulders above most of what’s out there, so it’s still well worth reading. And it provides a great set-up for the next book which, if memory serves me right, is a treat…
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 15, 2016
The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill
I'm a massive fan of Dalziel and Pascoe, and have practically grown up watching the TV series. However, I didn't realise they were books until I found one in a charity shop.
It was probably the wrong Dalziel and Pascoe book to start with, but nevertheless it was brilliant. For me, Dalziel and Pascoe will always be Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan, so I had no problem picturing them. The dialogue was really well written and several times I laughed out loud, which I didn't expect to do in a murder mystery!
The characters are worth five stars, but the plot confused me. It started off with a bomb on Mill Street knocking Andy unconscious and injuring Peter. What initially was a simple case turned into something much more complicated with code names for the gang of people who were involved in the various crimes that occured through out the novel and the relationships between certain people. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of. When it finally reached the end I didn't feel entirely satisfied and had to reread the last couple of pages to make sure I understood everything correctly.
Overall a great book, but very complex, almost too complex, which why it isn't the five stars I would've expected it to be.
I'm a massive fan of Dalziel and Pascoe, and have practically grown up watching the TV series. However, I didn't realise they were books until I found one in a charity shop.
It was probably the wrong Dalziel and Pascoe book to start with, but nevertheless it was brilliant. For me, Dalziel and Pascoe will always be Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan, so I had no problem picturing them. The dialogue was really well written and several times I laughed out loud, which I didn't expect to do in a murder mystery!
The characters are worth five stars, but the plot confused me. It started off with a bomb on Mill Street knocking Andy unconscious and injuring Peter. What initially was a simple case turned into something much more complicated with code names for the gang of people who were involved in the various crimes that occured through out the novel and the relationships between certain people. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of. When it finally reached the end I didn't feel entirely satisfied and had to reread the last couple of pages to make sure I understood everything correctly.
Overall a great book, but very complex, almost too complex, which why it isn't the five stars I would've expected it to be.
February 6, 2009
Wow! How did I miss Reginald Hill!? This was fantastic: great characters, interesting plot, great writing. Gotta love a man who sends me to the dictionary. Good turns of phrase, too, my favorite being: "a smile touched [his:] lips without getting a grip..." Sometimes coming in on the middle of a series leaves you in the dark, but I never felt that with this book. The characters were so vividly drawn that I was completely involved in their stories. My only quibble is that some key plot twists depend on coincidences-- not completely improbable, but noticeably unlikely. Minor point, though, and I can't wait to read to read more in this series.
February 4, 2014
I can't believe I am almost done with this series. Another great novel from Hill. I really enjoyed it-like meeting old friends. Only two to go. I am so sad that Hill dies and Dalziel and Pascoe are almost done as well.
February 5, 2009
DEATH COMES FOR THE FAT MAN (aka The Death of Dalziel) (Pol Proc-Dalziel/Pascoe-England-Cont) – VG+
Hill, Reginald, 22nd in series
Harper Mystery, 2007, US Paperback – ISBN: 9780060821432
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.
Hill, Reginald, 22nd in series
Harper Mystery, 2007, US Paperback – ISBN: 9780060821432
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.
October 9, 2022
Dalziel almost dies in an explosion and Pascoe has to figure out who is behind it. There's a strange xenophobic organization that seems to be a modern version of the Knights of the Templar. There are Islamic groups that claim solidarity with those fighting in Iraq and Syria. Ellie is trying to get a radio interview with some host to sell her latest book and ends up on stage with a Moslem man and a local wealthy farmer when a woman with a gun tries to kill someone on stage. And Dalziel dreams he is dancing with his high school sweetheart because Cap has left him with soft music playing when she isn't visiting the hospital. It's a strange dream of a book. And excellent. As usual.
December 28, 2011
Although I've followed the adventures of Dalziel and Pascoe on TV, this is the first Reginald Hill book I've read. It's alleged that, unlike Colin Dexter with John Thaw's Morse, Reginald Hill does not approve of Warren Clarke playing Andy Dalziel in the TV adaptations of his novels (he isn't fat enough to play the Fat Man for a start). Hill denies it, of course (or at least he denied it in a recent interview I read), but his latest book represents a formidable challenge to the TV adapters. For the eponymous hero spends most of the book lying in a coma in intensive care, until finally . . .
Of course Dalziel won't die, you're thinking. Will he? Well, the clue is in the title. I won't give away the ending, but I have to confess I was shocked.
The story isn't your usual police procedural type of tale. It is a story with a complex plot about an extremist plot against extremist plotters, with a multi-layered counterplot. The introduction of the Security Services adds to the mix and takes the story off in unexpected directions. It's a book about belief (in truth, in God, in self, in right and wrong) and about identity and division (Yorkshire/Lancashire, Anglo/Asian, Christian/Muslim, cops/spooks). The novel is perfectly structured, but it's the development of the characters (especially Peter Pascoe without the support and guidance of the comatose Dalziel) that brings the story to life.
Of course Dalziel won't die, you're thinking. Will he? Well, the clue is in the title. I won't give away the ending, but I have to confess I was shocked.
The story isn't your usual police procedural type of tale. It is a story with a complex plot about an extremist plot against extremist plotters, with a multi-layered counterplot. The introduction of the Security Services adds to the mix and takes the story off in unexpected directions. It's a book about belief (in truth, in God, in self, in right and wrong) and about identity and division (Yorkshire/Lancashire, Anglo/Asian, Christian/Muslim, cops/spooks). The novel is perfectly structured, but it's the development of the characters (especially Peter Pascoe without the support and guidance of the comatose Dalziel) that brings the story to life.
September 27, 2014
Audio.
This was a good book to listen to. Excellent narrator and the story fairly romped along.
This is #22 in Reginald Hill's popular Yorkshire series of Dalziel and Pascoe.
Caught in the full blast of a huge explosion, Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel lies on a hospital bed, with only a life support system and his indomitable will between him and the Great Beyond.
His colleague, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, after recovering from his injuries, is determined to bring those responsible to justice. Pascoe suspects a group called The Templars, and the deeper he digs, the more certain he is that The Templars are getting help from within the police force.
The plot is complex (but not confusingly so), the pace fast, the jokes furious (I'm sure some people thought I was losing my marbles as I wandered along chuckling out loud!), the action explosive, the characterization vivid, and the ending worked well, although not all the loose ends are tidied up.
This was a good book to listen to. Excellent narrator and the story fairly romped along.
This is #22 in Reginald Hill's popular Yorkshire series of Dalziel and Pascoe.
Caught in the full blast of a huge explosion, Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel lies on a hospital bed, with only a life support system and his indomitable will between him and the Great Beyond.
His colleague, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, after recovering from his injuries, is determined to bring those responsible to justice. Pascoe suspects a group called The Templars, and the deeper he digs, the more certain he is that The Templars are getting help from within the police force.
The plot is complex (but not confusingly so), the pace fast, the jokes furious (I'm sure some people thought I was losing my marbles as I wandered along chuckling out loud!), the action explosive, the characterization vivid, and the ending worked well, although not all the loose ends are tidied up.
June 8, 2021
And we're back to top form with this wonderful series. There are many literary allusions beyond the title in this one--I probably missed a fair number of them. "Bound together on a wheel of fire" is apparently a quote, but I don't recognize it. Dalziel is put in a coma near the beginning, and there are several short chapters giving startlingly vivid impressions of what it's like to be almost dead. Pascoe is forced to take over his boss's role and is surprised to find himself doing so. He gets mixed up with a team of MI5 types from London, deep in spycraft, whom Dalziel has always despised as "funny buggers." At least one of them is probably a mole, but deep down Pascoe knows he can't trust any of them, no matter how personable they may seem to be. Written six years after 9/11, but in the end gives a very balanced and fair-minded presentation of the middle eastern enemy the funny buggers are trying to co-opt.
March 20, 2022
Made me think of Frederick Forsyth, but as through a kaleidoscope, brightly. The murky and romantic worlds of counter-terrorism and the SAS collide with the witty and curiously cozy world of the provincial whodunnit.
There are dreamscapes and flights of fancy worthy of Salman Rushdie alongside the grim and increasingly frantic pursuit of justice, or at least of the perpetrators. This being Reginald Hill, it is virtuosic and bursting with larger-than-life characters, so that even though Dalziel is out of it for most of it, Pascoe has no trouble carrying it to its conclusion. Almost.
[This is the fourth in a row that I have read before, but can’t remember when! A sign of advancing age.]
There are dreamscapes and flights of fancy worthy of Salman Rushdie alongside the grim and increasingly frantic pursuit of justice, or at least of the perpetrators. This being Reginald Hill, it is virtuosic and bursting with larger-than-life characters, so that even though Dalziel is out of it for most of it, Pascoe has no trouble carrying it to its conclusion. Almost.
[This is the fourth in a row that I have read before, but can’t remember when! A sign of advancing age.]
February 26, 2018
It was a fascinating process to watch; Pascoe works his way through survivor's guilt to find those responsible for putting Andy Dalziel in a coma, and winds up assuming his boss' attitudes, mannerisms, occasional outbursts of harsh speech to friends and colleagues alike - and, aware of it, also assumes more guilt for the insensitivity he shows. Another look, also, into the inner workings of the "funny buggers", MI5 or 6, the UK's FBI/CIA equivalents, with whom Pascoe has to work to solve this case.
May 24, 2021
I thought I had enjoyed previously read Reginald Hill books more. I think I held them in higher regard. Maybe it’s because Dalziel was mostly out of this one. Maybe I missed the banter between him and Pascoe. Or maybe it’s just the Secret Service and terrorist aspect that I didn’t enjoy as much. Either way, 500+ pages later and I have a finish. And there’s not much else I want to say about this novel.
December 3, 2018
Reginald Hill has a masterpiece here...It took me longer to read than his other mysteries, because it was more like a full course meal than a 'mutton pie'...not that I dont love all his Dalgliesh and Pascoe stories, this one just made me work harder and read slower, more thoroughly. Great book.
July 2, 2008
Two mutton pasties, an almond slice and a custard tart are not the normal order that a superior officer would give to a subordinate faced with a possible armed siege. But then, Andy Dalziel's never been one for all that official mucking about and Hector's never been one that anybody really believes. Number 3 Mill Street, an Asian and Arab specialist Video store, is an address flagged for low level interest by the Combined Anti-Terrorism Unit. Inspector Ireland's not convinced that Dalziel is taking this seriously enough. Inevitably he has to ring Peter Pascoe to tell him about this latest grievance with the Fat Man's response but what Peter doesn't expect is that it is Ellie that nudges him from his Bank Holiday hammock musing that Andy may need to be discouraged from starting his own Gulf War.
Meanwhile Andy is breaking every single rule in the CAT book. No roadblocks, no observation, no holding off until the CAT group can respond, and Andy hunkered down behind his car on the other side of the street, waving a bullhorn around and inviting the people in the store to order their own pasties. Pascoe thinks he's using heavy handed irony when he suggests “all you need do is stroll over there, check everything's OK, then leave a note for the CAT man on the shop door saying you've got it sorted and would he like a cup of tea back at the Station?” Unfortunately irony is often wasted on Andy and classic insult delivered, he struggles to his feet and confidently steps across the street towards No 3.
Mill Street then blows up.
Taking the full brunt of the explosion, Dalziel is critically injured, comatose and desperately ill. Pascoe is a little luckier, shielded from the initial blast by the Fat Man himself, he's bruised battered and befuddled, but as the crash cart is called to Andy, torn between grief and anger, acceptance and incomprehension, Peter is determined to find out what happened. Seconded to the CAT Unit as damage control by them (“better on the inside pissing out”), anybody who thinks that one of Dalziel's men can be tamed by token gestures, has obviously underestimated the stretch and tenacity of the Fat Man's influence.
The plot gets more and more complex as connections emerge between the explosion, terrorism, the Yorkshire Muslim community, the CAT Unit, young Hector and even Pascoe himself. Wield is there, providing quiet and faithful backup to Pascoe, distressed by Dalziel's fate and worried about Pascoe. Ellie is supporting her husband whilst dealing with her own feelings, worried about the increasing violence as the investigation gets closer to a mysterious group called the Knights Templar. In a luscious touch of irony, the CAT Unit is headed by Sandy Glenister – Scottish, female, forthright, bawdy and unorthodox. She is a woman who truly could have jousted with Dalziel and lived to tell the tale.
Part of the joy of DEATH OF DALZIEL is as always, the style. The language is peppered with the obscure and unexpected, alongside the most wonderful broad brush Yorkshire phrasing and terminology that just leaps off the page and draws the reader in – and I suspect, leaves you with a tendency to use “owt” and “yon” in your own conversation for quite a long time after the reading has finished.
The humour is also particularly of it's place. Slightly bawdy, edgy and self-deprecating. Only Dalziel, comatose, lying in a hospital bed, and having an out of body experience could joke about his position. Only Wieldy could sit quietly in his backyard, all hell breaking out around him, sneaking a marmoset toast with butter and jam. Surely Hill is one of the few writers who could draw the fabulous Tottie (could she be the Tottie from the Mecca Ballroom?), the classic Yorkshire wife and mother, conversion to Islam or not – she's a Yorkshire-woman first.
DEATH OF DALZIEL is going to grab you from that first explosion and keep you reading, wondering and hoping right to the very end.
Meanwhile Andy is breaking every single rule in the CAT book. No roadblocks, no observation, no holding off until the CAT group can respond, and Andy hunkered down behind his car on the other side of the street, waving a bullhorn around and inviting the people in the store to order their own pasties. Pascoe thinks he's using heavy handed irony when he suggests “all you need do is stroll over there, check everything's OK, then leave a note for the CAT man on the shop door saying you've got it sorted and would he like a cup of tea back at the Station?” Unfortunately irony is often wasted on Andy and classic insult delivered, he struggles to his feet and confidently steps across the street towards No 3.
Mill Street then blows up.
Taking the full brunt of the explosion, Dalziel is critically injured, comatose and desperately ill. Pascoe is a little luckier, shielded from the initial blast by the Fat Man himself, he's bruised battered and befuddled, but as the crash cart is called to Andy, torn between grief and anger, acceptance and incomprehension, Peter is determined to find out what happened. Seconded to the CAT Unit as damage control by them (“better on the inside pissing out”), anybody who thinks that one of Dalziel's men can be tamed by token gestures, has obviously underestimated the stretch and tenacity of the Fat Man's influence.
The plot gets more and more complex as connections emerge between the explosion, terrorism, the Yorkshire Muslim community, the CAT Unit, young Hector and even Pascoe himself. Wield is there, providing quiet and faithful backup to Pascoe, distressed by Dalziel's fate and worried about Pascoe. Ellie is supporting her husband whilst dealing with her own feelings, worried about the increasing violence as the investigation gets closer to a mysterious group called the Knights Templar. In a luscious touch of irony, the CAT Unit is headed by Sandy Glenister – Scottish, female, forthright, bawdy and unorthodox. She is a woman who truly could have jousted with Dalziel and lived to tell the tale.
Part of the joy of DEATH OF DALZIEL is as always, the style. The language is peppered with the obscure and unexpected, alongside the most wonderful broad brush Yorkshire phrasing and terminology that just leaps off the page and draws the reader in – and I suspect, leaves you with a tendency to use “owt” and “yon” in your own conversation for quite a long time after the reading has finished.
The humour is also particularly of it's place. Slightly bawdy, edgy and self-deprecating. Only Dalziel, comatose, lying in a hospital bed, and having an out of body experience could joke about his position. Only Wieldy could sit quietly in his backyard, all hell breaking out around him, sneaking a marmoset toast with butter and jam. Surely Hill is one of the few writers who could draw the fabulous Tottie (could she be the Tottie from the Mecca Ballroom?), the classic Yorkshire wife and mother, conversion to Islam or not – she's a Yorkshire-woman first.
DEATH OF DALZIEL is going to grab you from that first explosion and keep you reading, wondering and hoping right to the very end.
May 26, 2012
4 & 1/2 stars. i've been reading Reginald Hill since his first book came out, but this one is particularly good, and a bit of a tour de force to write. essentially Peter Pascoe has to, in the absence of Andy Dalziel, become him in order to solve the case. which has some interesting consequences for Pascoe. and at the same time Dalziel is present only in dream, and the dream sequences are far from the usual boilerplate, just like Dalziel himself.
eventually all of it fits together into the case - both Dalziel's manifestations and reflections, and Pascoe's brinkmanship investigation. and we learn a surprising amount, after all these years, about what makes both men tick, and where their boundaries are, what drives them, and the nature of the way in which (so different) they are tied together.
when they trade places, intuition still wars with the methodical, raw power collides with civilization. except that it's Pete, not Andy, pushing those boundaries, standing in for Dalziel while he's away, navigating blind across a political minefield of competing jurisdictions, trying to recreate Andy's point of view and suddenly as careless about keeping his own counsel. and along the way the surprisingly complex character of Police Constable Hector, who as it turns out can always see Dalziel, becomes germane.
eventually all of it fits together into the case - both Dalziel's manifestations and reflections, and Pascoe's brinkmanship investigation. and we learn a surprising amount, after all these years, about what makes both men tick, and where their boundaries are, what drives them, and the nature of the way in which (so different) they are tied together.
when they trade places, intuition still wars with the methodical, raw power collides with civilization. except that it's Pete, not Andy, pushing those boundaries, standing in for Dalziel while he's away, navigating blind across a political minefield of competing jurisdictions, trying to recreate Andy's point of view and suddenly as careless about keeping his own counsel. and along the way the surprisingly complex character of Police Constable Hector, who as it turns out can always see Dalziel, becomes germane.
February 14, 2011
I chose this book because the title made me laugh, and the blurb on the back was intriguing. I LOVE this book because it's truly well done.
Even though the reader's actual knowledge of the titular character is done through flashbacks and quotes, I love the guy. I cannot wait to go back in the series and start from the beginning, Fat Andy rocks. And it's testament to Hill's ability to properly characterize that a first time reader absolutely got the sense of, of all things, a man in a coma!
The other characters were all well done too, I really liked Pascoe's wife, and the story moved along fast enough while providing enough background detail that I never felt like the author lost me along the way.
You're really kept guessing throughout the book who the "bad guys" are, and to that end the way Hill wrapped up the book is just honestly one of the best endings I've ever seen. By that I mean the literal skill involved in bringing us to this point and knowing where the reader's "oompf" moment was in order to stop writing was just outstanding.
This is an infinitely recommendable book for anyone liking police dramas or murder mysteries or humor or just solid, good writing. Wonderful book!
Even though the reader's actual knowledge of the titular character is done through flashbacks and quotes, I love the guy. I cannot wait to go back in the series and start from the beginning, Fat Andy rocks. And it's testament to Hill's ability to properly characterize that a first time reader absolutely got the sense of, of all things, a man in a coma!
The other characters were all well done too, I really liked Pascoe's wife, and the story moved along fast enough while providing enough background detail that I never felt like the author lost me along the way.
You're really kept guessing throughout the book who the "bad guys" are, and to that end the way Hill wrapped up the book is just honestly one of the best endings I've ever seen. By that I mean the literal skill involved in bringing us to this point and knowing where the reader's "oompf" moment was in order to stop writing was just outstanding.
This is an infinitely recommendable book for anyone liking police dramas or murder mysteries or humor or just solid, good writing. Wonderful book!
June 30, 2024
Andy Dalziel (usually pronounced Dee-elle), a large English detective and Peter Pascoe, his better educated (and it's presumed, classically handsome) subordinate are two characters that Reginald Hill has used in a number of murder mysteries. He usually uses them in a way that allows him to make clever digs about class and education in the UK, while they solve crimes there.
This book is slightly different. Dalziel is severely wounded (and spends the remainder of the book in intensive care) when an Muslim run videostore is blown up. The deaths of the people inside are followed by the deaths of a number of high profile radical British Muslims, but Pascoe has to investigate all the deaths on his own (in conjunction with the Anti-Terrorism Squad), because Dalziel is otherwise engaged.
I'm not sure about this book, because the typical central dynamic that allows the story to rattle along isn't there. It flows along at a decent enough pace, but it doesn't work as well I don't think, because that central focus of most of Hill's stories isn't there.
You'll probably enjoy it, but don't come in expecting what you've got in previous books or what you get in the TV series. It isn't the same as those previous outings.
This book is slightly different. Dalziel is severely wounded (and spends the remainder of the book in intensive care) when an Muslim run videostore is blown up. The deaths of the people inside are followed by the deaths of a number of high profile radical British Muslims, but Pascoe has to investigate all the deaths on his own (in conjunction with the Anti-Terrorism Squad), because Dalziel is otherwise engaged.
I'm not sure about this book, because the typical central dynamic that allows the story to rattle along isn't there. It flows along at a decent enough pace, but it doesn't work as well I don't think, because that central focus of most of Hill's stories isn't there.
You'll probably enjoy it, but don't come in expecting what you've got in previous books or what you get in the TV series. It isn't the same as those previous outings.
October 5, 2014
Reginald Hill is one of those authors who is always trying something new in his Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries -- most often in terms of structure. This 22nd novel in the series uses the parallel story structure of several previous entries in the series but the big innovation is sidelining his star, D.S. Andy Dalziel, comatose following a bomb blast soon after the beginning of the novel. This novel focuses on D.I. Peter Pascoe as he venture into the world of anti-terrorism, investigating the explosion that injured Dalziel. With Dalziel laid up, Pascoe seems to take on many of his character traits -- his irreverence, his profanity, and his toughness. A collection of new characters are introduced, and as usual with Hill doing the writing, they are fascinating and seem believable even when only briefly sketched in. This is not one of the best I have read in the series (nowhere near as good as the one that follows it but which I read a few years ago -- The Price of Butchers' Meat) but it is a fascinating read.
January 26, 2019
The first 50 to 100 pages are a pleasure, full of writing superior to what you often find in genre series. Then the plot turns baroque, although not so twisted that you can't see a few important turns coming from a long way off. Detective Pascoe's wife has a preternatural ability to see through him and his husbandly evasions, but her intelligence conveniently fails as she eventually makes what seem like dumb luncheon dates. Pascoe falls off into bouts of questionable judgment himself. The British tendency to wartime analogies pops up in a sentence (this in a book published in 2007!) describing a driver holding the centre of a road with "all the unconcerned assurance of a Panzer troop rolling into an undefended Belgian village." Later on, Pascoe bizarrely utters a catch phrase from The Lone Ranger. By the end, with the story winding down, one can practically hear air hissing out of a somewhat bright balloon. Still a decent read for a beach or a boring, snowbound weekend.
November 27, 2017
While investigating reports of an armed person in a deserted part of town, Pascoe and Dalziel are caught in a big explosion - so big that the Fat Man is left comatose and in grave peril. Pascoe recovers quickly, though, and he is determined to discover who would dare do such a thing to Dalziel…. This very brief description of the plot of Reginald Hill’s "Death Comes for the Fat Man" just scratches the surface of the story; as this long-running series goes on, the reader notices more and more complexities both in terms of the individuals involved and the number of interconnecting threads and story lines. I believe this is the 22nd book out of a total of 24, so I’m reaching the last stages of this really terrific series; it’s definitely necessary to read all of the books in order, but if you’ve made it this far you already know that! Recommended.
August 18, 2025
Read it, seems okay, not inclined to keep it any longer. An English village mystery, abruptly shocked by plastic explosives and foreign terrorists.
The title is a bit of clickbait for followers of the series but I read it before any others, so was not impressed. Readers of crime fiction can generally see through that kind of attitude. If you don't know the two detectives and their family members this is an okay read but not thrilling. Fans may like the soap opera aspect better.
The title is a bit of clickbait for followers of the series but I read it before any others, so was not impressed. Readers of crime fiction can generally see through that kind of attitude. If you don't know the two detectives and their family members this is an okay read but not thrilling. Fans may like the soap opera aspect better.
October 17, 2009
A 'brilliant' murder mystery from the UK, and not focused on London. Interesting insight into modern day England, its conflicts and deverse ethnic groups. Character-based rather than plot, its part of a series. Character humor, good dialogue, not gruesome or sensational. You want to be chums with these fellows.
March 20, 2014
Thoroughly entertaining, witty, full of literary quotes and allusions, and with a cast to die for. There are plenty of brilliant reviews of this excellent book, so I won't go on at any length about it. Suffice to say Hill never puts a foot wrong in this book, and there's not a word that's unnecessary.
April 25, 2009
I adore Andy Dalziel. I had to slow down on this book because I did not want it to end. Andy's comatose thoughts were PERFECT Dalziel - funny...vulgar...sweet...unbelievably touching.
February 2, 2025
They call him fat Andy quietly in the cop shop because Andy Dalziel is not skinny. He’s also not timid nor does he lack for swagger and confidence. He set out to clear what others fretted was a terrorist problem in a house, and Andy planned to enter in that kicktail mode that was a hallmark of his. Someone blew the house up when Andy was as close as he could get. His partner, Peter Pascoe, suffered mild but hospitalizing injuries. Andy’s injuries were far worse and far more life threatening. Indeed, he lie in a coma for weeks.
Naturally, as soon as he has sufficiently recovered, Pascoe is on the hunt for those who attempted to murder Andy and who succeeded in blowing the house to bits. He teams up with an anti-terrorist taskforce, and that was a good relationship until it wasn’t. Peter became certain that someone on the taskforce was alerting it to police activities so the killers could stay steps ahead of the cops.
Pascoe’s wife seems to have undergone a transformation of sorts. Admittedly, she’s still the far-left activist and feminist, but she finds it far easier to both verbally express and physically demonstrate her love for Pascoe, and it appears Pascoe’s anxieties dial back a few notches in this book perhaps as a result.
As Pascoe works to solve the case, Andy works to stay alive. He floats through the hospital and throughout Yorkshire, and near the end, he has an argument with a god-like enigma. Those interspersed chapters in which Andy floats between the all-consuming darkness and the light that he initially believes is the light of Heaven are fascinating and add to the overall plot.
I didn’t see the end coming, and the suspense you experience while at a wedding is top-flight stuff indeed.
Naturally, as soon as he has sufficiently recovered, Pascoe is on the hunt for those who attempted to murder Andy and who succeeded in blowing the house to bits. He teams up with an anti-terrorist taskforce, and that was a good relationship until it wasn’t. Peter became certain that someone on the taskforce was alerting it to police activities so the killers could stay steps ahead of the cops.
Pascoe’s wife seems to have undergone a transformation of sorts. Admittedly, she’s still the far-left activist and feminist, but she finds it far easier to both verbally express and physically demonstrate her love for Pascoe, and it appears Pascoe’s anxieties dial back a few notches in this book perhaps as a result.
As Pascoe works to solve the case, Andy works to stay alive. He floats through the hospital and throughout Yorkshire, and near the end, he has an argument with a god-like enigma. Those interspersed chapters in which Andy floats between the all-consuming darkness and the light that he initially believes is the light of Heaven are fascinating and add to the overall plot.
I didn’t see the end coming, and the suspense you experience while at a wedding is top-flight stuff indeed.
March 22, 2017
Brilliant. Surprising. Modern topics which concern the world today.
I began with book 1, written 1970, loved its time setting language and the nittygritty of the tangled web we weave in british village community life, with the mystery and and menace of the population trying to hide its secrets, watch each other, including the dogged quiet determination of wheels and cogs turning in Dalziel and Pascoe's analytic and instinctive brains to find a solution while being part of that community.
We could picture it from the many British tv series we've seen over the years, how they talk, act and interact with each other.
This first book has Dalziel and Pascoe already working together as a team, one the oldfashioned plod come up through the ranks the oldfashioned way, a man to be reckoned with, polarising either admired and respected for what he achieves or sneered at for who he appears to be. Driven by results, he pulls no punches. Pascoe, the uni educated and modern fast-tracked younger man in the duo, who have a healthy respect for each other who jibe at each other no end. Wonderful story, and wonderful characters, wonderfully written, this crime author should also be called literary crime author, both categories. Reginald Hill writes he never thought of doing a series, however we are fortunate that it evolved.
From book 1, I jumped to book 22. I can fill the others in later.
this book was fantastic. Modern things concern us, written in 2007. There was something that happened in the story that floored me and I felt aggrieved...it deeply affected me, and good writing can do that.....but ! it was not yet the end of the story. Now I want to read the next in order.
Highy recommended, it has humour, pathos, suspense, it's a bloody good police procedural
I began with book 1, written 1970, loved its time setting language and the nittygritty of the tangled web we weave in british village community life, with the mystery and and menace of the population trying to hide its secrets, watch each other, including the dogged quiet determination of wheels and cogs turning in Dalziel and Pascoe's analytic and instinctive brains to find a solution while being part of that community.
We could picture it from the many British tv series we've seen over the years, how they talk, act and interact with each other.
This first book has Dalziel and Pascoe already working together as a team, one the oldfashioned plod come up through the ranks the oldfashioned way, a man to be reckoned with, polarising either admired and respected for what he achieves or sneered at for who he appears to be. Driven by results, he pulls no punches. Pascoe, the uni educated and modern fast-tracked younger man in the duo, who have a healthy respect for each other who jibe at each other no end. Wonderful story, and wonderful characters, wonderfully written, this crime author should also be called literary crime author, both categories. Reginald Hill writes he never thought of doing a series, however we are fortunate that it evolved.
From book 1, I jumped to book 22. I can fill the others in later.
this book was fantastic. Modern things concern us, written in 2007. There was something that happened in the story that floored me and I felt aggrieved...it deeply affected me, and good writing can do that.....but ! it was not yet the end of the story. Now I want to read the next in order.
Highy recommended, it has humour, pathos, suspense, it's a bloody good police procedural
February 16, 2024
I was quite conflicted by this book. I'd read two of Hill's novels in this series (A Clubbable Woman and Arms and the Women) and gave them both one star so wasn't hopeful about this one. I found this to be a definite improvement as the sexism wasn't so overt, the story was more believable (if complex) and the characters were well written. However, for me, the author's insertion of incredibly erudite terms and references seemed to jar with the style of this particular work. (Though I did learn some new vocabulary so that was a bonus.) I also found having the protagonist, Dalziel, in a coma throughout the novel strange and some of the flights of fancy annoyed me. I've read that it helps to read this series in the correct order which I've not done so maybe that would have made for a more positive outcome? I'd recommend this but be aware that it's not your normal, run-of-the-mill thriller by any standards. It will make you think.
October 6, 2017
(Second book I've read in this series, and I'm looking forward to many more.)
The crime is a local explosion that is apparently tied to war and terrorism -- but by whom? And to what end? The "hook" to this series is We spend a great deal of time in the minds of the savvy, unscrupulous, foul-mouthed lead, Andy Daziel, and his better-behaved junior officer Pascoe. But we also see the story through the eyes of the assorted suspects, police, friends, and family characters, all well drawn. I appreciated how well the author portrayed even very politically extreme characters as people with personal motivations, not caricatures.
The crime is a local explosion that is apparently tied to war and terrorism -- but by whom? And to what end? The "hook" to this series is We spend a great deal of time in the minds of the savvy, unscrupulous, foul-mouthed lead, Andy Daziel, and his better-behaved junior officer Pascoe. But we also see the story through the eyes of the assorted suspects, police, friends, and family characters, all well drawn. I appreciated how well the author portrayed even very politically extreme characters as people with personal motivations, not caricatures.
July 8, 2019
Reginald Hill is a witty and clever writer. He plots a good story. And is sometimes funny. His main character, Andy Dalziel, is the fat man and is witty and ponderous. In this book the mystery is solved by his deputy, Pascoe, as Andy is in intensive care. The plot concerns a bombing, terrorists who call themselves Templars, and even some fairly crazy people. And the integration of middle eastern peoples into English society.
It is a long book, over 400 pgs., with many characters, and sometimes I felt it was difficult to keep the minor ones straight. Perhaps from reading too late at night. I will see what my book group thinks of this one tomorrow.
It is a long book, over 400 pgs., with many characters, and sometimes I felt it was difficult to keep the minor ones straight. Perhaps from reading too late at night. I will see what my book group thinks of this one tomorrow.
August 6, 2017
More of the excellent Dalziel and Pasco Yorkshire set mysteries. Funny with literary allusions. Hill is well educated and his language is what we want to see in a British mystery. This time, Dalziel is in a coma, but his consciousness is still floating about. Pasco is pissed and looking for the responsible party, a mysterious group of British vigilantes targeting Muslims. Ending is not that tidy with some loose ends suggesting leads to future books.
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