What do you think?
Rate this book
The Long Kill
Having blown his last assignment, Jaysmith attempts to retire from the assassin's profession, but his employers' reluctance to let him go and his attraction to the daughter of a man he was sent to kill complicate Jaysmith's plans
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1988
99 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 15, 2020
I’ve said it before (although possibly not so eloquently), and I’ll say it again. This fucker can write. Could write.
July 10, 2016
I started this book as a fan of Reginald Hill and this book did nothing to dent my appreciation of his writing. For me it had an excellent combination of crime and personal development.
The idea of Jaysmith's career, although far-fetched, was sufficiently credibly explained to allow for suspension of disbelief, and made an interesting context for his character development. The main characters were sufficiently well drawn for me to want to learn more about them, and the setting was used to good effect. In fact the setting was used more effectively than in several novels I have read recently - I had almost given up on reading a book because I have an interest in the setting, but The Long Kill has restored my faith in the ability of some novelists at least to use a regional setting effectively.
Very unusually the for me, I guessed the main twists in the plot long before they were revealed, but was still interested to see both if I was right, and how the story fitted together to make my guess correct.
My enjoyment of the book was helped along the way by Hill's straightforward style of prose and the variations in pace in the plot.
Another good read from Reginald Hill.
The idea of Jaysmith's career, although far-fetched, was sufficiently credibly explained to allow for suspension of disbelief, and made an interesting context for his character development. The main characters were sufficiently well drawn for me to want to learn more about them, and the setting was used to good effect. In fact the setting was used more effectively than in several novels I have read recently - I had almost given up on reading a book because I have an interest in the setting, but The Long Kill has restored my faith in the ability of some novelists at least to use a regional setting effectively.
Very unusually the for me, I guessed the main twists in the plot long before they were revealed, but was still interested to see both if I was right, and how the story fitted together to make my guess correct.
My enjoyment of the book was helped along the way by Hill's straightforward style of prose and the variations in pace in the plot.
Another good read from Reginald Hill.
July 5, 2013
It is of some concern to live just a few kilometres from the area where Hill sets this novel and postulate that such people live on our doorstep. We are not Midsommer.
It is somewhat of poetic license also to think that local people would welcome a newcomer into the area as they do with the antihero.
But, in such novels we should not think of such things, and just enjoy the story.
The story is too flawed though, and not strong enough for the reader to block out their preconceptions. Also it waffles, and joins the genre of books I have that would have been better as a short story.
In this novel above all others from Hill he could be excused of taking advantage of the Lake District to enhance his story. I am a Hill fan though, but this is not a patch on the Woodcutter for example, or any Dalziel books.
I've several more to go though, and this glitch won't stop me.
It is somewhat of poetic license also to think that local people would welcome a newcomer into the area as they do with the antihero.
But, in such novels we should not think of such things, and just enjoy the story.
The story is too flawed though, and not strong enough for the reader to block out their preconceptions. Also it waffles, and joins the genre of books I have that would have been better as a short story.
In this novel above all others from Hill he could be excused of taking advantage of the Lake District to enhance his story. I am a Hill fan though, but this is not a patch on the Woodcutter for example, or any Dalziel books.
I've several more to go though, and this glitch won't stop me.
December 22, 2019
I love the writing and the many words that I have learnt from this writing. Also, it did make me wanting countless of time to take the book and keep on reading. And the ending did break my heart. It really did! You have to read it ….
I guess one thing to learn in life is not to live such a dubious life as Jaysmith experienced. He felt in love and his past and connection became the barriers to a life of sharing and trust aka what a marriage is about. How ruthless his life used to be, he was after all a human. And the plot is made so complex even further when his past, present and future collided into one - leading to the dramatic ending.
I guess one thing to learn in life is not to live such a dubious life as Jaysmith experienced. He felt in love and his past and connection became the barriers to a life of sharing and trust aka what a marriage is about. How ruthless his life used to be, he was after all a human. And the plot is made so complex even further when his past, present and future collided into one - leading to the dramatic ending.
December 15, 2017
Interesting mix - it's a thriller and a romance, there's graphic violence, lovely scenery, betrayal, loyalty, action, drama and normal everyday lifea all made believable by a wide range of interesting and well drawn characters.
January 17, 2021
I enjoyed this book about a newly retired assassin trying to settle in the Lake District and was considering 5 stars but I found the ending an unexpected twist which left me somehow unsatisfied.
July 21, 2024
A gripping page-turner, even if I did figure out one of the twists halfway through. It also hit me around the same point that the primary plot had been lifted by , but given that the two occupy two different genres, I don't think either suffers for the repetition.
September 3, 2018
Frustrating read, not a favourite
March 31, 2020
Surprisingly good.
May 8, 2020
Hill's stand-alone books are head-and-shoulders above his Dalzeil and Pascoe series and this was a really good read.
February 22, 2022
3 1/2 stars!
December 11, 2023
Interesting mix of thriller and romance in this fast paced pulsating novel “The Long Kill” by Patrick Ruell aka Reginald Hill.
More at
https://medium.com/@vram45/the-long-k...
More at
https://medium.com/@vram45/the-long-k...
February 16, 2025
If you're a fan of Reginald Hill you will love this since it is his pen name for other novels
May 16, 2025
Was a good story, however I found the author clearly did not know how to write women. It seemed like his own fantasy of what he thought the perfect woman would be like. Soft and submissive.
November 20, 2019
As a big fan of Reginald Hill I was interested in reading this, one of the books he published under a pseudonym at the same time as he was experiencing success with his other novels.
The set up is intriguing and the main character interesting but the plot doesn't quite seem to gel; I don't know exactly what wasn't right but it didn't have the Hill magic. Everything seems to be fairly conventional, if not a bit cliched and some of the plot points came across as contrived or plain unlikely. The writing too wasn't up to par, almost as if Hill had lost enthusiasm for the project before it was completed. Perhaps that was why he published it under a different name.
That said, it's workman like enough to pass as a casual read. It's just not in the same league as Hill's other work.
The set up is intriguing and the main character interesting but the plot doesn't quite seem to gel; I don't know exactly what wasn't right but it didn't have the Hill magic. Everything seems to be fairly conventional, if not a bit cliched and some of the plot points came across as contrived or plain unlikely. The writing too wasn't up to par, almost as if Hill had lost enthusiasm for the project before it was completed. Perhaps that was why he published it under a different name.
That said, it's workman like enough to pass as a casual read. It's just not in the same league as Hill's other work.
Read
August 21, 2023I kept thinking while reading this how the conventional plot was executed in a technically exemplary way--until the end. The story is told entirely from the main character's point of view, and he doesn't survive. The espionage context of the Polish anti-communism movement of the 1980s was too obliquely presented for me to understand 40 years later. The style is deadly serious, with not a hint of Hill's comic genius. I read a Kindle edition, so it was hard to judge the length, but it seemed too long during the second half. The setting of mountain climbing in the Lake District reminded me of The Woodcutter, which I will have to revisit. Admirably written, with a letdown in the plot's resolution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2021
I'm being generous at two stars. I loved the first Reginald Hill book I read and bought many more for future reading. If this had been the first book, that wouldn't of happened. It starts of brilliantly as a story about an assassin. Then it fades quickly into an unlikely and tepid love story. Some cliche twists and more unlikely occurances, and a soap opera finish. Most disappointing, but there were a few good moments.
July 11, 2013
It was sort of boring and weird. The characters other than the main character seemed to not have any depth in them.
The story was an unusual one and the twist seemed to be lodged in to make it interesting but it seemed more illogical than amusing.
I wasn't engaged in the plainness of the book but I can see how some people would find this book interesting.
The story was an unusual one and the twist seemed to be lodged in to make it interesting but it seemed more illogical than amusing.
I wasn't engaged in the plainness of the book but I can see how some people would find this book interesting.
April 24, 2021
The Long Kill - Reginald Hill 12 4 21 - 50
Jaysmith is an assassin; a long distance sniper. Failing eyesight so he misses his last target then unwittingly gets involved with that target's daughter. Then it's all about why the hit was set up in the first place. I guessed the main plot twist which is always disappointing although I didn't expect the final outcome. Readable enough.
Jaysmith is an assassin; a long distance sniper. Failing eyesight so he misses his last target then unwittingly gets involved with that target's daughter. Then it's all about why the hit was set up in the first place. I guessed the main plot twist which is always disappointing although I didn't expect the final outcome. Readable enough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2025
Despite a story that was written almost 40 years ago, I found it gripping. I have read a handful of RH stand-alone novels over the years and The Long Kill stands toe-to-toe with the others. The plot twist was a little tedious and far fetched and the ending was, unfortunately, predictable, but a thoroughly enjoyable read nonetheless.
August 17, 2023
A retired assassin falls in love with the daughter of the target.
Not as good as some of his earlier books, but there is no mistaking that style, that magic with words, that crank up the tension to its horrifying climax
Not as good as some of his earlier books, but there is no mistaking that style, that magic with words, that crank up the tension to its horrifying climax
April 12, 2020
I am a big fan of the author's series featuring Dalziel and Pascoe but sadly none of his other books even come close to that standard. This is probably the author's worst book.
March 31, 2011
Hopes well raised then cruelly dashed, all too realistically
July 10, 2022
Slow moving, not always connecting the story elements very well, leaving some holes in the narrative. Did not like the ending!
May 23, 2023
Not bad, not great Reggie.
January 13, 2010
a.k.a Rginald Hill
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews