Asking For The Moon

Dalziel & Pascoe #16

by Reginald Hill

Spanning the careers of two of crime fiction's most esteemed police detectives, these four short mysteries are revelatory episodes in the complex relationship between Dalziel and Pascoe.  In the opening tale, the chilling start of the Dalziel and Pascoe partnership--never before revealed--is cemented by a killer and his shotgun.  In another, the duo investigates the fate of a woman no one has seen for a year, except her brother, who claims he is being haunted by her ghost.  Then the detectives keep vigil at an isolated farmhouse, waiting to see what is making things go bump in the night.  Finally, a jump in time to the year 2012, and the partners' last case: the first man murdered on the moon.  Set against Yorkshire's brooding landscape, Asking for the Moon shows the full spectrum of Dalziel's eccentric brilliance, the evolution of Pascoe's professionalism, the zenith of Reginald Hill's incomparable talent...and the very best British mystery can be.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Short Stories, Procedural, British Literature, Detective

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Reginald 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.

Reviews

[Marijan Šiško · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zapravo u ovom se izdanju nalaze samo dvije priče, novela po kojoj knjiga nosi naslov, i priča o prvom susretu dvojice policajaca. Zanimljivo i zabavno.

[Jendi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The short story form, with less room to develop supporting characters, showed me that Dalziel is actually my least favorite part of the Dalziel/Pascoe series. "Pascoe's Ghost", the longest entry, is the only solid one. Dalziel's sexism is on full display with his constant ogling and sexual advances toward any large-breasted female who crosses his path (he even thinks lewdly about a dead body). The science fiction story is a compendium of offensive national stereotypes that went out of style with Agatha Christie.

[cloudyskye · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so. I'm rather bored with Dalziel and Pascoe by now, perhaps I should have given this one a miss in the first place. What looked interesting was the 1990 view of space travel and all that sort of thing in 2010. That story is quite OK, though not exactly groundbreaking. The others ... well, I hardly remember them.

[J. Merwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

You all know how much I love Reginald Hill's Dalzeil and Pascoe but I just couldn't get into these short stories, the 2nd one in stopped me cold. I'll come back to it after I've read everything else and I'm desperate!

[Edward Amato · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth R.H. book I have read and they are just getting better as I understand the British phrases and jargon. Very clever dialog and I love the main protagonists. Too bad I am not reading these sequentially.

[Jan Yarnot · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story was how Dalziel and Pascoe met, and the last one was a future one, 2010, on the moon. I’d already read Pascoe’s Ghost.

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sceptical about reading short stories about Dalziel and Pascoe but was pleasantly surprised by how good they are.

My favourite is the first one about Pascoe's and Dalziel's first meeting which has some classic banter between them. To me it felt like an accurate portrayal of both characters a few years ago and I loved Daziel's tactics!

The second story was also very good with some interesting characters that Pascoe has to interrogate at a dinner party.

I felt the third story was a bit pointless but then there are some mysteries that policeman have to solve which end up having a pretty lame solution!

The last story One Small Step was an interesting portrayal of 2010 and a much older Dalziel and Pascoe. It was a bit like something out of a sci-fi film but I thought it mainly worked quite well although Pascoe's behaviour was not what I expected!

All in all a good collection of stories which will be particularly appealing for Dalziel and Pascoe fans.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten just how delightful Dalziel & Pascoe are. This is a wonderful collection of 4 D&P tales. They are all wonderful but the standouts are the first (the actual first D&P story!) and the last (1st murder on the moon!).

The last was the most enjoyable as it was a future speculation of the first decade of the 21st century. Completely off target as it appears. Oh, well. It's hard to prognosticate. Mr. Hill wrote this in the 90's. How could he predict 9/11, the Euro collapse, and the death of American hegemony in space? He did get some things right, though. The Brits are still Eurosceptics. The Americans still like their fingers in all the pies. People will still want to have sex in space.

Loved it!

[Clarice Stasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a five star only for fanatics of Pascoe and Dalziel. Hence my fewer-star review.

Those unfamiliar with the full-length mysteries may be confused by some references and the characters. The 2nd and 3rd story were written in the 1970s, early in Hill's long career, while the 1st and 4th are from 1990s. If you are unfamiliar with the series, I recommend the novella "Pascoe's Ghost," which reveals more of the background and biases of the lead detectives. Then go to the first story, "The Last National Service Man," and you may catch on more to the blather and insults.

"Dalziel's Ghost" is brief and undeveloped, worth a skip. On the other hand, "One Small Step" features typical Hillian humor abounding and adancing with Pascoe and Dalziel solving a case in space.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

These four short Dalziel/Pascoe mystery stories cover the beginning of their working relationship, two mysteries with "ghosts", and a murder on the moon reunion. Not to be missed by Dalziel/Pascoe fans, but one of the book length mysteries would be a better introduction to this series/these characters.

[Peter Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd collection of long stories/novellas covering the back story of Pascoe and Dalziel's first case, a couple of late 70s tales and a futuristic moon case. The last has an introduction which explains the lack of real time agony of the pair. Enjoyable without being scintillating.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 novellas. 1) The Last National Service Man - Pascoe's first day working for Dalziel. They get kidnapped by a man driven mad by being in the army and Dalziel reveals his devious methods for hostage negotiations. 2) Pascoe's Ghost - Pascoe is sent to another juristiction to find a missing wife who may have run away. Kinship systems of tiny hamlets with couples who know each other from childhood. No body and no motive for killing Kate but her brother is a monster. 3) Dalziel's Ghost - Pascoe and Dalziel stay in a 'haunted' house Dalziel volunteered to explore because the owner is a tax accountant whose clients he wants to know more about. Hilarious. 4) One Small Step - It's in the far future where Pascoe is in charge of an investigation of the European moon colony's first fatal accident. Somehow the first man to step out on lunar soil pissed himself and was electrocuted. Dalziel is brought out of retirement to question the other astro naughts and uncovers a lot of clowns and liaisons. - Good break for America's 4th of July after the Supreme Court destroys 50 years of Congressional progress and there's another mass shooting (I've lost count this year). Covid is over; no one is masked: 89,567,321 confirmed cases; 1,043,372 confirmed deaths. And the US Marine Corp published a study that says if the entire planet doesn't drastically cut methane and CO2 by 2025 global heating will destroy life as we know it on earth. But of course, the US needs to drill for more oil because gasoline at the pump is over $6 a gallon. - My only regret is that Hill didn't write enough books so I can enjoy them while the planet burns up.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story collection of Dalziel and Pascoe stories.

The Last National Service Man - tells the story of how Peter and Andy met when Peter was a new constable and they both get taken hostage by a man who has it in for Andy. Can the pair talk themselves out of a difficult jam.

Pascoe's ghost - tells the story of the investigation into a missing woman in order to help the Enfield police (from where she has disappeared). A strange set of circumstances results in Peter interviewing the small circle of friends in her home town Wearton when they are at a dinner party. The story ends tragically but is well written and keeps the reader guessing.

Dalziel's ghost - Peter and Andy spend the night in renovated farm house where reported strange scratching has forced the wife back into town. Naturally Andy has an ulterior motive and Peter tries to keep him on the straight and narrow.

One Small Step - (previously read) Weird Dalziel and Pasco short story as the duo (Andy pulled out of retirement) go and investigate a murder on the the moon. It was an interesting premise which worked as a short story but I'm not sure it could have been sustained for a full size novel.

[Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Negativity in others really bothers me. It makes me even more sad when I exhibited myself. But this was one of the worst books I've read in years. Essentially this is a compilation of four novellas. The first one describes how the two detectives met one another in the first place. The middle two novellas are filled with cheesy, campy nonsense and ghosts. The final novella pits the two detectives against a murderer on the moon in 2010. This would have been a better experience had I been able to find a better narration. The National Library Service narration was dreadful without parallel. He did more to single-handedly ruin my experience with the book than any other component. I hope if you read this you have a far better experience with it than I did. And I sincerely apologize for my negativity.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For real lovers of Dalziel and Pascoe, this is a collection of four stories, two written in the 70's and two in the 90's. All of them are artfully written mysteries, the first being especially significant because it presents the first meeting of the pair of detectives. In another they spend a night in a haunted house, which for those who love Dalziel is a real treat. But overall, nowhere nearly as satisfying as the novels. The tone is set on the dedication page: "To you, Dear Readers, without whom the writing would be in vain, and to you Still Dearer Purchasers without whom the eating would be infrequent this book is dedicated in appreciation of your loyalty, in anticipation of your longevity, in admiration of your taste."

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hill's prose is energetic and precise, and I like reading him. But perhaps I met Dalziel and Pascoe after having seen too many gruff-but-brilliant over-detectives with intelligent-highly-educated sergeant-detectives. D-and-P's schtick doesn't charm me.
The detective I most reliably enjoy-- even in his lesser outings-- is Robert Parker's Spenser. But the question with Spenser is-- after so many of his outings-- *isn't this guy getting a little OLD for all this??" In the short story "One Small Step," Hill wittily takes this issue head-on, taking his protagonists into a "Star Trek" setting. It's a lot of fun.

BTW, most of the rest of this volume is filled by "Pascoe's Ghost" and "Dalziel's Ghost," two stories which are available in another Hill publication "Pacoe's Ghost."

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four longish short stories about possibly my favorite pair of policemen.

One goes back to the start of Dalziel and Pascoe's partnership, two deal with ghosts, and the last, my favorite, is a playful discussion on the relation of actual vs. fictive time between the two protagonists and the author, resulting in Hill becoming defensive:

"It was time to remind them what they were, figments of my imagination, paper and printers' ink not flesh and blood, and I started to formulate a few elegant phrases about the creative artist's use of a dual chronology."

And Hill proceeds to celebrate the twenty years of the existence of the pair by setting a mystery on the moon.

In aggregate, not my favorite of his books, but a sweet confirmation of my devotion to them.

[Natasha Hagen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Dalziel and Pascoe book that I have read. I probably should have started at the beginning of the series, as I was very confused in the beginning. Once I got the story about the two characters things started to fall into place.

The whole time I was reading I felt like I was stuck in a live game of Clue. In the end the adventures that Dalziel and Pascoe go on are fun mysteries that need to be solved. It always ends with an unexpected twist that makes it a fun read.

I would recommend that you start at the beginning of the series and work your way thru, you might get more enjoyment from it book that way.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've always wondered when Dalziel and Pascoe meet and discover they will be working with each other — more than 20 books worth — this is the book for you. Reginald Hill, that crafty devil, has taken time from the series to write four short stories that are almost whimsical. Definitely a bit tongue in cheek. And the very first one tells a wonderful tale of how the two meet up, and definitely gives a boost to how their relationship develops and who they are. Its a delight — as are the three others: Pascoe's Ghost, Dalziel's Ghost and One Small Step. A wonderful collection of stories that are a lot of fun to read.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Asking for the Moon" is a collection of four short stories/novellas from Reginald Hill, featuring Pascoe and Dalziel. These include “The Last National Service Man,” wherein the two meet each other for the first time; “Pascoe’s Ghost,” “Dalziel’s Ghost,” and “One Small Step,” set in the distant “future” of 2010 and featuring a murder on the Moon! Not really necessary with respect to the series as a whole, but tons of fun nevertheless.

[Owlsinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't read the summaries inside the covers, I wasn't expecting short stories. Four of them, good character exposition, a bit more than we've seen in the main series; it was a hoot to read about how D & P first met, first impressions, and so on. And an imaginative leap into the future - for them, but 7 years ago for us. Now, on to find out how Pascoe deals with his new family tree!

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great writer.

Worth reading his fluent prose. But...all the school boy dirty language, the fake ness of the two men being polar opposites, the amount of slang...I didn’t understand any of the stories. But I kept reading because somehow he does know how to write. It just all seems like a male version of romance books...fantasy, unlikely.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This restores my faith in Mr Hill after my poor review of The Long Kill. These stories - little gems of mystery involving Dalziel and Pascoe - are simply brilliant. Wonderfully written and a joy to read. Best to read a couple of the full length novels first I think, but after that, this is highly recommended.

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this decades ago, but decided to reread the series. As I completed the first story, I remembered that I wasn’t terribly jazzed with the book the first time I read it. Pascoe and Dalziel’s first encounter sounded quite promising. I wasn’t impressed.
It was pleasant to spend time with two characters I’m fond of, but this was just an okay read for me.

[Thejelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of four Dalziel & Pascoe short stories ranging from the early (first) days to the future (at least when it was written) of our heroic duo. Not a great fan of short stories, but these are good enough.

[Kadi Viik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sketchy and obsessed with tits. I definitely recommend the novels. Although the tits part is relevant for them too, the humor is more advanced.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Horribly dated and sexist, especially the astronaut story.

[Kiljac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dosadna knjiga, ovo je prva "Dalziel & Pascoe" knjiga koju sam pročitao, vrlo vjerojatno i zadnja.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever plotlines and the typical quick fire, witty dialogue between Dalziel and Pascoe are as evident in these short stories as in the longer novels.

[Cybercrone · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple of the stories were OK, a couple not so much.
Still a fan of the series though.