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Rating: 
Summary: Exceptionally fine!
Review: Hill is an exceptionally fine writer and the Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries show off his skills at their best. This is first mystery in the series and sets the tone and introduces characters for the books to come. In itself it is a gripping mystery set in chilly Yorkshire in the blue collar world of a rugby club, where camaraderie and tension vye with equal measure, where secrets seep through by word of mouth until they act as the match to trigger an explosion. Dalziel springs fullformed from the Author's forehead while Peter Pascoe begins his struggle with his ambivilence between a liberal conscious and a police job. Some readers may find the dialect and attitudes a bit hard to get through but this is series that develops well as it ages.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally fine!
Review: Hill is an exceptionally fine writer and the Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries show off his skills at their best. This is first mystery in the series and sets the tone and introduces characters for the books to come. In itself it is a gripping mystery set in chilly Yorkshire in the blue collar world of a rugby club, where camaraderie and tension vye with equal measure, where secrets seep through by word of mouth until they act as the match to trigger an explosion. Dalziel springs fullformed from the Author's forehead while Peter Pascoe begins his struggle with his ambivilence between a liberal conscious and a police job. Some readers may find the dialect and attitudes a bit hard to get through but this is series that develops well as it ages.
Rating: 
Summary: First book in series not quite my cup of tea
Review: I've enjoyed the Daziel & Pascoe series on TV over the years. It seemed time to check out the book series that is the basis for the show. All I can say is that I'm glad I had the show as a mental resource. It's hard to point to any one problem with the book. Perhaps the problem is that the book was written in 1970 and is a bit dated. Perhaps the problem is that much of the book centers on rugby, a sport I don't know in the slightest. And, perhaps, there are just some rough edges in the first time writer's style. Bottom line was that I found the book a bit of chore to get through. Still, I like the characters well enough that I'll certainly give Hill another chance (or two).
Rating:
Summary: First book in series not quite my cup of tea
Review: I've enjoyed the Daziel & Pascoe series on TV over the years. It seemed time to check out the book series that is the basis for the show. All I can say is that I'm glad I had the show as a mental resource. It's hard to point to any one problem with the book. Perhaps the problem is that the book was written in 1970 and is a bit dated. Perhaps the problem is that much of the book centers on rugby, a sport I don't know in the slightest. And, perhaps, there are just some rough edges in the first time writer's style. Bottom line was that I found the book a bit of chore to get through. Still, I like the characters well enough that I'll certainly give Hill another chance (or two).
Rating:
Summary: First book in series not quite my cup of tea
Review: I've enjoyed the Daziel & Pascoe series on TV over the years. It seemed time to check out the book series that is the basis for the show. All I can say is that I'm glad I had the show as a mental resource. It's hard to point to any one problem with the book. Perhaps the problem is that the book was written in 1970 and is a bit dated. Perhaps the problem is that much of the book centers on rugby, a sport I don't know in the slightest. And, perhaps, there are just some rough edges in the first time writer's style. Bottom line was that I found the book a bit of chore to get through. Still, I like the characters well enough that I'll certainly give Hill another chance (or two).
Rating: 
Summary: only the beginning....
Review: This is not my favourite of Hill's cannon of Dalziel/ Pascoe novels, but I still enjoyed it .....starting at the roots.
Dalziel and Pascoe are one of the most stimulating pairings in contemporary crime fiction. Pascoe is the young, idealistic and educated University Grad and Dalziel is.... well.... Dalziel ( you'll have to read the books !)The characterization, intelligent yarns and witty subplots and dialogue keep me hooked to this series. Hill is a classic of the genre. Long may both protagonists inhabit modern mystery!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good effort for first book...
Review: While going on vacation with a pile of scholarly books and papers, I grabbed a couple of early mysteries by Hill. I felt as I read this particular one, that it was definitely his first (though I didn't know for sure). I also felt that as an author he has done very well, not in terms of financial attainment from his work, but that unlike several current mystery authors I could name...Reginald Hill retained the quality of his writing as he continued the series. Not only that, but he can claim that his quality of writing has improved. Whether or not some readers dislike his wordiness and his attempt to keep his writing fresh through his continuous reading, Hill has mostly avoided falling into the usual rut of other mystery writers. His characters and the plots of the books continue to be unique and well-done, even as the series edges on to thirty years old or more. I was jealous to read that other reviewers have had access to a television version of Hill's mysteries. I hope they are well done, and would love to see them, but at the same time I am leary lest Dalziel not be the person my mind has drawn him as. Pascoe's shoes would probably be easier to fill. This book IS slightly dated. It is only through having grown up in the sixties, that I recognize much of the language and the mores of the time period. Perhaps the reoccurance of the fashions (there is a contradiction in terms) of the 1970's will make some of the book more understandable to other readers. Of course, Hill would choose to write about something he knows. Rugby may be foreign to American readers, but I enjoyed reading about it, even though it's rules are not quite clear. However, the enthusiasm of men for their sport and the comraderies among these men is certainly not something new. A fun read... Karen Sadler
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