Dialogues of the Dead

Rating:
Summary: Need not be too literary to appreciate
Review: While there is a definite "second level" on which this book can be appreicated by those with an abiding fascination with the Endligh language, this is at its heart a good -- make that great -- mystery novel. Don't let its "wordiness" scare you off. I read it on the train, where I could not pause to look up every word I didn't know. Even without understanding all of the keen tricks of language that Hill employs, this is a very enjoyable mystery novel. The pacing is fast, the dialogue is a notch above most crime fiction, and the twists and turns of the plot are enjoyable. I give this book "only" 4 stars because there are several components of the "twist" ending that he spills too late. To me, a great mystery lays out ALL of the clues before the end so that you can smack yourself in the forehead for not seeing them sooner. Hill holds back too many of these, taking some of the fun out of the ending. Nonetheless, the book is quite good and coherent. It's just not quite perfect. This was my first Hill novel. I will read many more.

Rating:
Summary: Need not be too literary to appreciate
Review: While there is a definite "second level" on which this book can be appreicated by those with an abiding fascination with the Endligh language, this is at its heart a good -- make that great -- mystery novel. Don't let its "wordiness" scare you off. I read it on the train, where I could not pause to look up every word I didn't know. Even without understanding all of the keen tricks of language that Hill employs, this is a very enjoyable mystery novel. The pacing is fast, the dialogue is a notch above most crime fiction, and the twists and turns of the plot are enjoyable. I give this book "only" 4 stars because there are several components of the "twist" ending that he spills too late. To me, a great mystery lays out ALL of the clues before the end so that you can smack yourself in the forehead for not seeing them sooner. Hill holds back too many of these, taking some of the fun out of the ending. Nonetheless, the book is quite good and coherent. It's just not quite perfect. This was my first Hill novel. I will read many more.