A Clubbable Woman: Dalziel & Pascoe #1 (Volume 1)

This is a no nonsense kind of a copper! He calls it like it is and doesn't take crap from anyone including his superiors. He intimerdates his suspects and his staff alike, almost to the point of cruelty. But, he loves his people and you can see underneath the surface his hardness and meaness there's a good man. The tv series is excellent and I've seen them all. The two major stars play their roles to such extremes that you believe they really are Daizel and Pascoe, this is one show that if either of these actors ever quit, it would fail. As of this writing I have only read this book and almost completed the second book and I'm kind of disappointed that all the characters that are in the series have not surfaced in the book; i.e. Sgt Weld. I hope I will read about him in the future books. These books have become an obsession of mine to read in this upcoming year. I hope they will all be put on Kindle in the near future. Anyone that enjoys Brittish Mysteries and great drama will enjoy reading these books, but even more so, will enjoy the tv series.

Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe series starts here. A Clubbable Woman is the first in the series, and generally continues to improve throughout the series. The upronounceable Dalziel (Dee-el)is the Chief Inspector: apparently crude and ill mannered, he is the active force in the partnership, if active is defined as the rush of an enraged bull, demanding beyond reason and totally unsuited for tearooms and crumpets. Dalziel is boorish, coarse and candid (that is, rude) in his opinions and prejudiced in his various points of view. He could easily have become a stereotype himself, but in Hill's hands he reveals himself to be intelligent, occasionally sensitive, and though willing to stomp pretty thoroughly on the manual of police procedure, he is honest and moral and, rarely, willing to reverse himself or his opinions. His foil is Peter Pascoe, educated, handsome, and the image of the new face of policing--a face that his boss can't abide. Through the series, these characters mature, add depth and become more nuanced, although true to the original characters revealed here. Their relationship with each other and with other continuing characters, especially Ellie Pascoe, grows with every book.All of this is great fun to watch expand through the novels but if the mysteries in each book were not interesting, the series would not work. Some in the series are stronger than others, but all of them are, at worst, interesting and at best throughly engrossing. It is always murder, sometimes by murders caught in the circumstances of their lives, sometimes by madmen, and occasionally by the good gone wrong.There are some notes that jar. Ellie Pascoe is the weakest of the characters, seen as a feminist first and often strident, which does not quite seem to fit with her husband and often seems one dimensional. Every now and again, one of the books will wander a bit, making the reader wonder what Hill really wants to talk about. But the writing is strong, literate, often witty and spare enough to allow the reader to build an affectionate picture of the characters and countryside without being cloying. The suspects become more complex as the books progress and some of the best are the most recent. My only regret is that I did not start the series at the beginning and that I have read them all, and miss the pleasure of having a Dalziel and Pascoe story to look forward to. I've stolen the list, in order, from Wikiopedia:1. A Clubbable Woman (1970)2. An Advancement of Learning (1971)3. Ruling Passion (1973)4. An April Shroud (1975)5. A Pinch of Snuff (1978)6. A Killing Kindness (1980)7. Deadheads (1983)8. Exit Lines (1984)9. Child's Play (1987)10. Under World (1988)11. Bones and Silence (1990)12. One Small Step (novella) (1990)13. Recalled to Life (1992)14. Pictures of Perfection (1994)15. The Wood Beyond (1995)16. Asking for the Moon [SS] (1996)o "The Last National Service Man"o "Pascoe's Ghost"o "Dalziel's Ghost"o "One Small Step"17. On Beulah Height (1998)18. Arms and the Women (1999)19. Dialogues of the Dead (2002)20. Death's Jest-Book (2003)21. Good Morning Midnight (2004)22. The Death of Dalziel (UK Title)/Death Comes for the Fat Man (US Title) (2007)23. A Cure for All Diseases (2008)

Rereading this first entry into the Dalziel & Pascoe series was so much fun. For years, I'd thought that the very early entries were somehow lesser lights, lacking the wit and character insights that later books were filled with. Not so.This edition includes an opening word from Hill about his early plans for his writing career and his relationship to these characters.A highly recommended work and a highly recommended format by the publishers.

A rugby player is knocked on his head during his game and goes home to an uncommunicative wife. After passing out on his bed for five hours, he comes downstairs to find the wife dead. Enter Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel who knows all the players and Sergeant Peter Pascoe, whose loyalties lie with another code.Strong writing, strong story line. Truly fun to read.

This novel is one of the best detective stories I have ever read. The author displays great skills as a writer. I enjoyed this book.

Not the fastest read because of the setting and the regional speech patterns, but a thoroughly enjoyable mystery set around York, England. I really enjoy Dalziel and Pascoe.

Reginald Hill stories get better as the series develops. I read this book because it is the first in the series. It is an alright story.

It was a good story. Just didn't always understand some of the English slang words used.