A Clubbable Woman [Hardcover]

Reginald Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1984

Reginald Hill's first Dalziel and Pascoe novel. When Connon got back from the Rugby Club, his wife was even more uncommunicative than usual. Five hours later, when she still hadn't moved, Connon noticed that the front of her head had been caved in.

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Only about half of Hill's police-procedurals (featuring Yorkshire cops Dalziel and Pascoe) have been published in America, Deadheads (p. 381) the most recent arrival; and this is the first US appearance for the 1970 Dalziel-Pascoe debut. The murder-victim of the title is shrewish housewife Mary Connon, found dead - an odd head wound - in front of her TV one evening. The obvious suspect? Her low-key husband "Connie," a former local rugby star who (to Mary's chagrin) has continued to spend his Saturdays at the nearby rugby club. But, despite anonymous accusations and bad-mouthing from a nasty neighbor, neither fat Dalziel nor the Connons' daughter Jenny believes that Connie is guilty. So all hands start sleuthing into possible sexual motives within the rugby-club - especially after Jenny finds heavy-breathing letters that her late mother received from a peeping tom. And the (rather strained) solution involves nearby adultery, Mary's nasty taste for emotional blackmail, and some ugly playfulness gone awry. Neither as dark nor as funny as later, better Hill, with Dalziel and Pascoe (still unmarried) not yet fully-drawn - but curious and atmospheric in its moody, rugby-centered, plodding way. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

'Reginald Hill stands head and shoulders above the other writer of homebred crime fiction' - Observer

'Hill... is an instinctive and complete novelist who is blessed with a spontanrous storytelling gift' - Francis Fyfield, Mail on Sunday

'So far out in front that he need not bother looking over his shoulder' Mike Ripley, Sunday Telegraph --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Backcountry Pubns (September 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881500321
• ISBN-13: 978-0881500325
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,363,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Reginald Hill has been widely published both in England and the United States. He received Britain's most coveted mystery writers award, the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, as well as the Golden Dagger for his Dalziel/Pascoe series. He lives with his wife in Cumbria, England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile, if not as good as Hill's later work, January 11, 2006

By 

Jules Jones "sf and romance author" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clubbable Woman (Dalziel & Pascoe Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)

The first of the Dalziel and Pascoe novels is not as complex or thoughtful as some of the later books in the series, but it's still an entertaining mystery that lays the foundations of the relationship between two very different men who together form a formidable detective team. Even this first book displays Hill's witty style and elegant prose, if not to the same high level as later books.

The book is based around the goings-on at a rugby club that may or may not be connected with the murder of the wife of one of the players, but no knowledge of the game is required to enjoy the book -- it's a study of the social interactions in such a venue rather than the sport itself. The main problem readers are likely to face is that the book was first published in 1970, and as such is recent enough not to be immediately obviously a period work, while still being old enough for the culture and mores to feel somewhat odd to the modern reader. It's important to be aware of the period when reading the book, as many of the potential motivations for the characters revolve around sexual jealousy and flouting of mores. Hill draws a detailed picture of life in a relatively small Yorkshire town in the 1970s, with its web of social obligations and friendships that can be exploited by both the police and those they're pursuing.

Not my favourite of the series, and the characters aren't yet fully developed, but well worth reading both in its own right and as an introduction to the series.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start here, read them in order and enjoy! Series list included!, April 27, 2008

By 

A. Anderson "Book Person" (Chico, Califiornia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Clubbable Woman (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Pascoe & Dalziel) (Paperback)

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)

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good effort for first book..., August 19, 2002

By 

K. L Sadler "Dr. Karen L. Sadler" (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Clubbable Woman (Dalziel & Pascoe Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)

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