Customer Reviews

A Cure For All Diseases

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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It's a rare and wondrous thing to read a mystery novel that has you laughing out loud over and over again. WHile you're anxiously following along the plot twists and turns (Hill uses a couple of devices that I had no trouble following) I would find myself laughing uproariously (sp?) to the musings of Andy Dalziel and his flippant responses to pompous boors. Worth every minute and every cent.

In crossing the Atlantic, this book picked up a new title. In England, the title was The Price of Butcher's Meat. Admittedly, a bit unappetizing. Another thing seemingly lost in the crossing is Hill's literary source. He admits that this book is his attempt to finish Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sandition. That's a bit disengenuous, since he merely takes the characters, setting, and plot setup and adds them to his ongoing series characters, but it does allow him to creat a wonderfully entertaining novel that stands on its own, but allows those Austen fanatics to enjoy lots of in-jokes. Hill's D&P books are among my favorites and this one is in the top tier, although it does go on a little too long. And it continues my shifting of allegience from the younger liberal Pascoe, to whom I related in my younger years, to the older non-PC Daziell who now seems a much more rounded character.

Engaging crime novel. I liked the different narrative voices: superintendent Andy Dalziel's recorded voice, Charley Heywood's emails and the omniscient narrator who suddenly appears towards the end (+ the final recorded voice, won't reveal who that is here).In the first third of the book, I found the pace was a little slow. In fact the first crime happens only after ca. 200 pages. However, after that, it picks up considerably and you won't be able to put it down. And at times it is very funny! Good read.

It is thought that you can't keep a good man down, and that is what has happened with this book. Fat Andy Dalziel is back, and although he is physically not recovered from his close brush with death in the last book, his mind is still as razor-sharp as ever. In true Hill fashion this book is hilariously funny, but also poignant and touching as well. I read a lot of British police procedural series, and I have a lot that I really enjoy, and continue reading each time as new books come out, but the Dalziel and Pascoe series is by far my favourite. The writing is extremly intelligent, the characters are so realistic, and each book is very different from the others. The mysteries are very tricky, and believe me the series does not grow stale at all even though this is the 22 book in the series. Andy finds himself right in the middle of a family drama when he retires to a sea side convalescent home to recover from his grievous injuries. He gets drawn up into the action, and his remarkable intellect pushes him on untl he solves the mystery. He doesn't get drawn up into all the red herrings that even infallible Wieldy and perceptive Peter Pascoe fall for. I for one am so glad that Dalziel is back. He is a remarkable character, and one of my very favourites.

Sandytown is the perfect seaside resort. It's newest venture is advertising itself as a health resort. There is already a world-class clinic, and a local group is bringing in alternative therapists also. There's a plan to turn the local manor house into a luxury hotel/spa and all seems ducky. The main partners in the venture are Lady Denham, who is the local gentry, and Tom Parker, who is interested in the alternative therapies and is the general cheerleader for the project.

All's well until a local gathering is interrupted by the discovery of the body of Lady Denham. It seems there are a myriad of suspects. In addition to Tom Parker, Lady Denham had several relatives who wanted to be her heirs. There are also local characters who she has insulted or treated shabbily. On top of this, there are secrets with some of the alternative healers.

The case falls to Peter Pascoe, who is heading up Yorkshire police in the absence of Andy Danziel. But Daziel is on the spot---he's recuperating from a terrorist bombing at the clinic. The entire cast of characters from this series are on the spot, along with some former villians and new intriguing characters.

The Dalziel-Pascoe series in one of my absolute favorites. Hill writes breezily and humour comes through in the speeches of his characters. The mysteries are densely plotted, and the reader is usually surprised by the ending. This book is highly recommended for all mystery lovers, and if you haven't read any of the series, you'll want to go back and read them all!

Another Hill Hit, I'm a big fan and this is one of the better ones from a favorite author.

Well, the Fat Man aka Andy Dalziel (pronounced "dee ell") is certainly the 300 lb. gorilla in any room. His keen insights, total irreverence, and studied political incorrectness are always a joy and he is in rare form here. Poor Peter Pascoe, Dalziel's long-suffering DCI who almost came into his own in "Death Comes for the Fat Man". Alas, it was not to be! This is an interesting enough mystery with several narrative devices that work quite well but the story, as usual, takes a back seat to Dalziel's antics. And, mostly, that's OK.

This is Reginald Hill at his best........I could not wait to read this....Aquiring a copy was not easy, as it has not been released in the US, yet.........With Amazon's help, I found a copy....I adore the fat man......I can't help feeling sorry for Pete Pascoe.....As I have come to expect, the dialog is great.....Dalziel is back.......His behavior is as outrageous as ever.....