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Death Comes for the Fat Man (Dalziel and Pascoe Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Reginald Hill (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews) |

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Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 2008 | Series: Dalziel and Pascoe Mysteries
Award-winning author Reginald Hill returns with a stunning new novel featuring his popular Yorkshire policemen Dalziel and Pascoe.

Caught in the full blast of a huge explosion, Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel lies on a hospital bed, with only a life support system and his indomitable will between him and the Great Beyond.

His colleague, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, is determined to bring those responsible to justice. Pascoe suspects a group called The Templars, and the deeper he digs, the more certain he is that The Templars are getting help from within the police force.

The plot is complex, the pace fast, the jokes furious, the action explosive, the characterization vivid, and the climax astounding. And above it all, like a huge dirigible threatening to break from its moorings, hovers the disembodied spirit of Andy Dalziel.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Hill, who has created and artfully guided the destinies of Yorkshire policemen Det. Supt. Andy Dalziel (aka "the Fat Man") and his DCI Peter Pascoe through 22 remarkable adventures, doesn't give anything away until the very last page of this excellent mystery (after 2004's Good Morning, Midnight). Only then do we learn whether or not the bomb blast that starts the story marks the end of Dalziel's life. As the Fat Man lies comatose in his hospital bed, the shrewd and usually diplomatic Pascoe—who was also injured in the blast, but saved by his colleague's bulk—takes on some of Dalziel's troublesome tenacity (as well as a touch of his saltier language) as he forces his way onto the team of antiterrorism specialists looking into the incident. The terrorists appear to be linked to an obscure branch of the historic Knights Templar, and Hill's perfect pitch (especially for the short, pithy details of dialogue and character description) carries the story through all sorts of villains—some of whom are even directly connected to the cops. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This twenty-second in Hill's celebrated series about Dalziel and Pascoe, who work uncomfortably together in the Mid-Yorkshire Constabulary, should please longtime fans of the series (or viewers of the PBS version) but may bewilder new readers. Hill assumes a familiarity with the series that makes deciphering who these people are almost impossible without plenty of knowledge. His plotting, too, has an inner-circle feel to it, filled as it is with long digressions into domestic life and station-house characters that only the most loyal Dalziel/Pascoe fan would find compelling. The novel focuses on an explosion during a barricaded-suspect incident that leaves both Detective Superintendent Dalziel and Detective Chief Inspector Pascoe injured, with Dalziel hovering near death, in and out of stream of consciousness for most of the novel. The procedural elements are fairly dull this time, with the miscreants identified too quickly. This is definitely a lesser entry in the series, but Dalziel and Pascoe remain among the most popular coppers in the genre. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 440 pages
  • Publisher: Harper (January 29, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060821434
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060821432
  • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Reginald Hill Page
Reginald Hill
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
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this twenty-second Dalziel and Pascoe mystery, a young Mid-Yorkshire police constable sees a man waving a gun inside a shabby video store which has been flagged for follow-up by an anti-terrorist unit, should unusual activity be observed there. The local police, including Det. Supt. Andy Dalziel and Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, arrive on the scene to investigate this report, just as an earth-shattering explosion takes place. Both Pascoe and Dalziel are seriously injured, with the hefty Dalziel comatose and dying.

Straight-talking Dalziel has always been bold and aggressive, willing to take chances and leave "the book" behind when necessary. Pascoe, by contrast, is a "master of diplomatic reticence." With Dalziel comatose, however, Pascoe determines to find out who and what caused the explosion, and he agrees to work with the Combined Anti-Terrorist Unit (CAT) of MI5 and Special Forces as they try to unravel events. Pascoe soon finds himself acting on his own, however, becoming as aggressive as Dalziel has always been, and even beginning to speak in Dalziel's bold, irreverent manner.

Alternating with this narrative about terrorism and the explosion, are Dalziel's out-of-body excursions through his subconscious as he combines nightmarish elements of his past and present and suffers from his potentially fatal injuries. Several additional plots and subplots ratchet up the action and excitement. A renegade group of Knights Templar decide to take the law into their own hands, murdering men they believe to be terrorists. A local convert to Islam, Michael Carradice, related to Pascoe's wife Ellie, is released from jail after being tried for terrorism, then mysteriously disappears, and the local author of a book on the Iraq wars, a former member of the SAS, figures in the semi-conscious nightmares of a hit-and-run victim.

As is always the case in this series, the emphasis on psychological reality is strong. The backgrounds of the characters are clear, even for readers who may not be familiar with earlier novels, and the tensions which develop among the characters are well developed and realistic. The author maintains his tongue-in-cheek humor throughout the novel, from events involving Pascoe's psychic dog, to Cap Marvell's attempt to bring Dalziel out of his coma by waving Lagavulin under his nose, and Dalziel's hilarious private conversation with his own God as Fr. Kerrigan prays beside his bed. The writing is sharp and controlled, and the dialogue sparkles. A few loose ends remain at the end. Perhaps they will be resolved in the next book if the series continues. A terrific mystery, even without the great Dalziel. (4.5 stars) n Mary Whipple
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
What a fabulous read. First of all, I am not sure why this is, but I find Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe series far more entertaining than his other writings. For instance the Spy's Wife was really disappointing to me, with an ending that fell utterly flat. That never seems to happen when Dalziel and Pascoe are at work. This book has a whipping plot, without the usual slow wind up of books in this series. The dialogue is exceptionally clever and witty. The turn-of-phrase Hill deploys in this series is the equal of my hero, Raymond Chandler.

Despite The Fat Man being somewhat out of the frame in most of the book, there is still wonderful character development, and to be honest (and I was surprised at this), it was kind of nice not to have "Hat" and Novello involved.

Finally, this book does poke into the realm of morality, and how gray much of the world is.

So, this book has it all: great plot, great characters, superb dialogue, and even a bit of philosophy. My only caution would be to those whom have not read books earlier in this series. Go back as early as you can and start from there. The relationship between the main characters is very important for extracting the most out of this book, and they are all great reads.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Absolutely Brilliant! April 2, 2007
Format:Hardcover
I feel as though it's been months since I read anything good, but this book makes up for the drought! As it opens, Dalziel and Pascoe are caught up in a bomb blast, and, as Dalziel lies comatose in the hospital, a less-critically injured but very angry Pascoe takes on the mission, depite the fervent wishes of most everyone else involved, of finding who was responsible. Although you would think that there would be little of Dalziel in a book in which he is unconscious, the brief vignettes that relate what he is thinking/dreaming/doing during this time are worth their weight in gold, metaphysically, medically and even spiritually speaking. And, on his own, Pascoe -- and we -- find that he takes on much of the persona of Fat Andy as he does whatever has to be done to solve the case, damning the consequences.

On the perimeter but no less essential to the book, we have Ellie Pascoe, who provides the voice of love when it's not being a policeman; Rosie Pascoe, who sees and knows a lot more than anyone gives credit for; Sergeant Edward Wield, stalwart and efficient even as Peter goes a bit off the rails; Cap Marvell, Dalziel's lady love and number one supporter, a very Wise Woman; and a great police procedural and mystery story as the bombing becomes entwined with sites known to the Combined Antiterrorist Task Force, a Spook-y group that has a lot of rules but maybe not much right (sorry, Outback).

Hard to imagine all that in just one book? Hill weaves it seamlessly, managing to also include laugh-out-loud conversational interchanges and enought pathos to make you feel as though it was the ones you love that were in danger. Oh, heck, I'll say it -- I love them all and maybe even more to realize that they can't go on forever.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pascoe, yes, but Dalziel?
This isn't my favorite D & P mystery and the reason is simple- not enough Dalziel. To me, Dalziel is what the series is all about and Pascoe is his necessary, but far less... Read more
Published 22 months ago by John D. Muir
a very good read
This book by Reginald Hill was a good read, a very enjoyable read. The characters are well known and loved and the action was good.

J. Read more
Published 22 months ago by J. Robert Ewbank
Review of "Death Comes for the Fat Man"
I liked the book and would buy others by the author, if I didn't have them all already!
Published on October 11, 2009 by Karen Rome
Death Comes for the Fat Man
The worst ending ever. I was so disappointed with this book. The character of the wife is awful. In one chapter she is all over him because she doubts that the police will look... Read more
Published on October 2, 2009 by masseys01
What would Pascoe be without Daziel?
Daziel is caught in an explosion and Pascoe starts to come apart looking for the culprit(s).Following after a few home grown terrorists who are looking to fight terror with terror,... Read more
Published on August 29, 2009 by J. Carroll
The Death of Dalziel
Beware - this is the same as the Audible audiobook titled "The Death of Dalziel"
Published on March 14, 2009 by ascio
I'm a newcomer to the series, but still love this one
The general advice is to read earlier entries in this series first, but I'll admit that I've only read this and the latest one so far, and while I had to read slowly in some parts,... Read more
Published on February 24, 2009 by Neal C. Reynolds
What a wonderful read
First Sentence: Mill Street never much of a street...

Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe is summoned from his backyard hammock to assist his partner Superintendent Andy... Read more
Published on February 4, 2009 by L. J. Roberts
Excellent British Mystery
First time I have read anything by Reginald Hill. He is an excellent writer, good character description. Mr. Hill is British and I think there is a British flavor in his writing. Read more
Published on October 24, 2008 by Joe Smith
Vintage Dalziel & Pascoe
I was able to read this after making my way through almost all of the D&P novels -- what a great capper!
Published on September 9, 2008 by M. Temple
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Reginald Hill, Mill Street, Fat Man, Andy Dalziel, Fidler's Three, Sheikh Ibrahim, Mid Yorkshire, Peter Pascoe, Cap Marvell, Edgar Wield, Sandy Glenister, Fat Andy, Constable Hector, Chief Inspector, Maurice Kentmore, Bank Holiday, Ellie Pascoe, Joe Fidler, Dave Freeman, Lukasz Komorowski, Dame Kitty, Good Lord, Tottie Truman, Kalim Sarhadi, Hugh de Payens
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