Death of a Dormouse (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) [Paperback]

Reginald Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2006

Trudi Adamson has lived her life in fear - of strangers, of asking questions, of angering her husband, of leaving the house. When her husband dies in a car accident, she retreats even further into her cocoon of ignorance and incuriosity. But staying there isn't an option; her husband apparently died broke, and Trudi's best hope lies in suing the company responsible for his death. And that means asking what her husband was doing on a remote stretch of Yorkshire road. Even the painful knowledge that a woman was involved only leads to larger, more baffling questions. Who was Eric Blair and why did Trent Adamson have his credit cards? Why had Trent suddenly quit his job? By the time Trudi's done unraveling the truth, her cozy refuge will be in ruins, but the quivering dormouse, too, will be history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Splendidly intricate and involving, and done with panache and wit --The London Times

Fiendish strangers emerge from the past in a fast-paced plot full of invention --The Guardian (UK)

Blends civility and madness in a most agreeable way --New York Magazine

About the Author

Reginald Hill was brought up in Cumbria, and has returned there after many years in Yorkshire. With his first crime novel, A Clubbable Woman, he was hailed as 'the crime novel's best hope' and twenty years on he has more than fulfilled that prophecy. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Felony & Mayhem (December 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933397608
• ISBN-13: 978-1933397603
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,213 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

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Early Gem from Reginald Hill, January 21, 2008

By 

Blue in Washington "Barry Ballow" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death of a Dormouse (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Paperback)

"Death of a Dormouse" is one of the Reginald Hill early mysteries now being reprinted in the "Felony and Mayhem Mysteries." This book is intricately and convincingly plotted and definitely falls into the "page-turner" category. It's hard to put down. Unlike Hill's later books that feature a detective team, "Death of a Dormouse" is the story of a timid and passive woman seriously wronged by her dead husband who has to peel back her twenty year marital relationship in order to reinvent herself and get on with life. The peeling back proves to be extremely dangerous and one unlikely discovery after another about her husband's business and extra-marital activities threaten to violently end her life. The evolution of the heroine into a resourceful and cunning player is as interesting as the extraordinary plot line.
This is an excellent read, particularly if you have NOT already read "The Spy's Wife," to which "Death of a Dormouse" owes some of its theme.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read., November 28, 2007

By 

Clifford Sayre (Kennett Square, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Dormouse (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Paperback)

I am a fan of Hill's. This is a great read if you like his work, particularly his characterizations. It is one of the few crime novels that I have kept to reread. The only drawback is that you keep wanting to race ahead to outguess him and this detracts from enjoying the journey. I highly recommend it.

An added bonus is the very nice Felony & Mayhem presentation.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transformation, July 16, 2008

By 

phuff (MO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death of a Dormouse (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Paperback)

A very good psychological suspense wherein a woman goes from "dormouse" that is totally subdued to a fighter: for her rights and for a life as she wants to live it. Reginald Hill is one of the best English mystery writers and he shows his stuff here. This work reminds me of Rendell in one of her good psychological mysteries and he is as competant as she is in showing "what makes people tick".