Ruling Passion (Charnwood Large Print Library Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Reginald Hill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Charnwood Large Print Library Series | Publication Date: March 2001

Three of Sergeant Pascoe's friends have died from shotgun wounds and the local constabulary want his help to find the fourth. Meanwhile Superintendent Dalziel is on his back about a string of burglaries in Yorkshire. Somehow the two cases are getting jumbled in Pascoe's mind.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Recipe for a winner: combine the best elements of the gritty procedural with a protagonist reminiscent of Dick Francis, then add a gallery of three-dimensional town-and-country characters and repartee worthy of Rex Stout. Reginald Hill - appearing in America at long last - is the chef, and Sgt. Peter Pascoe from Yorkshire is his hero, playing Archie Goodwin to the Nero Wolfe of incorrigibly racist, sexist, and obese Supt. Andy Dalziel. When Peter and longtime companion Ellie arrive for an Oxfordshire reunion with four old chums only to find three dead of shotgun wounds and one missing, Peter is forced to commute between the emotionally wracking murder investigation in Thornton Lacey and his Yorkshire legwork assignment for Dalziel: a series of increasingly violent burglaries. It may seem over-coincidental that the two lines of inquiry eventually dovetail, and the multiple killer's motive may seem a bit pale, but Hill's strong, warm narrative vaults up and over logical hurdles. And swaggering Dalziel - his nonstop insults, his laughable state of health, his occasional "outbreak of heart" - provides just enough amusement to put the blood, grief, and guilt in perspective. With the fades of Christie, Marsh, Creasey, et al., there've been murmurings about what the British mystery is coming to. Well, if this is what the British mystery is coming to, Rule Britannia and Glory Hallelujah. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

From Yorkshire to the sleepy village of Thornton Lacey is only a morning's drive, but for Detective Sergeant Peter Pascoe, the distance will close off part of his life forever. Motoring down for a reunion with old friends, he arrives to find not a welcome but a grisly triple murder. Out of his jurisdiction, Pascoe is in an untenable position: one of his oldest friends is wanted for murder, his boss is ordering him back to Yorkshire, and his instincts are telling him that the local constabulary will never suspect that the crime's true motive lies not in the obvious places, but in the unexplored zones of passion within a twisted heart. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708992307
• ISBN-13: 978-0708992302
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,572,520 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 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hill's Writing Is A Joy To Experience, November 14, 2000

By 

N. Sausser "pucksau" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruling Passion (Mass Market Paperback)

Pascoe and Ellie arrive in Thorton Lacey for a reunion with four old friends. They discover three of their friends brutally murdered and the fourth gone missing. Is he dead also, or a suspect in the murders? Hill's descriptive powers are exceptional and they put you squarely into each scene. One of my favorites was, "Above the thatched roof a flock of television aerials parted the morning breeze and serenely sang their triumph over charm and Tudory". Intelligence and subtle humor infuse the whole story. The mystery spins irresistibly to the final pages and the ending leaves you with a smile.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plot twists and English village intrigue, May 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ruling Passion (Mass Market Paperback)

Reginald Hill's detective stories are always an enjoyable combination of complex plots, well-developed characters, and lots of gossipy details of contemporary English village life. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star rating is that Pascoe is so closely linked to the victims and suspects that it is darker and lacks some of the humor of other books in this series. It's probably not the best of Hill's books for someone new to his detectives. Read another Reginald Hill first (you can't go wrong with any of them), then come back to this one when you know the main characters a little better.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 3rd Dalziel and Pascoe novel, January 26, 2003

By 

"sdixonsf" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruling Passion (Mass Market Paperback)

Having renewed his relationship with college girlfriend Ellie Soper, Detective Peter Pascoe re-establishes contact with other school friends, who invite Ellie and Peter to spend a long weekend in the country with them. Work detains Peter, so that when Ellie and Peter arrive at the cottage, they find all their frinds brutally murdered, except for their host, who is missing.
Peter is out of his jurisdiction and on the other side of the witness table, trying desperately to convince his colleagues that his friend can't be the murderer.
Meanwhile Ellie does some investigating of her own, in which she finds an unexpected ally, the cop she detests, Superintendent Andy Dalziel.
If you have enjoyed later Dalziel and Pascoe books, don't miss this earlier effort. There are some great character developing scenes in this book, especially for Ellie and Dalziel.