Customer Reviews

Who guards the prince? (Atlantic large print)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most readers know Reginald Hill for the Pascoe and Dalziel series that has established the author as one of the best mystery writers of the past 20 years. "Who Guards a Prince" is one of Hill's early, pre-Pascoe/Dalziel stories that thankfully has recently been republished. This is a literate, engaging and at times, terrifying story of conspiracy and blackguardness that leaves you thinking that it all is quite plausible in this day and age. The book's hero is Douglas McHarg, a tough police inspector who has hit some pretty tough times because of his nonconformist approach to his profession (and life in general). While this might sound uncomfortably familiar--how many of this type inhabit the average mystery/crime story?--McHarg is an original in many ways. But the book's strongest point is the intricate plot line that author lays out that is sophisticated and never insulting to the reader's intelligence. The characters here are also wonderfully drawn--large, but not overly so.
This is one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. Highly recommended.

This book has way too many nasty murders to be believable. It did strike me after awhile that maybe Dan Brown read this book at some point and it planted a seed in his head for the DaVinci Code and the concept of secret societies with long histories. It's a pretty old book, and he might have run across it. If you're really into Reginald Hill, reading one of his early novels could be OK. It's pretty well written, but the story is too involved, too vicious, and requires too great a suspension of disbelief. The Dalziel & Pascoe books are generally much better than this.

I've bought several Felony & Mayhem books by now, and I must say, none of them has been that good. Maybe F&M acquires early or less successful titles at less expensive rates. I plan to be more cautious about buying from their list in the future. They seem to republish a lot of old mysteries, so if you're a student of the genre, some of the oldies are entertaining, but many of the F&M titles show that they haven't aged well.

I'm a huge Reginald Hill fan, but this early book was nearly unreadable; it was just silly and over the top. I struggled to finish it and then wondered why I'd bothered. The Dalgliesh/Pascoe books are infinitely better, so don't waste your time with this one.

Introduced to Dalziel and Pascoe on TV and now being a firm devotee I own all of the Reginal Hill's books. I found the last written, a D & P," A cure for all diseases" to be a struggle as the story changed from text to email.. A neat twist in the reading of this book was the annoying habit of the writer to follow the old rule i before e except after c. Which writer? Read the book.

"Who guards the Prince", the earliest of Mr Hills published novels is a pleasant introduction to the author. His main character Inspector McHarg is beautifully handled whilst the introduction of English Royalty was a neat touch. The black character Granda Connolly is so unspeakably bigotted as to become detestable reading, ie worth skipping!. With a number of deaths keeping the detective busy it was with regret that Grandar managed to survive the last rites. A real gruesome end for the old Cyclops would have left me happier! All in all a must if would be readers collect authors. If just interested in collecting Dalziel & Pascoe, "Who guards the Prince" is very easy to read or equally one to leave.

If you are familiar with the Dalziel and Pascoe books this book will really surprise you. It will also frighten you. What if it really could happen? The heroes and the villains are very believable. It makes for a true thriller. I enjoyed it.