How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Very good
Advantages:
Well - written, strong characters
Disadvantages:
A bit too long
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Introduction I have to admit that the latest Dalziel and Pascoe books that I've read have not particularly impressed me. I thought 'Arms and the Women' was one of the worst books I have read for a long time and 'Dialogues of the Dead', although better, was so complex that I just gave up trying to understand after a while. So I wasn't really expecting this book to be much better. Luckily, I was surprised and Reginald Hill has come up with a plot much more of a standard with his earlier novels.
The author Reginald Hill now lives in Cumbria, although he has spent part of his life in Yorkshire, where the Dalziel and Pascoe books are based. Good Morning, Midnight is the twentieth book featuring Dalziel and Pascoe, who first appeared in 'A Clubbable Woman' in 1970. Hill has also written a series of books featuring Joe Sixsmith, a West Indian private investigator, as well as a few non-series books. Dalziel and Pascoe has been televised and as such are Hill's most famous characters. He has won a number of literary prizes for his books.
The plot Pal Maciver is found dead in a locked room, having died in exactly the same way as his father, who committed suicide ten years earlier, even down to the book of Emily Dickinson poetry found by his side. Pal's death is initially put down to suicide, but events occur to point towards it being murder. The main suspect is Pal's stepmother, Kay Kafka, with whom Pal had a stormy relationship. But for reasons unknown to Pascoe and his sergeant, Wieldy, Dalziel, who knows Kay Kafka, refuses to admit that she could have had anything to do with the death.
More prodding finds a complex family relationship between Kay Kafka and her stepchildren; one of whom worships Kay, while the other two hate her. Added to the complications is Tony Kafka, the man who married Kay just a few months after the death of her husband, Pal Maciver Senior, who seems to have dodgy connections in London and further afield. Pascoe and Wieldy are determined to find out the truth, despite Dalziel's efforts to put them off the scent. Just what is his connection with Kay Kafka and why is he so sure that she can have had nothing to do with Pal's death?
The characters Dalziel is probably one of the most outstanding creations in the world of crime fiction. Known as Fat Andy because of his size, he is rude, says what he thinks and yet has a streak of kindness running through him that comes to the fore every now and again. To begin with, Dalziel is suspicious of Pascoe, who is university-educated, and doubts that he has it in him to be a good detective. But somehow, over time, they both come to appreciate each other's strengths and prove to be a formidable pair. Pascoe, much more cultured and sensitive to other's feelings, is the exact opposite of Dalziel. Dalziel's main strength is his Yorkshire brusqueness, which makes for very entertaining reading. Very ably portrayed by Warren Clarke in the TV series.
Another character worth mentioning is Sergeant Wield, known affectionately as Wieldy, who is not known for his looks. He is homosexual and after trying to hide it for many years, has now come out to his close colleagues. As a character, he has grown substantially over time and is now a very close second to Dalziel and Pascoe. Another character, Hat Bowler, fairly new to the police force, has also featured in two or three books now and is clearly another character with potential for success. All in all, excellent characterisation by Reginald Hill, such a relief after some of the blander detectives such as PD James' Dagleish and Peter Robinson's Alan Banks.
Conclusion I was so pleased to see that Reginald Hill is back on form, having been so disappointed in his last couple of books. This time, he has got it spot on, with the strong characters backing up a good plot that has enough twists and turns to keep the reader enthralled, without being over-complicated. The use of Emily Dickinson's poetry to add a literary aspect to the book is unnecessary, but not surprising in Reginald Hill's work, and didn't really take anything away from the book as far as I was concerned. In case anyone was wondering, the title of the book comes from one of Emily Dickinson's poems:
"Good Morning - Midnight - I'm coming Home - Day - got tired of Me - How could I - of Him?
Sunshine was a sweet place - I liked to stay - But Morn - didn't want me - now - So - Goodnight - Day!"
and refers to the fact that the life of most of the characters in the book is a big pile of dog pooh! Luckily the humour in the book makes up for this, otherwise, it would be far too depressing! A final comment: at 624 pages, the book is very long - a 100 or so pages shorter would have improved it, I think.
I can highly recommend this book. I know Reginald Hill has recently written another non Dalziel and Pascoe book which has received some good reviews, so am looking forward to getting hold of a copy of that as well.
Available from Amazon for £5.59. Published by HarperCollins. ISBN: 0007123434
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