Ruling Passion

"Ruling Passions" is one of the earlier books in the Dalziel and Pascoe series by the always inventive Reginald Hill, and is as satisfying as almost anything that has come from that author. This story reconnects Peter Pascoe with old girlfriend Ellie Soper and throws them into a multiple murder case involving a group of mutual friends. The gradual unwrapping of the circumstances and motivations of the murders is done with grand style and creativity by author Hill. There are always several layers of storyline in play at once, providing the reader with plenty to chew on. As in most Dalziel and Pascoe books, much text is spent on character development and interaction. This is totally enjoyable reading.

Reginald Hill has the English detective genre locked up, and that is apparent with this, the third book in the Dalziel and Pascoe sereis. This is a complex book, and it has a lot of characters, so it's sometimes hard to keep them straight as well as all the plots and counterplots. The book is an example of two separate plot strings that come, ineveitably together. Make no mistake. Hill is a clever writer, and his books need to be read a little differently than a lot of others in this genre. Otherwise, you will get lost in the complexity. This book gives us an up-close and personal look at Peter Pascoe as murder touches him and the ones he cares about. I highly recommend this book.

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.

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.

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.