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Dalziel & Pascoe #3
Ruling Passion
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 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.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1973
155 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Reginald Hill
170 books496 followersReginald Charles Hill was a contemporary English crime writer, and the winner in 1995 of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement.
After National Service (1955-57) and studying English at St Catherine's College, Oxford University (1957-60) he worked as a teacher for many years, rising to Senior Lecturer at Doncaster College of Education. In 1980 he retired from salaried work in order to devote himself full-time to writing.
Hill is best known for his more than 20 novels featuring the Yorkshire detectives Andrew Dalziel, Peter Pascoe and Edgar Wield. He has also written more than 30 other novels, including five featuring Joe Sixsmith, a black machine operator turned private detective in a fictional Luton. Novels originally published under the pseudonyms of Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland, and Charles Underhill have now appeared under his own name. Hill is also a writer of short stories, and ghost tales.
After National Service (1955-57) and studying English at St Catherine's College, Oxford University (1957-60) he worked as a teacher for many years, rising to Senior Lecturer at Doncaster College of Education. In 1980 he retired from salaried work in order to devote himself full-time to writing.
Hill is best known for his more than 20 novels featuring the Yorkshire detectives Andrew Dalziel, Peter Pascoe and Edgar Wield. He has also written more than 30 other novels, including five featuring Joe Sixsmith, a black machine operator turned private detective in a fictional Luton. Novels originally published under the pseudonyms of Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland, and Charles Underhill have now appeared under his own name. Hill is also a writer of short stories, and ghost tales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
May 9, 2016
Tragedy at Thornton Lacey...
Peter Pascoe and his girlfriend, Ellie Soper, are off for a weekend break to visit old university friends now living in the village of Thornton Lacey. But when they get there, they are met with tragedy – three of their friends lie dead from shotgun wounds and the fourth, Colin, is missing. Not surprisingly, Colin immediately becomes the chief suspect, but neither Peter nor Ellie can bring themselves to believe he could have done such a horrific thing. Meantime, back in Mid-Yorkshire, Dalziel wants Peter back as soon as possible, since they are in the middle of a major investigation of a string of burglaries that seems to be escalating into violence.
First published in 1973, this is the third book in the Dalziel and Pascoe series, and shows a big leap in the development of some of the characters. Pascoe has changed out of all recognition from the rather commonplace young man of the first book, A Clubbable Woman. He's now showing the intelligence and sensitivity that make him such an enjoyable character, both in his own right and as a contrast to the brash and arrogant Dalziel. Dalziel still has some way to go in terms of development – he's still not quite the larger than life figure he will become. I can't quite put my finger on what's missing in his character so far, but am looking forward to spotting it as the series progresses. I think it may be his touch of omniscience, or that he hasn't quite fully become the 'big fish in a small pond' of later books.
Ellie, too, has developed a good deal from the last book, An Advancement of Learning, but is also not yet fully the Ellie of the middle and later ones. With her character, Hill gets away from the, to modern eyes, outdated portrayal of women as little more than sexual temptresses that he gave us in the first book. Ellie is a mixture of strength and softness – a feminist at a time when feminism hadn't quite worked out what it wanted to be when it grew up. Volatile and feisty, politically on the left and therefore deeply ambivalent about Peter's job in that tool of capitalist oppression, the police force, she often gives him a hard time. But deep down she knows he's one of the good guys and agrees, though she might never say it, that his job is one that needs to be done, and is better done by honourable, intelligent men than by thugs like Dalziel (it's the '70s, chaps, so forgive the inbuilt sexism in that sentence – Hill will introduce women police detectives later). In this book, though, she also begins to get to know Dalziel better and starts the slow process of realising that maybe his thuggish exterior hides a more complex and nuanced morality than she's ready to give him credit for.
Pascoe's relationship with Ellie and this trip back to his university days highlights his intellectual side, which in turns allows Hill to start what becomes a feature of later books – references, some subtle, some humorous, to the greats of English literature, especially Jane Austen. The title is from Pope and his poem Eloisa and Abelard plays a minor role in the plot. If you spotted that the name of the village comes from Ms Austen's Mansfield Park, well done! Some of the characters' names are also from Austen, often her juvenilia. If you like these sorts of references, it can be fun trying to spot them, or googling them; but, if the thought makes you go cross-eyed with boredom, I can reassure you that they're completely incidental to enjoying the books. When I first read them, long, long, ago, I was unaware that Hill liked to play these games, never spotted them, and never felt that I was missing anything.
The plot in this one is deeply confusing with too many people playing minor parts and too much coincidence coming into play. I'm finding on this re-read that the plot tends to be the weakest part of each of the books so far. It's always set up interestingly, as with this one in the triple murder scene, but somehow it tends to get a bit over complicated as the book progresses. However, it's the quality of the writing and characterisation that lift even these early books above the average. There is always plenty of humour to offset the darkness of the storylines. Hill gives a believable picture of Ellie and Peter's grief at the deaths of their friends, but without wallowing in it. And their growing relationship is handled beautifully, showing all the compromises that have to be made when two strong characters collide, but also the rewards that come in a partnership of real equals. This one works fine as a standalone, as they nearly all do, but I must say that reading them in order gives extra pleasure in seeing both the characters and Hill's writing style develop as the series progresses. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
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Peter Pascoe and his girlfriend, Ellie Soper, are off for a weekend break to visit old university friends now living in the village of Thornton Lacey. But when they get there, they are met with tragedy – three of their friends lie dead from shotgun wounds and the fourth, Colin, is missing. Not surprisingly, Colin immediately becomes the chief suspect, but neither Peter nor Ellie can bring themselves to believe he could have done such a horrific thing. Meantime, back in Mid-Yorkshire, Dalziel wants Peter back as soon as possible, since they are in the middle of a major investigation of a string of burglaries that seems to be escalating into violence.
First published in 1973, this is the third book in the Dalziel and Pascoe series, and shows a big leap in the development of some of the characters. Pascoe has changed out of all recognition from the rather commonplace young man of the first book, A Clubbable Woman. He's now showing the intelligence and sensitivity that make him such an enjoyable character, both in his own right and as a contrast to the brash and arrogant Dalziel. Dalziel still has some way to go in terms of development – he's still not quite the larger than life figure he will become. I can't quite put my finger on what's missing in his character so far, but am looking forward to spotting it as the series progresses. I think it may be his touch of omniscience, or that he hasn't quite fully become the 'big fish in a small pond' of later books.
Ellie, too, has developed a good deal from the last book, An Advancement of Learning, but is also not yet fully the Ellie of the middle and later ones. With her character, Hill gets away from the, to modern eyes, outdated portrayal of women as little more than sexual temptresses that he gave us in the first book. Ellie is a mixture of strength and softness – a feminist at a time when feminism hadn't quite worked out what it wanted to be when it grew up. Volatile and feisty, politically on the left and therefore deeply ambivalent about Peter's job in that tool of capitalist oppression, the police force, she often gives him a hard time. But deep down she knows he's one of the good guys and agrees, though she might never say it, that his job is one that needs to be done, and is better done by honourable, intelligent men than by thugs like Dalziel (it's the '70s, chaps, so forgive the inbuilt sexism in that sentence – Hill will introduce women police detectives later). In this book, though, she also begins to get to know Dalziel better and starts the slow process of realising that maybe his thuggish exterior hides a more complex and nuanced morality than she's ready to give him credit for.
Pascoe's relationship with Ellie and this trip back to his university days highlights his intellectual side, which in turns allows Hill to start what becomes a feature of later books – references, some subtle, some humorous, to the greats of English literature, especially Jane Austen. The title is from Pope and his poem Eloisa and Abelard plays a minor role in the plot. If you spotted that the name of the village comes from Ms Austen's Mansfield Park, well done! Some of the characters' names are also from Austen, often her juvenilia. If you like these sorts of references, it can be fun trying to spot them, or googling them; but, if the thought makes you go cross-eyed with boredom, I can reassure you that they're completely incidental to enjoying the books. When I first read them, long, long, ago, I was unaware that Hill liked to play these games, never spotted them, and never felt that I was missing anything.
The plot in this one is deeply confusing with too many people playing minor parts and too much coincidence coming into play. I'm finding on this re-read that the plot tends to be the weakest part of each of the books so far. It's always set up interestingly, as with this one in the triple murder scene, but somehow it tends to get a bit over complicated as the book progresses. However, it's the quality of the writing and characterisation that lift even these early books above the average. There is always plenty of humour to offset the darkness of the storylines. Hill gives a believable picture of Ellie and Peter's grief at the deaths of their friends, but without wallowing in it. And their growing relationship is handled beautifully, showing all the compromises that have to be made when two strong characters collide, but also the rewards that come in a partnership of real equals. This one works fine as a standalone, as they nearly all do, but I must say that reading them in order gives extra pleasure in seeing both the characters and Hill's writing style develop as the series progresses. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
March 20, 2019
Two parallel plots, one involving the murder of university friends of Pascoe, keep our duo occupied - a good police procedural nearly fifty years old but not too dated at all.
January 6, 2010
I think this is where the Dalziel and Pascoe series really starts to hit its stride. Although I enjoyed the first two books, I didn't really think they were fully representative of the strengths of the series. This book, while not as strong as some of the later ones, feels like it has all of the elements in place. In particular, Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe both really come across as well-rounded characters.
It's a small thing, but I was also impressed with how Hill handled the passage of time between this book and the last. It was clear that some time had passed since the last book, and Peter and Ellie's relationship had evolved from "awkwardly reunited" to "seriously involved." Hill makes all of this clear without a lot of expository backstory at the beginning of the book.
If I have a complaint, it's that the chain of coincidences and previously unrevealed connections linking the crimes in this book feels a bit forced. Though it is quite entertaining watching it all being untangled.
It's a small thing, but I was also impressed with how Hill handled the passage of time between this book and the last. It was clear that some time had passed since the last book, and Peter and Ellie's relationship had evolved from "awkwardly reunited" to "seriously involved." Hill makes all of this clear without a lot of expository backstory at the beginning of the book.
If I have a complaint, it's that the chain of coincidences and previously unrevealed connections linking the crimes in this book feels a bit forced. Though it is quite entertaining watching it all being untangled.
April 30, 2023
Detective Peter Pascoe is the protagonist here, with his boss the Falstaffian Andy Dalziel providing amusing grotesqueries. The story, set in a picturesque Cotswolds village, involves three murdered friends of Pascoe and his girlfriend Ellie, with the fourth friend missing and presumed to be the killer, possibly a suicide now. Pascoe has to figure out how the murders relate to a series of thefts of antiques, and a man swindled in a property deal. Nothing about the story is terribly compelling, but Hill's deft and comic writing helps sustain interest:
"Besides, Sandra says riding gives you a big bum."
"John!" protested his wife. But she met Marianne's quizzical gaze with the unruffled smile of one whose own buttocks were as compact as a boy's.
-----
"Well, you've been a great help. We're looking for a thin man of thirty or forty, or a fat man of forty or fifty, or a thin or fat man of almost any age at all."
"It could be a woman," suggested the doctor.
March 6, 2014
Unabridged Book #3
blurb - Pascoe and his girlfriend Ellie arrive in Thornton Lacey to spend a weekend with old friends from their student days. They find instead three of their friends dead of shotgun wounds, and a fourth friend at large, sought by the local police as a suspect in the killings. Meanwhile, back at home in Yorkshire, Dalziel wants Pascoe back to investigate a string of unsolved burglaries.
Readshouted by Glover
All Hill's are a low 3.
3* A Clubbable Woman (Dalziel & Pascoe, #1)
3* The Woodcutter
3* Ruling Passion (Dalziel & Pascoe, #3)
3* A Killing Kindness (Dalziel & Pascoe, #6)
3* Bones And Silence (Dalziel & Pascoe, #11)
blurb - Pascoe and his girlfriend Ellie arrive in Thornton Lacey to spend a weekend with old friends from their student days. They find instead three of their friends dead of shotgun wounds, and a fourth friend at large, sought by the local police as a suspect in the killings. Meanwhile, back at home in Yorkshire, Dalziel wants Pascoe back to investigate a string of unsolved burglaries.
Read
All Hill's are a low 3.
3* A Clubbable Woman (Dalziel & Pascoe, #1)
3* The Woodcutter
3* Ruling Passion (Dalziel & Pascoe, #3)
3* A Killing Kindness (Dalziel & Pascoe, #6)
3* Bones And Silence (Dalziel & Pascoe, #11)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2016
I mostly enjoyed it, but towards the end it becomes a little heavy-handed, the story doesn't flow so easily. Pity, because I liked to have Pascoe at the centre for once. There are also too many characters who hardly ever appear in person but who have quite an impact on the story. I simply can't find it in myself to care about them, I'm having a hard time remembering their names and keeping them apart. So two tepid stars only ...
April 22, 2020
A really good story and I was very much enjoying it up until the last 50 or so pages. The ending just seemed to be overlong and overly complicated. I marked it down to 3 stars for that.
July 15, 2016
I struggled between rating the book at three stars versus four stars. It's ALMOST four stars but much better than just three! The story immediately captured my interest as it began with Pascoe and his girlfriend stumbling upon the murder of several of their friends. Many characters were introduced, and I did have a bit of trouble keeping them all straight, but I made good notes and kept referring back to them. I will definitely continue reading the Daziel and Pascoe mystery series.
July 13, 2023
An enjoyable and easy read as this series always is. A good antidote if your previous read has been a bit dark or intense.
This one is early in the series, the third, and there is no doubt that the later ones improve when the characters are more established and the writing style and plots become more adventurous. This story seemed a little over complicated at times and the ending underwhelming but still worth the read.
This one is early in the series, the third, and there is no doubt that the later ones improve when the characters are more established and the writing style and plots become more adventurous. This story seemed a little over complicated at times and the ending underwhelming but still worth the read.
July 21, 2020
DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE AND HER PEERS 1973
CAST - 1: Sergent Peter Pascoe (seems kind and reports to Andy Dalziel who seems unkind and uses the term 'stupid twat'' often) and friend/girlfriend Ellie (the kind of gal who needs to be sedated and comforted after seeing the results of a crime then turns into a good detective because the author must at least have one strong female lead) visit college chums but upon arrival find Timothy, Carlo, (both gay, live together, don't seem to be a couple as the author can't go that far and kills them off instantly) and Rose dead. Rose's husband, Colin, has disappeared. Angus Pelman, neighbor, is described as 'John Wayne' and likes guns and hunting. Given the author has told us Carlo loved westerns, this early red herring (?) of a tough guy blasting away at gay folks is in very poor taste, at a minimum. Then, the "Complacent bitch" enters and I almost closed the book.
PLACE - 3: A nice English village with 2 competing pubs, etc. You've been here often in British mysteries and you want to go back.
CRIME - 4: Three DEATHS before the novel starts! Could there be more? (Yes!) Is someone raging mad...
INVESTIGATION - 2: Interesting at first but Hill seems to back himself into a corner...then
RESOLUTION - 1: WTF?
SUMMARY - 2.2- For me, I felt this one to be seriously outdated with an unbelievable solution. But one is instantly convinced that Colin MUST be the killer, the cast members still alive agree, so you gotta read on. Nice hook by Hill, the type of hook one often finds in American mysteries.
CAST - 1: Sergent Peter Pascoe (seems kind and reports to Andy Dalziel who seems unkind and uses the term 'stupid twat'' often) and friend/girlfriend Ellie (the kind of gal who needs to be sedated and comforted after seeing the results of a crime then turns into a good detective because the author must at least have one strong female lead) visit college chums but upon arrival find Timothy, Carlo, (both gay, live together, don't seem to be a couple as the author can't go that far and kills them off instantly) and Rose dead. Rose's husband, Colin, has disappeared. Angus Pelman, neighbor, is described as 'John Wayne' and likes guns and hunting. Given the author has told us Carlo loved westerns, this early red herring (?) of a tough guy blasting away at gay folks is in very poor taste, at a minimum. Then, the "Complacent bitch" enters and I almost closed the book.
PLACE - 3: A nice English village with 2 competing pubs, etc. You've been here often in British mysteries and you want to go back.
CRIME - 4: Three DEATHS before the novel starts! Could there be more? (Yes!) Is someone raging mad...
INVESTIGATION - 2: Interesting at first but Hill seems to back himself into a corner...then
RESOLUTION - 1: WTF?
SUMMARY - 2.2- For me, I felt this one to be seriously outdated with an unbelievable solution. But one is instantly convinced that Colin MUST be the killer, the cast members still alive agree, so you gotta read on. Nice hook by Hill, the type of hook one often finds in American mysteries.
November 11, 2013
Am currently rereading this series, too. Was saddened to learn the author died not too long ago. Was so pleased to hear that he was an author who gave advice/criticism to Louise Penny. She has, in her books, used as part of her story a title or two from his books--wonderful acknowledgement and thanks to him on her part!!
April 4, 2010
One man discovers three friends dead, the fourth one is missing, and then he turns his mind on other things. A very strong beginning, then problems of robberies and stamps... I couldn´t get into it.
December 17, 2017
A great Dalziel and Pascoe story, with plenty of the sharp wit and humour that Hill's well-known for. Complicated double plot and lots of intersecting story lines. A great read.
October 2, 2018
Author Reginald Hill tosses one of his main characters into the witness role of a murder and has fun working out his character in the role and as a member of law enforcement. I believe Hill handles this well and better fleshes out his character Pascoe and his girlfriend. There's another active set of mysteries also brewing that pitches character Pascoe back and forth from mystery to mystery. Seems to me Hill could've worked that part out much better. Hill makes it all confusing with little effort to establishing setting from one to the other.
Set more to the side is the second of Hill's duo, Dalziel, who is relegated to humorous sidekick. Dalziel does help with wrap up, but still more a minor role.
The writing is excellent. Especially with characters. The settings are so-so. The plotting should have been reworked.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of ten points.
Set more to the side is the second of Hill's duo, Dalziel, who is relegated to humorous sidekick. Dalziel does help with wrap up, but still more a minor role.
The writing is excellent. Especially with characters. The settings are so-so. The plotting should have been reworked.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of ten points.
January 19, 2025
“X turned and ran but the over-filled shop hindered rapid movement. The ceramic display case went crashing down as he blundered past. A grandfather clock by Barraclough fell into Dalziel’s path and chimed its last as the fat man trod carelessly on the disembowelled works.
X, realising he could not make the door, took to the heights, bounding desperately across chairs and tables, cabinets and bureaux. The late Victorians took it well, but much damage was inflicted on earlier pieces, especially when Dalziel followed.”
Read with considerable relish by Brian Glover.
A stunningly complex crime novel, with flashes of humour, and deep, deep emotional hollows. A bloody English pastoral, surely one of Reginald Hill’s best, where even his amorality is tested. “Life’s a series of wrecks. Make sure you get washed up with the survivors” seems to be the best that Dalziel (Hill) can manage in the face of what transpires after the unravelling of a string of increasingly violent burglaries and the manifold tragedy of several of Peter and Ellie’s friends being murdered with a shotgun not long before the happy couple rock up for a weekend reunion in a lovely Oxfordshire village…
.
X, realising he could not make the door, took to the heights, bounding desperately across chairs and tables, cabinets and bureaux. The late Victorians took it well, but much damage was inflicted on earlier pieces, especially when Dalziel followed.”
Read with considerable relish by Brian Glover.
A stunningly complex crime novel, with flashes of humour, and deep, deep emotional hollows. A bloody English pastoral, surely one of Reginald Hill’s best, where even his amorality is tested. “Life’s a series of wrecks. Make sure you get washed up with the survivors” seems to be the best that Dalziel (Hill) can manage in the face of what transpires after the unravelling of a string of increasingly violent burglaries and the manifold tragedy of several of Peter and Ellie’s friends being murdered with a shotgun not long before the happy couple rock up for a weekend reunion in a lovely Oxfordshire village…
.
March 29, 2022
A very early one in the series. The main characters not quite honed yet.
January 4, 2018
Detective Sergeant Peter Pascoe and his girlfriend Ellie are heading to a small village to visit friends, but when they arrive they find three of their friends dead and the fourth missing, presumed guilty of the crime by the local police. Pascoe has to serve as a witness rather than being involved in the investigation, but of course it is impossible for him not to go looking for answers, no matter the price….I don’t know how I managed to miss this, the third book in the Dalziel and Pascoe series, given that I’ve been reading them in order for about the last 2 years and have had this book on my shelf for ages. It’s a bit strange going so far back in the series, particularly as the last Dalziel and Pascoe book that I read was the next-to-last in the series as a whole; while Pascoe seems pretty fully characterized here (and Dalziel too, though in a much smaller role), Ellie doesn’t seem nearly as fierce as we know she is! Still, a good read as ever; recommended!
April 27, 2020
This is probably at least the third time I have read this book. First published in 1973 this is the third book in the series. By now Pascoe and Ellie are a couple and are talking about getting married and whilst Pascoe is still a Detective Sergeant his promotion to Detective Inspector is not far away.
There are two main strands to this story. Firstly while visiting friends down south Pascoe and Ellie come across their murdered bodies so Pascoe finds himself in the unfamiliar role of being a witness in a police investigation. Secondly at home Dalziel and Pascoe investigate a series of house breakings which also involve a murder. This is a good read laced with humour but I felt the housebreaking story was resolved too early in the book leaving the book to end with all Pascoe's misunderstandings about the murder of his friends.
There are two main strands to this story. Firstly while visiting friends down south Pascoe and Ellie come across their murdered bodies so Pascoe finds himself in the unfamiliar role of being a witness in a police investigation. Secondly at home Dalziel and Pascoe investigate a series of house breakings which also involve a murder. This is a good read laced with humour but I felt the housebreaking story was resolved too early in the book leaving the book to end with all Pascoe's misunderstandings about the murder of his friends.
March 16, 2015
Another great Andy Dalziel (pronounced De-el for those not familiar) and Peter Pascoe novel. I will just go with the Independent's review when this book was first published in 1973. "He is probably the best living male crime writer in the English speaking world."(Although he died in 2012 - a sad loss to his avid readers). The TV series is well worth watching but the books are simply brilliant. This multiple murder case plus a series of seemingly unrelated robberies is clearly worked through by Hill. His writing style is so eloquent and entrancing that even if the stories were not as good as they are, his style is enough to engage even the most demanding reader. The more I read, the more I enjoy Reginald Hill's work. As I have commented regarding some other author's, if you like the genre, just start at book one and work your way through them.
August 2, 2010
Book 3 in the series, and I'm still not hooked. I am becoming a little fond of gross, always-scratching and not especially polite Dalziel though, and want Peter Pascoe to be successful. So perhaps something is sticking. This was an especially gruesome crime, and sad, and once again I couldn't keep the characters straight. Perhaps I should go back to reading something with more easily-distinguishable characters like "Hop on Pop"...
February 18, 2009
Start with 'Ruling Passion' and work your way up through 'Pictures of Perfection', for a view of how characters take hold of an author, and grow into fully formed people.
January 16, 2025
This was my first Dalziel and Pascoe mystery, even though it's the third in the series. I read somewhere (probably on the Shedunnit forum) a recommendation to start with the third, and I see the comments here confirm that this was a much stronger entry than the first two, with Hill changing the characterization of Pascoe considerably over the first three books. While it's okay as a standalone, I can see that there are significant links to a previous book which makes me think that maybe I should go back and read them. Or perhaps onward should be the motto!
Overall, this wasn't bad. The plot was a little over-complicated. The initial, and biggest, mystery is that Pascoe and his friend go to meet four other old university friends, and find three of them dead and one missing. As Pascoe is a witness and it's not his turf, however, we only linger with this mystery for a bit, with another inspector investigating it, before Pascoe has to go back to Yorkshire and continue investigating some robberies there, There were some clues that were easy to spot, but I didn't get the final layer. I think the cluing was fair overall.
As characters, I mostly enjoyed Pascoe, a thoughtful, university-educated man who is junior to Dalziel. I gather he was a bit blander in the earlier books, so I'm glad to have met this Pascoe. His girlfriend Ellie is a strong character also. Dalziel is a bit of a boor, meant to be a throwback, but he does soften up a bit towards the end. What bothered me most was that we don't see Dalziel doing a heck of a lot of investigating, other than of his own health. For the most part, a lot of the sleuthing in here was a bit too procedural, and in some cases requiring a bit of luck, for the various policemen to arrive at the correct solutions to their various mysteries.
I mostly enjoyed the writing, which leans a bit towards the literary. There were times when I felt like it interfered with the action ().
I see that there are books further down the line that are considered really good so I might continue with this series.
Overall, this wasn't bad. The plot was a little over-complicated. The initial, and biggest, mystery is that Pascoe and his friend go to meet four other old university friends, and find three of them dead and one missing. As Pascoe is a witness and it's not his turf, however, we only linger with this mystery for a bit, with another inspector investigating it, before Pascoe has to go back to Yorkshire and continue investigating some robberies there, There were some clues that were easy to spot, but I didn't get the final layer. I think the cluing was fair overall.
As characters, I mostly enjoyed Pascoe, a thoughtful, university-educated man who is junior to Dalziel. I gather he was a bit blander in the earlier books, so I'm glad to have met this Pascoe. His girlfriend Ellie is a strong character also. Dalziel is a bit of a boor, meant to be a throwback, but he does soften up a bit towards the end. What bothered me most was that we don't see Dalziel doing a heck of a lot of investigating, other than of his own health. For the most part, a lot of the sleuthing in here was a bit too procedural, and in some cases requiring a bit of luck, for the various policemen to arrive at the correct solutions to their various mysteries.
I mostly enjoyed the writing, which leans a bit towards the literary. There were times when I felt like it interfered with the action ().
I see that there are books further down the line that are considered really good so I might continue with this series.
September 5, 2020
This is the third in the Dalziel and Pascoe series. I recently discovered that I had forgotten to read the earlier books he has written so I am slowly doing some catchup right now. When I first dipped into the series, Peter Pascoe was married. In this, the third book, Peter Pascoe is a Detective Sargent who is in love with Ellie Soper, a lecturer at a local college. The book opens with them going to a reunion with old college chums early on a Saturday morning. They were supposed to get there Friday evening, but Peter was delayed by a case. However, they are invited for breakfast so they are out bright and early and arrive before 9:00 am. Nobody answers the door. Perhaps they are still sleeping. Unfortunately for Peter and Ellie they are all dead except for Colin who is missing. Peter calls the local police and after they eliminate them from their inquiries he sets about trying to find the killers. Unfortunately, his boss, Andy Dalziel, has other ideas. There is a burglar that needs to be found and he can’t spare Peter who returns dutifully if a bit reluctantly.
True to form this is much more complicated than it seems to be although Colin is the suspect for most of the book. Meanwhile the burglaries continue. I always say this is the best one after I’ve read it, but really there was only one that I didn’t finish because the tone was so completely different from the rest of the books. I don’t remember the name of it. I just remember I tossed it away in disgust! This is a good one, however, and has inspired me to read even more of the old ones.
March 27, 2022
Peter Pascoe and Ellie Soper are supposed to spend the weekend at Rose and Colin Hopkins' refurbished cottage in Thornton Lacy, a tiny Yorkshire hamlet. Pascoe hasn't seen the Hopkins couple since they married 5 years ago and there will also be a gay couple, Timmy and Carlos, spending the weekend there too. Dalziel keeps Pascoe at work way too late so Peter and Ellie set out in the morning to join their friends for breakfast. Unfortunately someone has blown away all of them but Colin with a shotgun. Timmy and Carlos' blue Mini car is missing so Colin is assumed to have run off in it. But he's got no reason for the murders. He's a successful author about halfway through writing a book on rural poverty, so successful that he has become one of the 'pallid cits', pale-faced London office workers who can afford to buy a nice house in the country. Pascoe and Dalziel become involved in investigating the murders and discover the dirty secrets in the village, unfaithful wives, polluted waterways, unsuccessful business investments, and living beyond one's means to impress the neighbors. Complicated and excellent plot, valid motivations, and shear luck discovering clues. Good book to read one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, US deaths from Covid-19 reach a million (1,001,175), and the CDC tries to adjust advice for Americans unmasking in every situation because we're all sick of the pandemic. Oh, and there are monster tornados tearing through New Orleans, and the entire West Coast from San Francisco south to Mexico and east to southern Arizona has a scorching heatwave because summer starts in March now.
December 3, 2021
( Format : Audiobook )
"X has many names."
Book three in the Dalzeil and Pascoe series. Pascoe is about to receive confirmation of promotion and he and Ellie, encouraged by Dalziel, are talking marriage when the couple unexpectedly discover the bodies of three of Ellie's university friends, and a fourth, presumed to be the killer, missing. It is too close for unbiased detection. As Dalziel is occupied with another case, the obsession of who murdered the friends throws Pascoe's life into confusion.
This is not the first time I had read this book but could remember nothing of it beyond tthe opening sequences. And now I know why: convoluted plotting and two many introduced protagonists. It makes for a muddying of the solution. As I think back on it now, it again seems to slowly merge and crumble in my mind. Narration by Brian Glover did not help, his abrasive Yorkshire accented delivery, usually so successful in capturing the character of the writing, this time only confused, the usually distinctive voices of individual protagonists often merging into an initially single-sounding, unidentified voice, delivered blaringly and, often, over loudly.
I usually enjoy the Dalziel and Pascoe books immensely. This one, despite the promising start, not so much.
"X has many names."
Book three in the Dalzeil and Pascoe series. Pascoe is about to receive confirmation of promotion and he and Ellie, encouraged by Dalziel, are talking marriage when the couple unexpectedly discover the bodies of three of Ellie's university friends, and a fourth, presumed to be the killer, missing. It is too close for unbiased detection. As Dalziel is occupied with another case, the obsession of who murdered the friends throws Pascoe's life into confusion.
This is not the first time I had read this book but could remember nothing of it beyond tthe opening sequences. And now I know why: convoluted plotting and two many introduced protagonists. It makes for a muddying of the solution. As I think back on it now, it again seems to slowly merge and crumble in my mind. Narration by Brian Glover did not help, his abrasive Yorkshire accented delivery, usually so successful in capturing the character of the writing, this time only confused, the usually distinctive voices of individual protagonists often merging into an initially single-sounding, unidentified voice, delivered blaringly and, often, over loudly.
I usually enjoy the Dalziel and Pascoe books immensely. This one, despite the promising start, not so much.
June 19, 2025
This is one of the better Dalziel and Pascoe books I've read.
The only thing that I didn't like was Ellie's attitude in some parts of the book. Ellie is Pascoe's girlfriend. Her criticisms make it sound like police work should be a nine to five job.
An example is this; this example is a bit of a spoiler:
The book starts with Dalziel and Pascoe investigating burglaries. They're supposed to go and visit friends of theirs in a village outside London. They had planned to leave on Friday evening, but Dalziel asks Pascoe to stay late to finish off some aspect of the burglary case. They get to the village early Saturday morning. They get to the cottage and when no one answers their knocks, they enter the cottage. They find two men dead inside and one woman dead outside. A fourth person - a man - is missing.
Ellie blames Pascoe for not standing up to Dalziel. Her logic is that Pascoe could have prevented the murders if they had arrived at the cottage on Friday night. This doesn't make sense. How could he have prevented the murders? The couple may have ended up dead themselves.
The only thing that I didn't like was Ellie's attitude in some parts of the book. Ellie is Pascoe's girlfriend. Her criticisms make it sound like police work should be a nine to five job.
An example is this; this example is a bit of a spoiler:
The book starts with Dalziel and Pascoe investigating burglaries. They're supposed to go and visit friends of theirs in a village outside London. They had planned to leave on Friday evening, but Dalziel asks Pascoe to stay late to finish off some aspect of the burglary case. They get to the village early Saturday morning. They get to the cottage and when no one answers their knocks, they enter the cottage. They find two men dead inside and one woman dead outside. A fourth person - a man - is missing.
Ellie blames Pascoe for not standing up to Dalziel. Her logic is that Pascoe could have prevented the murders if they had arrived at the cottage on Friday night. This doesn't make sense. How could he have prevented the murders? The couple may have ended up dead themselves.
October 22, 2017
Ruling Passion is the third book in the Dalziel and Pascoe series by Reginald Hill and while not a perfect book, it does contain much to entertain and delight the reader. Peter Pascoe develops as a character in this novel; we see him promoted, grow deeper in his relationship with Ellie, and suffer personal loss. Andy Dalziel is fleshed out as well, and he is not just a loutish caricature, but instead concerned about his health, shown to be aware of Pascoe's personal concerns and demonstrates his natural canniness as an inspector.
The problem for me was the overcomplicated nature of the plot in this book as the various crimes in different cities began to weave together in a most implausible way. Many of the secondary characters were well drawn and the plot was interesting until it wasn't due to intruding subplots and the aforementioned coincidences. The book could have been shortened with no loss to my enjoyment.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the novels as Dalziel and Pascoe make for excellent company.
The problem for me was the overcomplicated nature of the plot in this book as the various crimes in different cities began to weave together in a most implausible way. Many of the secondary characters were well drawn and the plot was interesting until it wasn't due to intruding subplots and the aforementioned coincidences. The book could have been shortened with no loss to my enjoyment.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the novels as Dalziel and Pascoe make for excellent company.
March 31, 2024
It was fun, and I carried it around reading it while waiting for things to happen in my life; but honestly I have no idea what happened in this story. There were two parallel mysteries going on and the solution to both was completely random. However, the characters of Dalziel and Pascoe are lots of fun, and there was an additional police superintendent named Backouse who was also interesting and enjoyable. But Pascoe kept coming up with theories of the case that he would explain at great length to the reader; but since he was completely wrong most of the time, and Backouse was right, it felt like a waste of time to read Pascoe's (long) explanations of the case (which were wrong). Nonetheless it was fun, as all these books are, and I don't regret reading it.
I feel like a good mystery does two things: It wraps you up in the lives of the characters; and it gives an interesting mystery/crime with a neat solution. This one is mostly about the lives of the characters. The crimes and solutions are kind of an afterthought.
I feel like a good mystery does two things: It wraps you up in the lives of the characters; and it gives an interesting mystery/crime with a neat solution. This one is mostly about the lives of the characters. The crimes and solutions are kind of an afterthought.
September 10, 2024
“Aye” said Dalziel, enjoying his fat philistine role. Role? he thought. I am a fat philistine!
Probably one of the most hilarious lines I’ve ever read, but I feel there is an upward trajectory so far with the Dalziel and Pascoe novels. They’re getting better every time.
Pascoe is the lead here, where the poor lad stumbles upon a hideous triple homicide of his friends during a weekend away.
Pretty nasty hey? But the story doesn’t dwell too long on this personal tragedy, as there is a spate of burglaries happening in Yorkshire that also take centre stage. Ruling Passion (I have no idea why it was titled that) has you pondering whether the two crimes are linked.
There is array of well-crafted characters, from Etherege to Devenant to Palfrey, while there are some touching moments between the hilarious Fat Diezel and Ellie Soper.
Probably one of the most hilarious lines I’ve ever read, but I feel there is an upward trajectory so far with the Dalziel and Pascoe novels. They’re getting better every time.
Pascoe is the lead here, where the poor lad stumbles upon a hideous triple homicide of his friends during a weekend away.
Pretty nasty hey? But the story doesn’t dwell too long on this personal tragedy, as there is a spate of burglaries happening in Yorkshire that also take centre stage. Ruling Passion (I have no idea why it was titled that) has you pondering whether the two crimes are linked.
There is array of well-crafted characters, from Etherege to Devenant to Palfrey, while there are some touching moments between the hilarious Fat Diezel and Ellie Soper.
October 11, 2024
This was a fairly complicated story about murder and theft. This was the fourth straight Dalziel & Pascoe book I've read and I had a little more trouble getting into it than the others. It's a good mystery and all the strands, murder and theft and missing body, are tied together at the end. The theft part of the story seemed a little weak as did the resolution.
For all the books in this series I have now read, I do not find either Pascoe or Dalziel to be the most interesting of characters. Pascoe seems a bit irrational at times and Dalziel provokes just to provoke. Pascoe attaches himself to an investigation to which he and Ellie are too close. I wondered whether most police would find it a bit overwhelming to investigate a murder of friends they were about to spend a weekend with.
For all the books in this series I have now read, I do not find either Pascoe or Dalziel to be the most interesting of characters. Pascoe seems a bit irrational at times and Dalziel provokes just to provoke. Pascoe attaches himself to an investigation to which he and Ellie are too close. I wondered whether most police would find it a bit overwhelming to investigate a murder of friends they were about to spend a weekend with.
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