PROTAGONISTS: Detective Inspectors Andy Dalziel and Peter PascoeSETTING: 1970s Yorkshire, UKSERIES: #1 of 24RATING: 3.25Fans of Dalziel and Pascoe will be ecstatic to learn that Felony & Mayhem is reissuing all of the books in this series. A CLUBBABLE WOMAN, the first book in the series which was originally published in 1970, has been out of print for more than 15 years. The reissue will make this series much more accessible for those who haven't been able to find the early works and provide some intriguing back story about the characters they've grown to love over the course of 24 books and a TV series. Set in Yorkshire, the plot focuses on a group of people who are part of the club where the local rugby teams hang out. Some of them are "has-been" players; others are rising stars. The older member contingent have formed a kind of societal stratum of their own. Thus, when the wife of one of the members is killed in her own home, suspicion focuses on the husband as well as some of the rugby set. There's a lot of hanky panky going on within the group and various romantic alliances have developed.Andy Dalziel was a rugby player in his earlier days and is quite familiar with the people involved at the club. He's also been with the police for quite a while, and thus serves as a rather grouchy mentor to the relatively untried Peter Pascoe. Dalziel has an intuitive grasp of what is going on, while Pascoe is more of a procedural person. A CLUBBABLE WOMAN is not one of the strongest books in the series. Its plot is a bit mundane, and there are quite an assortment of characters and red herrings to wade through. I found it difficult to follow, as the narrative was presented from several points of view and many of the characters indulged in "self talk", taking the reader inside their heads, a technique I found confusing. Of course, the development of the characters of Dalziel and Pascoe was particularly interesting to watch. Dalziel is cranky but hasn't reached the full measure of the "Fat Andy" that he later becomes. Pascoe is quite naïve. In this book, he isn't married and has an eye out for attractive young ladies.Reginald Hill wrote a new foreword for the book, and that was absolutely fascinating to read. A CLUBBABLE WOMAN was actually conceived as a standalone work by the author and meant to feature a "young, liberally minded, reasonably idealistic graduate" of the police academy by the name of Peter Pascoe. Andy Dalziel was only added to provide contrast. As readers of the series know, Dalziel has pretty much stolen the show from Pascoe in the books that follow. The second book, AN ADVANCEMENT IN LEARNING, followed a few years later and was also meant as a standalone. The way that book ended demanded a sequel, and Hill was off and running with a series that has spanned close to 40 years.Kudos to Felony & Mayhem for making this book available and for planning to reissue the entire series. Although the book itself is not any kind of masterpiece, it does sketch out two of the most loved characters in crime fiction. Even though I've been a very hit-or-miss reader of the series, I found it interesting to see the birth of Pascoe and Dalziel and can only imagine how an avid series reader would enjoy revisiting these characters as they first became formed.
The first of the Dalziel and Pascoe novels is not as complex or thoughtful as some of the later books in the series, but it's still an entertaining mystery that lays the foundations of the relationship between two very different men who together form a formidable detective team. Even this first book displays Hill's witty style and elegant prose, if not to the same high level as later books.[return][return]The book is based around the goings-on at a rugby club that may or may not be connected with the murder of the wife of one of the players, but no knowledge of the game is required to enjoy the book -- it's a study of the social interactions in such a venue rather than the sport itself. The main problem readers are likely to face is that the book was first published in 1970, and as such is recent enough not to be immediately obviously a period work, while still being old enough for the culture and mores to feel somewhat odd to the modern reader. It's important to be aware of the period when reading the book, as many of the potential motivations for the characters revolve around sexual jealousy and flouting of mores. Hill draws a detailed picture of life in a relatively small Yorkshire town in the 1970s, with its web of social obligations and friendships that can be exploited by both the police and those they're pursuing.[return][return]Not my favourite of the series, and the characters aren't yet fully developed, but well worth reading both in its own right and as an introduction to the series.
What do You think about A Clubbable Woman (2004)?
I did not like this book at all. The author was recommended to me by someone who knows I love British mysteries and series characters. However, this one was not good. Boring, too many references that, I assume, must pertain to the UK or even that time period when the book was written. Most of my reading is by foreign authors (British, Scottish, Norwegian, Swiss) and occasionally there may be a reference that I might not understand. But this one had too many of them. Plus I didn't care for any of the people in the book. I almost didn't finish it but pursued it to the end. I mostly borrow books from the Philadelphia Library website and read them on my Kindle, but this one I bought on Amazon for a penny (and $3.99 shipping). I doubt I'll read any others by this author and am sorry I purchased this one. I will probably donate it to my local library. Very disappointing.
—Karen C
A Clubbable Woman is the first book in the Dalziel and Pascoe series by Reginald Hill. I hadn’t read anything else in this series so I was interested to read this. Also, this series has apparently been made into a TV series which sounds intriguing. A Clubbable Woman introduces us to the detectives, Dalziel, older, rather stodgy, less politically correct, but experienced and knowledgeable and then Pascoe, younger, apparently a higher class and better educated as far as formal schooling, intelligent but not yet with the years of experience analyzing human nature. The mystery was fine, a solid three stars. The victim was particularly unsympathetic as were a few of the other characters. Fun fact: The title is quite punny :)
—Fanficfan44
A man arrives home late at night with a headache and finds his wife dead. And the suspense begins... A Clubbable Woman by Reginald Hill does not waste time in getting to the point of the matter. It brings forth its characters quickly, does not dwell too much outside of the murder case's requirement, and moves at a bright pace though in a soothing manner without any excessive drama. Is that a good thing or not? Well, the boundaries of the book do limit the reader's involvement in the plot. There aren't many complicated characters to ponder on, though there are complications in the plot itself which will keep you enticed to keep on reading further. The lead detective Dalziel and his subordinate Pascoe are the best of the lot, an antithesis to each other and yet complementing in so many ways, Dalziel with his rough and arrogant demeanor and Pascoe with his bookish knowledge and a love-hate feeling for his superior. They bright up the proceedings wherever they go!The writing by Reginald Hill shifts from one person's point of view to another very quickly, and many times, very abruptly, which kills the fluidity of the narration. It in fact can get annoying too, when you misunderstand the person in the scene initially and then have to retrace your path and re-read once things get clarified. Having said that, Hill builds up enough intrigue in the story, by exposing quite a few sub-plots linked to the main murder, so that overall it comes as a fine read for a rainy day! I wouldn't mind picking up another Dalziel & Pascoe story sometime soon...
—Abhishek
