God, Reginald Hill knows how to keep readers happy decade after decade! Something different every time, I can’t find enough superlatives.

As my commenters have noted before me this is very much a follow on from Dialogues of the Dead and not a book to be read by itself. If you came to this as your first Hill you’d be wondering quite what the author was thinking of. For the most part there’s little in the way of a new mystery here, it’s very much about continuing the huge stories that began in the previous book (and in other cases way back in the series). As much as I’ve enjoyed them I think and hope that we’re done with these threads and that the next book will offer something more shiny and new.

There was less fantasy stuff in this book, which was good because I wouldn’t want Hill to get predictable. I think I’m caught up to date on Dalziel and Pascoe now (in paperback at least). That only took four years… A series I would highly recommend but to get the most of it you really need to read most, if not all, of it.