Midnight Fugue
A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel
By Reginald Hill Charnwood Large Print, (2010)
ISBN: 978-1-44480-350-1
Genre: Mystery, Crime
Reviewed by Herbert White - May 31, 2011
Midnight Fugue is another gripping police procedural in the long running Dalziel and Pascoe mystery series by Reginald Hill. In this tale we meet Gina Wolfe, a lovely young woman who is engaged to be married to Commander Mick Purdy of the Met. The only problem is Alex, her first husband. He is thought to be dead, but nobody is really sure. To try to settle the matter one way or the other, Gina travels to Mid-Yorkshire and enlists the aid of the ever rotund Police Superintendent, Andy Dalziel, to help her hunt for the truth behind her husband's current state of health.
Dalziel, however, is not up to his normal standards. He's only recently been released from the hospital after having been in a coma, and his brain is not yet working properly. He's even having trouble determining what day of the week it is. This is not a very auspicious omen for a man who is supposed be a renowned detective. Had he not been holiday friends with her fiancee, he probably would have sent her packing after their first meeting.
In a month's time, it will be seven years since Alex Wolfe disappeared. At which point, in all likelihood the courts will declare Alex dead and Gina will be able to inherit his money. Yet, before considering herself a widow, Gina sincerely wants to make sure that he's really dead. In pushing Dalziel to investigate the case, she unwittingly has opened a deadly can of worms that will send shockwaves throughout the country.
Into this deadly mix is a tabloid journalist who is hungry for that one story that will make his name, and his fortune. There is also a potential political scandal in the offing, a couple of hired killers on the loose, and a handful of other dangerous characters lurk within the pages of this nail biting story in which all the action takes place in a mere twenty-four hours. Luckily, Gina and Dalziel are not on their own, as Peter Pascoe, now also a Superintendent, also steps in to help. However, his presence is not without its own problems as now that they are equal in rank, Dalziel and Pascoe are no longer getting along as fabulously as they use to.
Midnight Fugue is a great addition to the Dalziel and Pascoe series. It is different enough from the previous books in the series to have a totally fresh feel, while also delivering a powerful and complicated story that will have you turning the pages well into the wee hours of the morning. This is a must-read for all fans, and fans to be, of British police procedurals and the Dalziel and Pascoe series, in particular.
Midnight Fugue can be purchased directly from Ulverscroft, the parent company of Charnwood.
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