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4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
75 global ratings
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59%
4 star
25%
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2 star
2%
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deesy
5.0 out of 5 stars Tour de Force
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017
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A Tour de Force. That’s what this book was intended to be, but it fell a bit short. Instead, this is a well-written, though a bit overly-long, novel of crime, murder and police work in Yorkshire, U.K. As usual, Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, along with the rest of the crew at Mid-Yorkshire CID, is hot on the heels of criminals engaged in multiple crimes. The story involves multiple, simultaneous plot lines that are complex, but not confusing. A reader would, however, find it helpful to have read the preceding book in the series, <i>Dialogues of the Dead,</i> before tackling this novel. Most of the familiar characters in Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe series of novels make an appearance in this story, so an acquaintance with the characters would be helpful to any reader.

The book was written by British crime writer Reginald Hill and first published by HarperCollins in Great Britain in 2002. The paperback version (which is the one I read and am reviewing) was copyrighted by the author in 2008, and published by HarperCollins in 2009. At 669 pages, this is not a short story, or a thin book.

Clearly, the author intended this novel to be his signature work of fiction, and it probably is, but barely. The story is too long to be a good mystery or police procedural, but it is masterfully written. Although the story drags a bit in some places, especially in the descriptions of the letters written by Franny Roote and sent to DCI Peter Pascoe, the author seems to bring the multiple plot threads together at the end. There are, however, several loose ends that are left untied — Frere Dierick, and the lawyer, Marcus Belchamber, for example. I also found the ending to be vaguely unsettling. It appears that the author has set the stage for another sequel because at the end of the story, we are left wondering about what will happen next to Pascoe and Detective Constable Hat Bowler. I would like to have seen a neater conclusion to the story.

You should read this book if you are a fan of the author, or of the genre. You should, however, be sure to read <i>Dialogues of the Dead</i> first. I rated that one an unambiguous five stars. I liked this book, but it is not the author’s best work. I flirted with an award of four stars, but felt that, after all, the story probably really deserves a five-star rating, so that is what I awarded.
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Library Lady
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect Reginal Hill book
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2020
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I've been hot and cold about Reginald Hill. Sometimes his books seemed overly complicated and not worth the extra words. But this! It has everything - characters to love and hate or sometimes both, cliffhangers, mystery upon mystery, and intriguing plotlines that all come together in the end. If you read only one Dalziel and Pascoe book, make it this one.
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Blue in Washington (Barry Ballow)
VINE VOICE
4.0 out of 5 stars Sequel to "Dialogues of the Dead"
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2009
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Should have read the reviews of this one more carefully. Unlike other D&P books that make reference to past cases but don't depend on them for background, "Death's Jest-Book" is heavily grounded in the previous book. So I wish that I had read "Dialogues..." first.

Having said that, "Death's Jest-Book" is very much a writing tour-de-force and can stand alone as a novel. There are few writers of any genre who have the wit, gift of language or the playfulness with language that Reginald Hill does. Even when this unusually long (666 pages) novel seems to plod, the mix of Yorkshire vernacular, literary, classical English and even American slang that Hill uses keeps an impatient reader plowing ahead. It's always interesting even when this particular American reader can't immediately decipher the vernacular or even some of the academic expressions.

One final observation, while "Death's Jest-Book" does clear up questions left over from "Dialogues of the Dead," it does not dispose of all of its own mysteries. Not by a long shot. Suggesting, I suppose, any regular reader of the series will have to dig up the next chronological bit to get those answers. This is not too hard to take--it is Reginald Hill and the dynamic duo after all.
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Art OConnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprise! I didn't guess the ending!
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016
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Very good story. I like the characters and plot. Ending was unexpected and very interesting
No spoilers here. Give it a read.
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shayfiler
4.0 out of 5 stars Hill writes good mysteries.
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2013
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So far I've liked all Hill's mysteries, and especially like his recurring characters, Dalziel, Pascoe, Wield and the rest. This book wrapped up a case started in his previous book, so I was eager to get and read it. Hill has a vocabulary worthy of a scholar, good plots, and very good characters.
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Sandra S. Ansley
4.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Reginald Hill
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2007
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This book is another triumph by Reginald Hill. It combines a powerful and graceful writing style with humor, compassion and a great plot. The lives of the villians and the police and intertwined in this story with a battle of wills between the likeable dective, Peter Pascoe, and the brilliant, twisted villian, Franny Root. It is enjoyable from beginning to end.
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Bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars What a masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2014
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I had missed that book and discovered it with great pleasure. Crisp dialogue, multi-layered plot and a host of fascinating characters. Reginal Hill was truly a master of the genre and his devoted readers sorely miss him!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014
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Another excellent Reginald Hill mystery. The book was as described and delivered promptly. I was very happy to find some Hill books in hardback.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
4.0 out of 5 stars Sequel to Dialogues of the Dead
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2007
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This book is quite complex in terms of plotting, and the story follows on as a direct sequel to Dialogues of the Dead. Normally you can read Hill's books out of sequence, but not this one. If you try you will only end up more confused, and these two books together are quite confusing anyway.
Hill tries to keep up the intellectual tautness of the plotting of the first book, but never quite pulls it off. It is satisfactory however in lots of ways, reintroducing Pascoe's nemesis, Franny Roote who is the excellent evil doer from the much earlier, An Advancement of Learning, one of the best Dalziel and Pascoe novels. It also follows the compelling story of Hat Bowler and his relationship with his ambiguous and emotionally complex lover which began in Dialogues of the Dead.
This is quite bitty and lacks the flair of the first book, but still kept me turning the pages and is a worthy addition to the series for all its flaws.
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michaela ridge
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2016
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I am working my way through the series of D and P and have just finished this one. As with all of the others I have thoroughly enjoyed this, The books hav such depth and detail. With excellent stories and good humour. I would really recommend the series, though it is not necessary to read them all there is a continues theme of the characters.
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Bookaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars A Dark Read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2016
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Dalziel and Pascoe books are a great read. This one is quite 'dark' but full of literary quotes and gems, as one would expect from Reginald Hill.
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Mrs A
4.0 out of 5 stars Why such a big price increase?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 12, 2017
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Good book but not sure why the prices on many books in this series have gone up so much. Cost £4.99 a few months ago hence only 4 stars.
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ronald murdoch
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2015
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good read
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