• Child's Play

  • Dalziel and Pascoe Series, Book 9
  • By: Reginald Hill
  • Narrated by: Colin Buchanan
  • Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (200 ratings)

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Child's Play  By  cover art

Child's Play

By: Reginald Hill
Narrated by: Colin Buchanan
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Publisher's summary

Andy Dalziel was preoccupied with the illegal book that one of his Sergeants was running on who was to be appointed as the new Chief Constable...and how to make sure his own bet paid off. But when a battered Ford Escort containing one very dead Italian turned up in the police car park, Peter Pascoe and his bloated superior were plunged into an investigation that made internal police politics look like child's play.
©2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A nicely plotted, smoothly written mystery on the top rung of the genre." (Publishers Weekly)
"Narrator Colin Buchanan...brings a wealth of experience to his reading. His Dalziel is as close to Dalziel as a reader can get." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Child's Play

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Jolly Good

This is my first book by Reginald Hill and I can't wait to hear more. The storyline was not only intriguing but witty. Perhaps other reviewers were confused by the many characters and quick banter. Being from the United States, I am not familiar with all the terms and slang from the UK and I had to listen more closely to understand what was being said. But it was well worth it. The English humor was enhanced by the narrator's varied English accents and nuances. I can't imagine having enjoyed this book as much if I had read it. Definitely a good listen!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous

Warning: These Dalziel & Pascoe books are highly addictive!
Reginald Hill writes in a very down to earth refreshing manner and Colin Buchanan paints in 3D and you?re centre stage.
In three years with Audible I have never ?read? a book so quickly....Bravo.....More!!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

First rate

Top of the shelf writing and narration.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good mysery

Reginald Hill writes very good mysteries, and his writing would get 4 stars from me. But Colin Buchanan's narration raises it an extra notch -- I find that even when I'm reading some of the books on paper, I have his Dalziel's voice in my head.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Too many unnecessary plot lines

I found this to be very confusing and boring. I've enjoyed many books that have several plot lines that smoothly come together (The Egyptologist, Prey series), but this one was off track. This story seemed to have an amateur feel to it. Why did the author give the life history and political ambition of each character no matter how minor they were? Too much unnecessary information. Even when the plot lines attempted to merge, they were unbelievable and far-fetched. This is the first book I have heard (or read) by this author and am guessing that some of the others are better as this author is popular. Even with only 45 minutes left to listen to, I really don't care if I finish it or not.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Child’s play by Reginald Hill

Excellent as always.
Colin Buchanan is the perfect narrater. He keeps an even pace avoiding hystrionics. Easy listening . Allows the story primacy. He does the characters and accents without melodrama
Reginald Hill is full of interesting asides and little narratives that conjure up the natives, the countryside and echo common human experience.
He has a delightful wit and a high standard of humour and choice of reference.
Violence is never gratuitously overdone.
Some thrillers leave a bad taste in the mouth as though the reader has partaken vicariously in the depravity and cruelty
Hill’ characters are believable. The reader can empathize with them.
Without too much of a stretch he could rate as a Thomas Hardy of crime fiction
His storytelling ability and plots are engaging
and hold the attention from start to finish

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

one of the best stories & performances ever

so far, the best of the P & D novels and/or this genre - especially dear to my heart for the "coming out" story

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

3 and a half really

I find it hard to give a four rating for a book that is simply enjoyable and well written as a book should be from a writer as prolific as Hill. Just as I find it hard to give a 2 for a book that is just okay.

This story was better than average, well written with fleshed out characters and a good not overly obvious plot. I never drifted off, but never found myself blocking everything out and listening until I absolutely had to pause. I would definitely recommend the book and will try others in the series.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

"It's personal."

Reginald Hill can be relied upon to always write an excellent story and this, the ninth in his Dalziel and Pascoe series, is a police procedural packed with larger than life characters, greed and ambition, scheming and plotting, the outing of Wieldi and a rattling good story so convoluted at times it's easy to lose the direction. But all is revealed at the end.
Narration is again by Colin Buchanan, the T.V. Pascoe, who performs skilfully, giving new voice to each of the numerous protagonists as well as reading with a real feeling for both text and characters, constantly entertaining and engaging.

A real pleasure to read

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