Customer Reviews

On Beulah Height

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Crime fiction of late has taken on a much more substantial form, thanks to authors such as Reginald Hill and Charles Todd who have broken all stereotypes of the genre and created a deep and often disturbing look into human consciousness. Hill's On Beulah Height, could be one of the most startling and complex mysteries I have ever read. Most authors would not be able to construct such a work of fictional stature , but this is Reginald Hill and this is what he does best.

I found it completely engulfing and alluring and was moved by the psychologically haunting suspense that keeps Yorkshire's Dalziel and Pascoe on their guard and at the peak of their talents.

A must read for lovers of mystery.... or for those who just love a really really good book!

As an avid reader, I judge the success of a story by whether the solution, as it is revealed, raises the hair on the back of my neck and send shivers down my spine, not in fear, but in appreciation of just how inevitable and "right" the solution is to the puzzle. Naturally this reaction can only really happen when a story is so rich and absorbing that you can't tear yourself away. Reginald Hill almost always achieves sucess in his mysteries, but this one is a cut above.
Long ago young girls disappeared in the hills on Beulah Height. The one survivor is now a successful singer who must struggle to search within herself for long forgotten memories to help Dalziel and Pascoe prevent another tragedy. When the pieces fall into place, it is like a kaleidoscope that suddenly spins into sharp focus and you wonder how you missed the picture right up until the point when all becomes clear. Read this one for the exhiliration of that moment. Mystery readers who appreciate the "thrill" of a breathtaking solution should not miss Reginald Hill's most suspenseful read.

It's so rare to pick up a modern author from this genre (mystery) and have his talent as a wordsmith be so exquisite. If I seem effusive concerning this book, you will have to excuse me. When you get stuck reading a lot of badly written textbooks, and other material whether books or journals for profesional purposes, when you do pick up a good mystery (based on recommendations from Amazon.com--thanks guys!) it is nice to be able to dive into a story which is not only a good mystery, but the writing itself is wonderful.

The British have a way with the English language. I don't know what is in the water over there, but I am increasingly finding that my tastes are generally more satisfied when reading British mysteries. And I am not talking Agatha Christie here, though I've read stuff that far back. Hill is an obvious contender for those who enjoy P.D. James mysteries, as well as historical mysteries of the type written by Charles Todd (I keep forgetting he is American).

This story is painstakingly drawn out. It's a hefty mystery, and frankly, Hill did a great job by not allowing the reader to determine who was responsible for the disappearance of several young girls. I made several errors in judgement, that were solved (sensibly thank heavens) in the last three chapters. Rarely do I get up out of bed at night and spend three hours in a chair to finish reading a book which I just cannot put down. But I did this with this author.

I am looking forward to his other books...it is great to find another author with many books to his name that I can enjoy for a while (I read so fast usually that I go through good authors too quick and have to find another one).

This could have been an excellent mystery - but the ending was unfortunately predictable and lame. Aside from the detectives, the remaining characters were one-dimensional and undeveloped. It's a shame because the writing is otherwise beautiful. Still, the book kept my attention and I managed to finish all 548 pages. It was exciting in some areas and I did care about the two main detectives. Overall, it wasn't as good as it good have been, but it certainly wasn't the worst mystery I have ever read!

There is beauty in this story. The prose and plotting are exceptional. The characters and the dialog between them never fails to fascinate. Although the subject matter is distressing, it is presented in a way that is almost soothing. An excellent read.

A few years ago I discovered Dalziel (pronounced "deal") and Pascoe on A&E. I became intrigued, and set out to read all Hill's many books on this infamous pair of "thinking" British cops. I am now almost caught up as "On Beulah Height" is the next to the last installment in Hill's series.

I think the best way to read Hill's books is chronologically, but there are many of them. You can figure out the order by their publication dates. The stories are complex so even if you see them dramatized on A&E you can still enjoy the written text as much of it is interior monologue/thinking. Hill writes books that eschew the pounding action of many current mystery writers (who give me a headache). His plots move vigorously, but they are thinking reader's books--somewhat like those of Colin Dexter.

DCI Peter Pascoe and his wife Ellie have to be one of the nicest, most down-to-earth, and likeable couples around. Hill has tracked their courtship, marriage, marital problems, and the birth of their child Rosie, though the various cases Dalziel and Pascoe have undertaken. This book continues their story, while simultaneously filling out the lives of other characters: Dalziel (the fat man from Yorkshire), Weild(y) (the "gay" cop who rides a motorcycle and has a kindly heart) and the female cop DC Novello.

"On Beulah Height" is a tough book, as it involves the disappearance and supposed deaths of several small girls. Interwoven through the search for the abductor/killer is the tale of Rosie Pascoe's fight for her own life. Hill has used a the device of a children's story entitled "Nina and the Nix" to structure his plot.

The characters are believable, from the singer Elizabeth Wulfson to the "retarded" Benny Lightfoot. I like Hill's inclination to describe the interaction between men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and daughters, and lovers of both sexes. Hill understands human behavior, and his characters are quite believable.

In the end, the loose ends are tied up. You may find one angle a bit stretched, but I am willing to give Hill the suspension of disbelief.

Reginald Hill currently produces some of the most intelligent and best written mysteries out there. _On Beulah Height_ (a Dalziel and Pascoe novel) is a fine continuation of that tradition.

A town in Yorkshire doomed by a reservoir project had been the scene of a terrifying series of child disappearances 15 years ago. Dalziel had been one of the investigating officers on the case. The prime suspect, Benny Lightfoot, was never caught. The case is reopened when the disappearances begin again, and Dalziel finds the original cast of characters reassembled, with some in surprising new roles.

I've just begun to read Reginald Hill in my constant search for new and exciting authors, and I seem to have hit the jackpot with this one. (I'm writing this review as I'm searching for the next Hill novel to put on my shopping list!) The characters are alive, the plot is intricate, the story is highly emotional, and the reader's involvement is intense until the last page has been turned. In my mind, a true masterpiece.

Reginald Hill is a wonderful writer. While so many other authors in the mystery genre repeat themselves and take the easy way out when it comes to plotting, Hill continues to challange his readers. Great plotting, great characters, great book.

Quite possibly the strongest of Hill's novels, *On Beulah Height* evokes, with eerie intensity, every parent's visceral fear of losing their child. At the same time, it explores the multiple and complex strands of love: between parent and child, performer and vocation, person and place, man and woman (or man)... And there are some nifty thematic hooks, like Mahler's *Kindertotenlieder* and a folktale-children's story, "Nina and the Nix" (complete with illustration), both of which play important parts in the narrative's development. As always, Hill jumps gracefully between different times and points of view. There is some occasional humor to leaven what otherwise might be an unbearably grim novel. Readers new to this series should be aware that this really is a *series*; while Hill does some necessary retreading in spots, in several instances readers do need to know the previous novels in order to make sense of the action or character development (particularly in the case of Sgt. Wield). And be warned: the Yorkshire dialect can be heavy going if you are not yet accustomed to it.