Book Review: Good Morning, Midnight

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Good Morning, Midnight     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Reginald Hill
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Dalziel & Pascoe # 20
HarperCollins, Oct 2004, $24.95, 448 pp.

A decade ago a man committed suicide in the Moscow House in Yorkshire. Now his son Pal Maciver kills himself in the same place in the same manner while his spouse Sue Lynn was playing patient-doctor in the bed of her lover Tom Lockridge. Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascal head the inquiries into what is obvious, a locked door suicide.

As the police investigate, Andy seems to be thinking with his wrong head as he appears to compromise the case by his relationship with Kay Kafta, widow of Maciver the father and stepmother to Maciver the son. Even stranger is that Andy led the inquiries into the father’s suicide. As the international corporate world and government spies intersect the investigation, Peter worries that Andy is covering up the working of a killing feline due to desire for the merry widow.

GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT is an entertaining Dalziel and Pascal police procedural more for their battling (seem like a married couple) than the actual investigation. Peter is very concerned that Andy has stepped over the ethics line to protect Kay and wonders if the DS did the same ten years ago. This is a terrific British cop series with the investigations always fun to follow, but this time especially pleasurable is when the lead couple fuss, fight, and fume.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner