For some reason 1963 is a landmark year in British culture. Kim Philby defected. The Profumo affair (prostitutes and politicians - a potent mix) broke. And, as Philip Larkin had it "Sexual intercourse began in nineteen sixty three between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles first LP". The era is revisited in a number of novels, including John LAwton's A Little White Death. Recalled to Life is Reginald Hill's take on the era.

Hill is one of the finest contemporary genre writers. His Dalziel and Pascoe series is a long running police procedural series that rarely flags, due not only to the stength of the central characters (well drawn, and believably human, they are the bull like Superintendent Andy Dalziel, and sensitive graduate Inspector Peter Pascoe), but also the variety and deft characterisation of the peripheral characters (be they regulars like Sergeant Edgar Wield (a gay police officer), or Pascoe's wife Ellie a former sociology lecturer). Sometimes, though, all does not work as it should. In my view this is one such novel.

The novel begins with the release of Cissy Kohler from prison. She had been convicted of a country house murder in 1963, where in attendance were a prominent politician, an industrialist, a distant royal relative, and an American "diplomat" (together with assorted spouses, nannies and children). Dalziel was involved in the original investigation, and becomes involved in reassessing the investigation. His investigations take him to the United States, where his Yorkshire based brand of zero tolerance sees him featured on the front of a newspaper as "Crocodile Dalziel". The story comes together with involvement of the media, the secret service (from the UK and the USA), police corruption investigation, high politics, low deceit. Hill handles the plot in an exemplary fashion, drawing together the strands, and running a number of storylines/strands of investigation simultaneously. So far, so police procedural.

As ever the peripheral characters are delightfully drawn, from the ageing Scottish nanny, Miss Marsh, to the money grabbing former prison officer, encountered by Peter Pascoe, to Lord Partridge, a former cabinet minister, forced to resign in the aftermath of the Profumo affair.

So why the moderate ranking? If 3.5 stars were available I would have awarded that. But, there seems to be something missing in this book. The Dalziel and Pascoe series works at its best on home ground, drawing strength from the Yorkshire geography and culture (witness On Beulah Height and Bones and Silence). However, here by removing Dalziel from home base we are left with a number of forced situations of an Englishman abroad. There is also an unlikely love (lust?) interest that stretches the bounds of credibility.

This is a very enjoyable mystery novel. It has the usual Hill virtues (plotting, characterisation, and a twisted sense of humour), and manages to say a lot about English society. However, for me, the spark is missing.

If you enjoyed this novel try the Lawton book or either of the the Dalziel and Pascoe books mentioned earlier.

A good read but keep a dictionary handy. I've never seen ectopic, boscage, and tesselated in one sentence before.

Reginald Hill's books on Dalziel/Pascoe make me laugh. One of the best things that can be said about any author is that they make you laugh! If they can do it while spinning a pretty good plot in the mystery genre, they have my admiration. Hill's cop-duet are an odd couple. I know the prevalence of 'odd couples' in mysteries has been done and overdone, but Hill brings a breath of fresh air to the genre with these two. I know I couldn't possibly stand either Dalziel or Pascoe alone through a whole book, hence they play off of one another to keep the reader interested and the plot interesting.

Now granted, every once in a while Hill feels he has to authenticate his cops with language I would prefer not to read. But...having been around some military and a few cops, I would not be surprised if they do talk like this except around women and children. Hill's books have enough good writing to make up for the occasional lapse into raunchy language.

This book combines not just a murder mystery but also incorporates a bit of the spy genre in here, as it involves both American CIA and British royalty in the murder. The plot becomes convoluted throughout the book since the people originally in the house at the time of the 'accidental' shooting not only do not stay in Britain, but they don't even stay married to the same people. It's a bit of a strain at times keeping people separated, but worth it.

I got a huge kick out of Dalziel's visit to America, and much of the language. I always have wished I had the knack of someone like Dalziel, who is an older British curmudgeon, to administer dry, humorous put-downs...I am not sure if someone like him would make it in the 'real world' without more diplomatic abilities than he seems willing to be bothered with...so he really does need Pascoe to smooth things over and 'cover his rear'.

A totally enjoyable reading...

Karen Sadler

University of Pittsburgh

this is the first of his books that i've tried, and i did so based on some of the glowing reviews of his other books, but for a thriller, i would say that it's sadly lacking in momentum and suspense. it's supposed to be a whodunit, but i lost interest in the murders halfway thru the book, because the red herrings thrown in really detracts from the mystery, and doesn't do much to get the story going for me. the focus appears to be more on the characters, which granted are very interesting and the chief inspiration for me to read on. strictly for hill fans.

To teh readers familiar with the Pascoe/DAnziel series, A Killing Kindness will not be a surprise--it is as good as most of the other novels in the series. Pascoe and Danziel are trying to catch a serial killer, who stnragnels young girls. Only there are a couple of exceptions. The plot is good and believable. The conclusion, although not very surprising, is satisfying.

As usual, Hill's strength is in giving the secondary characters opportunities to develop throughout the series. THey are not just props for the two detectives to excahnge clever lines, and this is what makes the book more than a simple mystery.

Detective Inspector Peter Pascoe's dentist, who is used to seeing broken jaws and broken teeth, tells Pascoe that a scene in an X-rated film where a women is beaten is real, not staged. This leads Peter and his wife Ellie to check out the Calliope Kinema Club, a trendy venue for soft-core porn in an otherwise proper and well-to-do neighborhood.
Sergeant Wield already has the place under surveillance, due to neighborhood complaints and scandalized locals, but Wield and Pascoe's Boss Superintendant Dalziel is skeptical that anyone is guilty of anything more than voyeurism until an indisputable murder turns up the heat.
The books are labeled the Dalziel and Pascoe books, but I always think of them as the Peter Pascoe / Ellie Pascoe / Edgar Wield / Andy Dalziel books, and all four characters get to shine in this one. Not as innovative as most of the later books in the series, but still an excellent police procedural, and well as showing much of the sly humor and characterization that makes Hill's books such a delight.

My copy of A Pinch of Snuff is a 21st printing; this book must be really popular. Reginald Hill's long-running Dalziel/Pasco series never fails to deliver a fine story. Detective Inspector Dalziel allows Detective Sergeant Peter Pasco to look into a report that the beating of an actress in a porn film appears to have been the real thing. Another case's investigation begins to overlap this one, and through step-by-step detective work, the story unfolds.

I enjoyed the story; it's hard to find a better British police procedural than those of Reginald Hill. I don't normally like or read British police procedurals, but Hill's in a class by himself. Read this one and whatever you do, don't miss his later books in this series. On Beulah Height, for instance, is a true masterpiece.

In 1843, Sweden witnessed the advent of a new religious leader, Eric Janson. Identifying himself as a new prophet, Janson led many people away from the established Lutheran Church. Coming under persecution from the authorities, Janson and some 1,100 followers emigrated to the United States, and founded Bishop Hill, a religious commune on the prairies of Illinois. This is the story of Eric Janson, and the rise and fall of Bishop Hill.

Eric Janson led the first mass exodus of Swedes to North America, and is a subject worth studying. In this short work (some 60 pages), Michael Mikkelsen writes a not entirely dispassionate look into this subject. His book is highly favorable of Eric Janson, and hostile to the Swedish Lutheran Church. Though this book is light on details, I still recommend it.

I was lucky enough to obtain the 1972 Porcupine Press version, which included the book, Eric Janson and the Bishop Hill Colony by Sivert Erdahl. This book (some 70 pages) is much better than Mikkelsen's, heavy on the details Mikkelsen missed, and worthy of five stars. Erdahl quotes from a number of primary sources, including the writings of Eric Janson himself to give a clear and unbiased look at Eric Janson and Bishop Hill.

If you are interested in Eric Janson and/or Bishop Hill, then I recommend this book to you. If you can obtain the Porcupine Press version, though, then you are obtaining a read gem!

Dr. Hill's book presents an overview of expressions of and teaching on worship in the Old Testament. Chapter one gives some practical explanations about Hebrew words translated as the English word worship. Elements of worship addressed in following chapters include: Worship as lifestyle (personal Piety), The development of worship from the patriarchs to the prophets, The holism of the Hebrew understanding of worship as it relates to form, place and time, and the role of the King as worship leader. The tension between God's transcendence and immanence is evident in discussions about Hebrew worship. The role of music and the arts is related to praise, especially in the context of the Psalms and Davidic worship. "Enter His Courts With Praise" also includes numerous helpful charts and illustrations.

Dr. Hill identifies a number of parallels between vibrant, God honoring worship of the Old Testament and some of the trends in worship today. Included are trends such as: the corporate nature of worship (as opposed to some of the negative effects of individualism), worship as active rather than passive, an attention to history as well as the bible, and a more holistic understanding of the relationship between God and man.

This book is an excellent resource for pastors and worship leaders. An understanding of Old Testament worship remains essential for effective worship leadership in today's church. Readers may be surprised at how relevant Old Testament teaching on worship is to the growing church of a postmodern world.

This is not the best book on the subject. There are many other superior books to this one. I still keep it around as a descent reference on statistics, and occasionally get something out of it.

It's a very good book because of the way it divulges you into the real world. If you are interested in learning business and business statistics, what better place to learn it than the real world.

I had the privelege of taking an MBA level course from Andy Siegel. The style of the text reflects the simply, user-friendly way he communicates in class. Not having taken a stats class before, I was happy to find a professor who could take a dry, complex subject and make it interesting and relatively painless. More professors should use this text!

Don't waste your money (and time) on that ancient book.

It's shame to offer a 70's book for regular sale! Although it reprinted again in 94, its content remain.

It is a very usefull book for an computer engineer.If you are in a first class of computer engineer you can have some difficulties about using the mathematical formulas in computer.This book makes you learn yery easy.It is for a starter.

I knew I was going to be disappointed. How could I possibly not be? After all, this book follows on from Dialogues of the Dead (which, by the way, is a masterpiece and the best book I have ever read). However, while I was expecting disappointment, I wasn't really expecting it on quite such a large scale.

Hill here tries to juggle three plots at once, and for the most he does the actual juggling quite well, but ultimately each plot is disappointing and the endings unsatisfying.

Firstly, Pascoe's mind is occupied once again by Franny Roote, a killer he once sent to jail. However, now released, the cunning and intelligent Roote is trying to convince Pascoe that he's changed his ways and just wants to get on with his book on the poet T.L. Beddoes. But Pascoe is still convinced Roote has a more sinister agenda... Then, there is DC Wield, who attempts to rescue a lad he thinks is in danger, but instead finds himself with a street-wise rent-boy under his wing. Then, when he lad gives him a tip-off about a long-planned robbery, good old Wieldy finds himself in a bit of a pickle... And then, of course, there's Hat Bowler, living in bliss with girlfriend Rye Pomona, the librarian whom he became so entangled with during the brilliance that was "Dialogues of the Dead". But even with them, too, something shattering lurks on the horizon...

This book may be very very well written, and very funny at times (Hill is on form there, at least), but that just isn't enough. The characters are ok and well developed, at least that much can also be said. However, you get the impression that Hill just got tired of his "Hat/Rye" storyline (such a joy in the last book) and tried to give them as little page-space as he could get away with, making their storyline - potentially the best - the most disappointing, and ending it annoyingly conveniently. Pascoe's storyline is just plain annoying. The long, dull, rambling letters Roote is writing to him get annoying almost as soon as they begin, and yet we are forced to endure an incessant barrage of them throughout the book! The antagonism between the two is also incredibly annoying, and I'm dead sick of it. It's now been going on for three books, and it still doesn't appear to be over. (Additionally, it's frustrating that the Roote we meet now just isn't the same person as the egotistical, cold killer we met in "An Advancement of Learning"). Wield's storyline is the most enjoyable, but in the end even that degenerates into a mundane heist plot-line that not even Hill's interesting writing style can make engaging.

Hill has tried to do too much, and spoiled it. This could have been a great book, but it really only serves to ruin the previous one, which it is nowhere near as good as. If you've not read Dialogues of the Dead, be sure to do so without delay, and then read this one if you have to.

For those readers that loved Dialogues of the Dead, the jest's on us.