Reginald Hill minus Dalziel and Pascoe

Reginald Hill is a British crime author who is known mostly for the Dalziel and Pascoe series that has become a BBC tv series.  Hill is considered by the London Times to be one of the 50 greatest crime writers in the world. When I discovered he was publishing a stand alone title in the US, I thought I would give it a quick perusal. I have been a member of some email discussion groups where Hill was a member and he was very quick witted and positive. I have had a hard time following his most recent entries in the Dalziel series but I thought - well - I'd see if the stand alone interested me.

The Woodcutter will publish in the states on July 26, 2011. It was published in Great Britain in 2010. I opened the book and was immediately grabbed by the story and the characters. This is a stunning psychological thriller. The main character, 'Wolf' Hadda, starts out as a very wealthy, attractive, powerful entrepeneur and quickly ends up in prison, found guilty of child pornography and financial crimes. You would think he would not be an attractive character, but somehow, Hill makes the reader care about what happens to him. All of his characterizations are well rounded and interesting, the plotting is intricate but riveting and for a book of over 500 pages, I could not put it down. Get ready for late nights finishing this one.