Good Morning, Midnight

"A complex and deeply satisfying tale...one part traditional English whodunit and one part shadowy corporate thriller." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From Reginald Hill, acclaimed mystery writer and winner of the prestigious Diamond Dagger Award, comes a brilliant psychological story of a mysterious death that echoes one in the past.

Prominent businessman Pal Maciver locked himself in his study and shot himself. It's an open-and-shut case, as far as Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel is concerned. Except...Maciver's father died in an almost identical manner ten years earlier, and "Fat Andy" was the investigating officer. Pal's strange and strained relationship with his beautiful, enigmatic stepmother, Kay Kafka, also raises warning flags. And the family's shady corporate dealings carry two apparent acts of self-slaughter far beyond the borders of Yorkshire, causing policeman Peter Pascoe to question his superior's reticence...and his motives.

Hailed by the New York Times as "the master of form and sorcerer of style," Reginald Hill is undoubtedly at the top of his form in this gripping story of a mysterious death that echoes one in the past.

"Somewhere distantly a church clock began to strike midnight. In the muffling fog, it sounded both familiar and threatening, like the bell on a warning buoy tolled by the ocean's rhythmic swell."

Good Morning, Midnight

Yorkshire's coppers Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe are investigating the suicide of prominent businessman Pal Maciver. It seems to be a clear-cut case: he shot himself while sitting at his desk in his locked study.

But things are not quite what they seem. When Pascoe digs deeper, he finds threads going back to another, almost identical death -- that of Maciver's father. And even more disturbing: Pascoe's boss, Detective Superintendent Dalziel, was the officer on that case.

With Dalziel checking his every move, Pascoe is forced to lead his own investigation, plunging into the past to uncover truths about the Maciver family, particularly Pal's relationship with his step-mother, the beautiful and enigmatic Kay Kafka. He soon realizes that the implications of Maciver's death stretch far beyond the borders of Yorkshire. And when a key witness -- exotic hooker Dolores, "Lady of Pain" -- disappears, the death takes on a far more complicated and mysterious face.

“Reginald Hill’s novels are really dances to the music of time, his heroes and villains interconnecting, their stories entwining.” - Ian Rankin

“A real treat. The characters are deftly drawn, the plot constantly delivers surprises and the assured narrative demonstrates again what a terrific comic writer [Hill] is.” - The Observer (UK)

“Literate without being pedantic, humorous without undercutting suspense, Hill’s book will keep you reading far beyond the midnight hour.” - Sunday Express (London)

“Absorbing...enjoyable....The writing is brilliant, witty and erudite...the sharply etched characters are memorably individual.” - Evening Standard (UK)

“He may not be the most famous British mystery author...but Reginald Hill may very well be the best.” - Tampa Tribune

“Literate, nuanced, dark-souled....Hill keeps the reader mesmerized.” - Providence Journal

“Hill has provided readers with a superior example of the mystery form -- one with a deliciously cold sting in the final pages.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Wickedly clever.” - Booklist

“Hill is in splendid form here, his plot masterful, his scenario up-to-the-minute regarding world events, and his writing suspenseful, stylish, literary...and even philosophical. Topnotch crime fiction from a master.” - Library Journal

“Hill’s writing seems to only get sharper and punchier.” - San Antonio Express-News

“A dazzler--Hill’s best in years.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“No one writes a more civilized British police procedural than Reginald Hill. His intricately constructed plots are studded with challenging puzzle components like coded messages and locked-room crime scenes.” - New York Times Book Review

“[Hill] unwinds skeins of intrigue, passion and betrayal....There aren’t many novels in which the words themselves help add to the challenge of identifying a killer.” - Orlando Sentinel

“Reginald Hill turns the genre on its ear in Good Morning, Midnight....well worth the price of admission.” - Denver Rocky Mountain News

“Hill’s...continued willingness to challenge the mystery genre and the masterful way he works his story are well worth the price of admission.” - Rocky Mountain News

“Hill’s sleuths, Dalziel and Pascoe, never fail to entertain.” - Charlotte Observer

“Hill writes with an intelligence and wit that make him, in my opinion, possibly the best crime writer of our day.” - Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)

“The meandering complexity of the plot and the entertaining departmental byplay succeed in teasing the reader along to the neat bookend of a finale.” - Houston Chronicle