Rating: 
Summary: Takes you to new heights
Review: A doomed Yorskshire Valley waiting to be flooded, missing girls and the legend of Benny's Back, what can all this mean to Dalziel 15 years down the track, well it looks like Benny is back and another little girl has gone missing in similar circumstances, Dalziel must retrace his steps 15 years back when he was involved in the search for the missing girls. Pascoe has his own problems with his own little girl which will somehow tie everything together. This book was quite an exhaustive read with so much going on in the present and the past, how can the drowning of a valley so long ago mean so much to everyone involved in the present day? This book has so many turns and red herrings that the only people I didn't suspect of murder were Dalziel and Pascoe. a thoroughly enjoyable read I give it five out of five. Another plus to this book is that it gives you an interest in exploring the composer Mahler to see if the music mentioned in the book is available.
Rating:
Summary: One of Hill's best....
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of Hill's best....
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: One of Hill's best....
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, Beautifully Haunting -A Spine Tingling puzzle!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: a smart, involving mystery....and much more
Review: Before reading this book, I had precious little interest in Yorkshire; and the first chapter, full of local dialect, was pretty slow going for me. I perservered, however, and I am truly glad that I did. Both by the characters and the story itself slowly seduced me, and I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting! Many mysteries, including those by very talented authors, are so unlikely. This one hangs together logically from beginning to end, propelled by a fascinating (and diverse) trio of detectives. Add to that some incredibly well drawn local characters, and you have a truly suspenseful mystery. I would recommend this to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: this is way deeper than tea cozy crime fiction a la Christie
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: One Of The better series On the market
Review: Fifteen years have elapsed since the small Yorkshire village of Dendale of was flooded in order to create a reservoir. However, the orderly moving of the residents took a bizarre twist when three young girls disappeared and the prime suspect Benny Lightfoot vanished. Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel never closed the book on this case. However, a drought has occurred, leaving the reservoir at an all time low. The village has begun to reappear. At the same time, graffiti proclaims the return of Lightfoot and a girl has been reported missing. This time around Dalziel and his partner, Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, hope they capture the culprit before anyone else disappears. No review can do justice to the multi-layered, incredibly complex, but brilliantly written ON BEULAH HEIGHT. This novel has so many dimensions yet due to the tremendous talent of Reginald Hill, they all work and blend together so that the reader never feels lost. It's strongly recommend that fans read the entire series, but especially this masterpiece that showcases the mystery genre at its best. Harriet Klausner END
Rating: 
Summary: It's Up Hill All The Way!
Review: For 15 years the disappearance of three little girls has occupied the minds of the villagers of Danby, a Mid-Yorkshire hamlet that is usually concerned with their sheep--or their re-location due to the construction of a lake that has caused many to be uprooted and moved. The disappearance has also occupied the mind of Andy Dalziel, Reginald Hill's chief character in "On Beulah Hieight"and superintendent of the local CID, who knows his Mahler like the next guy. "Fat Andy" was in charge of that investigation and the fact that it wasn't solved has long bothered him. Now, another child has gone missing, opening up old wounds and introducing new ones. Signs have been spray painted around town that "Benny's Back" and that also unnerves the locals, especially those with young children themselves. Benny Lightfoot was the chief suspect those years ago but because Dalziel didn't really believe he was guilty, let him go, and then he disappeared. The villagers--and the readers--are on edge, to say the least. Dalziel, along with Peter Pascoe, Sergeant Wield, and WCI Novello, begins his methodical search, this time determined not to let this one get through. Author Hill, in his usual manner, guides us through with a hop here, a skip there, and a leap over there at, but the reader generally stays "on target" with this book, and, unlike his earlier "Pictures of Perfection," Hill takes his work seriously and we don't have to wonder if there's going to be the "surprise" ending that "Pictures" produced. In "Beulah," however, so many references are made to "Pictures" that it helps if one has read that one as well. Allusions to previous Dalziel/Pascoe investigations are there, which can be a pain for readers who may have decided to pick this book for its own merit (Martha Grimes is also quite guilty of this, as well). Hill's prose remains the same, and he seems determined to make us think he has a bigger vocabulary than P.D. James. He writes, "Dalziel pondered, his great face brooding like God's over a tricky piece of epeirogeny." ("Deformation of the earth's crust by which the broader features of relief are produced"--I looked it up for you in Webster's Seventh Collegiate!). He also includes "pendentious" but my Webster doesn't carry that one: perhaps it's a Yorkshire term. Hill continues with expressions like "Pascoe prevaricated." (Note to Hill: James would have simply said "he lied"!). Add periodic bouts of melodrama and you have the minus side of the book. The pluses, however, outweigh the minuses, and the aforementioned obstacles aside, "On Beulah Height" is a sound, almost mesmerizing story. There are enough solid examples of fulfilling the needs of this genre to make this one--and all the other Hill books I have read, at least--worthwhile. Hill is not guilty of being too simple in his plot and character developments and both ring true. Dalziel's acid wit and at times crude, boorish behavior work just right and with Pascoe's urbane, refined side, Hill has concocted a winning team. English television has made a number of the Dalziel/Pascoe cases into movies and one can only hope that they will continue, as it eliminates some of the minus of Hill's prose, and the actors cast seem quite appropriate. As a venerable American baseball player might once have said, "It ain't over till the Fat Man sings." And so far, Andy hasn't started singing. Let's hope he keeps those tunes to himself, as Hill's adventures are worth the effort!
Rating:
Summary: well-drawn characters and intriguing flashbacks
Review: Here's hoping primo cover designer Chip Kidd's superb designs for the paperback reissues of the Dalziel and Pascoe series bring Reginald Hill the larger audience he deserves. Hill's British mystery is as stunning as the stark cover. I enjoyed seeing the action flit back and forth between past and present and amongst the different characters. Hill truly keeps you guessing until the end, and somehow it all makes sense at that point thanks to his tight plotting. He is also at times very funny, with superb dialogue. Looking forward to the next novel in the series.
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