Part of Dalziel & Pascoe, book 6
First published 2001
Mary Dinwoodie turns up dead in a ditch after her night out ends badly. Someone calls the local newspaper and recites lines from Hamlet. Detective Superintendent Dalziel faces a killer who likes Shakespeare and dramatic gestures. The murderer strikes again, earning the nickname the Yorkshire choker. Dalziel has no patience for literary games or theatrical villains. His investigation gets complicated when Sergeant Wield brings in a psychic to help solve the case. Dalziel explodes at this development. He prefers solid police work to supernatural assistance. The case tests his methods and his temper as the killer continues the deadly pattern across Yorkshire.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, theatrical-villain
Setting: Yorkshire
Period: 20th-century
8 pages · Audio CD · Chivers Sound Library
Content warnings: murder, violence