Part of Dalziel & Pascoe, book 19
First published 2003
Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Detective Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe face their most cunning adversary yet. A killer who calls himself the Wordman has begun terrorizing Yorkshire, leaving corpses accompanied by elaborate literary puzzles. Each murder scene contains carefully crafted clues that mock the police while showcasing the killer's twisted intellect. The sociopathic murderer treats his crimes like an elaborate game, challenging the investigators to decode his messages before he strikes again. Dalziel's blunt pragmatism clashes with Pascoe's more cerebral approach as they struggle to match wits with their literate opponent. The Wordman's knowledge of literature runs deep, and his clues grow increasingly complex with each killing. As the body count rises, the Yorkshire detectives must think like their quarry to stop him. The investigation becomes a battle between two different kinds of intelligence: the Wordman's scholarly cunning and the detectives' hard-earned street wisdom. Lives hang in the balance as Dalziel and Pascoe race to solve the killer's final, deadliest puzzle.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, intellectual-duel, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Yorkshire
Period: Contemporary
528 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Avon
Content warnings: murder, violence