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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Barely any
A missing constable and village secrets; handled with Hill's characteristic wit
Language
Barely any
Dalziel's earthiness includes mild profanity; Pascoe's narration is more restrained
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild romantic subplot within the village community
Substance Use
Barely any
Village pub culture; social drinking throughout
Emotional Intensity
Barely any
Light puzzle-mystery tone with Hill's signature subversion of genre expectations
What this book is about
The thirteenth Dalziel and Pascoe mystery sends Pascoe to the apparently idyllic village of Enscombe to investigate the disappearance of a local constable—but the disappearance may not be what it first seems. Hill uses the village-as-stage-set premise brilliantly, constructing a narrative that is simultaneously a parody of cozy village mysteries and a genuinely clever puzzle. With Dalziel providing sardonic commentary from a distance and Pascoe embedded in a community that seems almost too perfectly English to be real, this is Hill at his most playful and most subversive.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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