After some 40 books, most written after he retired from teaching in the 1980s, Reginald Hill continues to amaze with his writing. In 2010, the London Times picked him as one of the 50 Greatest Crime Writers; among his many awards is Britain's prestigious Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for his Andrew Dalziel & Peter Pascoe mystery series. Hill could easily rest on his laurels, but his latest novel proves him to be at the top of his form--inventive, creative and literary to the bone.
The Woodcutter is an elaborate and complex thriller told in many parts, over a number of years, and through many voices. Many epigraphs (Heine, Dumas, Lord Dunsany) point to the two love stories at the heart of the book, which is set in Hill's beloved Cumbria, England.
Hill tells the story of the "Woodcutter"--Sir Wilfred (Wolf) Hadda--his wife, Imogen, and the successful man's fall from grace. He's arrested for crimes--fraud, child pornography--he didn't commit and is seriously injured in an accident. Psychiatrist Alva Ozigbo tries to help him deal with his past and his "crime." He's eventually freed and then, a la Dumas' Count, it's now a tale of revenge.
Hill must have had a lot of fun weaving this elaborate tale. Despite some over-the-top characters and a plot that at times seems unnecessarily complex, he delivers another engrossing novel, proving he doesn't need to do another Dalziel/Pascoe romp to earn his stripes. --Tom Lavoie, former publisher