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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Guest Post: André Jute on Dalziel & Pascoe

PLUS a Giveaway of one of my favourite books of the year: IDITAROD A Novel of the Greatest Race on Earth by André Jute

Got a gift card burning a hole in your pocket? Check out today's recommendation from guest blogger André Jute!

And stay tuned following André's guest post for a giveaway of his book, IDITAROD a novel of The Greatest Race on Earth. Click here to read my review of IDITAROD and interview with André.

Fat & Thin, in Yorkshire, how likely is that for the best detective series in English?
André Jute on Dalziel & Pascoe

 Image source: bbc.co.uk
The chief policeman in the series is a fat slob with all of the sensitivity and none of the timing of a cuckoo clock. He is a bully, he is sexist, he scratches his backside in public, he belches, he farts.

His sidekick is a fast-track graduate with a stalled career. Mind you, he isn’t much more sensitive. When he shoots someone dead, he knocks up his estranged wife, the pinko bleeding-heart, to tell her he feels good, that this is what he was made for. And then he is surprised when she takes his child and runs off to America with another man.

Together they are Dalziel and Pascoe, by far the most successful British cop double-act. Oh, there’s Morse and his sidekick, Lewis, and Barnaby is set to continue in the unlikely Midsommer after the retirement of John Nettles, and Americans may be impressed by the equally unlikely gentility of Inspector Lynley, but Dalziel and Pascoe are such a long-running and popular success for a huge number of the right reasons.

One of those is realism, which none of the other British police series with a claim to literary probity even tries to offer. Dee-hell (pronunciation for my non-Yorkshire friends) and Pascoe are just downright flat believeable, they’re so human.

Their writer, Reginald Hill, is equally human, if a very superior human: in this age of poppy-loppers he is an unashamedly literary writer, who thinks nothing of strewing pages of references to the classics, or even making them clues. His diversions can be hugely entertaining but police series don’t grow to twenty thick books by accident: Mr Hill brings every fascinating detour to a relevant conclusion.
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About the Reviewer


André Jute is editorial advisor to the micopublisher CoolMain Press. He is the author (with Andrew McCoy) of the bestselling booklength literary critique STIEG LARSSON Man, Myth & Mistress - reviewed here by Matt Posner - and many other books. Visit André's Amazon author page for a list.

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Recommended by André Jute: Dalziel & Pascoe (series, read in any order) by Reginald Hill.


To start at the start, begin with A Clubbable Woman in paperback, audio book format, or watch season one of the television series on video. These titles are not yet available in ebook format.


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~ GIVEAWAY! ~

WIN one of three copies of

IDITAROD A Novel of the Greatest Race on Earth
by André Jute


There are 7 ways to enter below. Note that none of these are mandatory, so you can pick and choose how you will enter the contest. Enter once, or enter multiple times. There are two Twitter options, each worth one entry, which can be done once per day until the end of the contest. The contest will be open for 7 days. It is possible to earn up to 19 entries! The winners will be selected randomly once the contest has closed. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 comments:

Linda Mc said...

Cookie’s Mom, I enjoy your guest reviews as well as your book reviews and author interviews! They are almost always as good as you! Well almost . . . please do not take offense Andre’, I find you fascinating and cannot wait for your memoirs.

Thank you for introducing me to Dalziel and Pascoe, I have never heard of these books or the show before. They sound entertaining and how can one resist a title like The Clubbable Woman! LOL! I hope they will be Kindlized some day. Yes, I am partial to the Kindle.

Also, thank you for including the pronunciation for Dalziel as Dee-hell, because I was totally pronouncing the ‘z’, in my head as I read it. How embarrassing is that!

Andre Jute said...

You give me too much credit, Linda. I didn't always know about the silent Zee in Dalziel's name. My wife is English; she told me.

I'm not surprised you haven't heard of Dalziel & Pascoe before. The books are probably a bit too clever for their own good in the American market, and the characters are not glossy like Morse or Lynley, in fact altogether too real at times, which fights the preconception Americans hold of Britain. This is fabulous writing and a hugely entertaining series, but it will never be as big in the States as the glossies.

I thought A Clubable Woman would go down well on a Mom's board! Heh-heh. In my own quiet way I'm quite as wicked as you.

Linda Mc said...

Mooooom, Andre' called me wicked! Make him stop!. . . now he is touching me!!!!! Stop touching ME!!! Are we there yet?

Marjorie/cenya2 said...

Oh these books sound good and Clubbable Woman sounds excellent.
Don't have a kind, but I am saving up to buy one.

Marjorie/cenya2 said...

Oh no, I entered and I should not have, please delete my entries.
I do not have my kindle yet.

Cookie’s Mom said...

No problem, Marjorie. I removed your entries.

Vicki said...

I like posts about deals on books and tips and tricks.

Vinci said...

Thanks Cookie blog for the interesting
review about the Iditarod. Sounds like a unique read.
Gosh, I did not know about the book
about Steing Larssen,my fav. writer.
Having enjoyed his books, it would be great to get some insight into his
writing skills.Yes, I did read the reviews on Amazon. Makes me want to read it for myself for my own opinion. Also, will look up the
books about Dalziel and Pascoe, sounds like my kind of books.Thanks, also for your twitter to myself, about the extra contest to snag hopefully a copy of the Iditarod. cheers
dayleb at telus dot net

Unknown said...

I've become a big fan of this site. As to what I'd like to see more of?? Keep it going just as it is!! I love the author interviews / giveaways!

Thanks for the giveaway & have a Happy New Year!

elizabeth @ bookattict . com

Darlene said...

I actually think the series sounds good! I will definitely check it out!!

Thanks for the giveaway!

darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

Cookie’s Mom said...

Congratulations to the winners, Dayle, Vicky and Linda!

Thanks to all for entering the contest. Stay tuned for more reviews, interviews and giveaways.

Thanks to Andre Jute and CoolMain Press for supplying the books in this giveaway!

Linda Mc said...

Thank you Andre' for offering IDITAROD I am very excited that I won a copy!

Thank you Cookie's Mom for hosting this giveaway, I love your Book Club Blog. I really don't know where you find the time and energy to do all you do!

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