First Chapter First Paragraph: On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill

Published on by Margaret

Every Tuesday First Chapter, First Paragraph/Intros is hosted by Vicky of I’d Rather Be at the Beach sharing the first paragraph or two of a book she’s reading or plans to read soon.

This week I’m featuring On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill. This is one of the books I chose to spell my blog’s name and when FictionFan commented that I should take it off my TBR list and put it on to my Next Up list immediately, I thought that’s a good idea! I didn’t have a Next Up list – but I have now and On Beulah Height is at the top of the list.

On Beulah Height (Dalziel & Pascoe, #17)

It begins with The Transcript of Betsy Allgood

The day they drowned Dendale I were seven years old.

I’d been three when government said they could do it, and four when the Enquiry came out in favour of Water Board, so I remember nowt of that.

Synopsis from the back cover:

They moved everyone out of Dendale that long hot summer fifteen years ago. They needed a new reservoir and an old community seemed a cheap price to pay. They even dug up the dead and moved them too.

But four inhabitants of the valley they couldn’t move, for no one knew where they were. Three little girls had gone missing, and the prime suspect in their disappearance, Benny Lightfoot.

This was Andy Dalziel’s worst case and now fifteen years later he looks set to relive it. It’s another long hot summer, another child has gone missing and as old fears resurface, someone sprays the deadly message on the walls of Danby: BENNY’S BACK

What do you think – would you read on?

I’ve enjoyed all of Reginald Hill’s books I’ve read so far, so I’m expecting to like this one too, after all FictionFan rates it and Ian Rankin is quoted on the cover saying he thinks it must rank as his best yet. It’s Book 17 in the Dalziel and Pascoe series.

13 thoughts on “First Chapter First Paragraph: On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill”

  2. I’m so glad you’re reading this one, Margaret. This is, in my opinion, a very fine series, and I think you’ll the story quite a lot. Hill always created such interesting characters, I think, and the story is, in my opinion, a strong one.

    Like

  3. I’m so glad you’re reading this one. It’s the only book in this series that I’ve read, but have all good intentions to read more. And I think it can be read as a standalone – this from a committed ‘read in order’ person. Ha! Makes me want to read it again or maybe listen to it. Perhaps later this summer.

    Like

  6. I’ve heard great things about this series, but I haven’t read one . . . yet! I’d have to read a bit more to be sure of how I’d respond to the dialect.

    Like

  9. This is a new book and series to me. I like what you’ve told me here about this book. I’m not sure I am ready to start one more series. I will watch for what you think about it.

    Like

  10. Woohoo! You’re reading it!! 😀 I do hope you enjoy it – Ian Rankin has great taste in books. 😉 This was really the book way back when I first read it that made me realise crime fiction could be so much more than just a mystery to solve…

    Like

Comments are closed.