Reginald Hill is a more traditional type of detective story writer, his Dalziel and Pascoe novels being high on the bestseller lists now for a number of years. In his latest, it is Ellie, Sergeant Peter Pascoe's wife, who is to the fore, as she finds herself held prisoner in a remote clifftop house by a group of desperadoes. Her companions in distress are a disparate group of women - her scholar friend Daphne, an aged aid-worker and her silly secretary, a beautiful South American money launderer and a know-all female cop. Fat and rude Andy Dalziel is on his way to the rescue, but is side-tracked by Security Service red tape. In the meantime, it is up to Ellie and her motley band of women to keep the bad guys at bay and preserve their honour, not to mention their very lives.
Hill's erudite style and wonderful way with humour have never been better illustrated than in his recent works - his last, On Beulah Height, was a sheer delight - and Arms and the Women maintains the standard. Highly recommended.