An April Shroud

Written by Reginald Hill

Narrated by Shaun Grindell

A detective is drawn to a newly widowed woman in this "darkly funny" British murder mystery in the Gold Dagger Award–winning series (Kirkus Reviews).



With his partner away on a honeymoon, Yorkshire detective Andrew Dalziel tries to beat the blues by taking a vacation of his own. But after getting caught in a torrential rain and running into a funeral procession, he winds up accompanying a crowd of upper-class mourners to a crumbling country house.



Dalziel isn't known for his elegant manners, but he has bigger problems than not fitting in: The owner of the home has died under unusual circumstances, and soon more bodies are turning up. And while Dalziel finds himself undeniably attracted to the widow, he knows that she, and everyone in the family, is a suspect.



"Hill's high standards of humor and civilized characterization are intact here, and justice and ambiguity are served in satisfactory fashion." —Publishers Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Aug 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9781696614900

Reginald Hill

Reginald Hill is a native of Cumbria and former resident of Yorkshire, the setting for his novels featuring Superintendent Dalziel and DCI Pascoe, ‘the best detective duo on the scene bar none’ (‘Daily Telegraph’). Their appearances have won him numerous awards including a CWA Gold Dagger and Lifetime Achievement award. They have also been adapted into a hugely popular BBC TV series.

Reviews for An April Shroud

[infjsarah · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was definitely "meh" about this book. Has all the ists - racist, sexist classist and the mystery just didn't hold my attention.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ironically, the TV series featuring Dalziel and Pascoe retitled this book “Autumn Shroud.” I hate it when they do that. I’m a huge fan of the Dalziel and Pascoe novels.

Following Pascoe’s wedding to Ellie, Andy is off on a two-week holiday but he has no idea what to do with himself other than drive around and when his car breaks down he finds himself intrigued by a family burying a father and husband in a singularly emotionless fashion. In his inimitable way, he insinuates himself into their house, not to mention the widow, and discovers a nice little mystery on which to work his magic. Pascoe hardly makes an appearance in this novel, so Andy’s personal foibles and detective talents are showcased.

In one scene, so unlike the protagonist hero-worship of most novels, Dalziel and Bonnie go to bed together and it’s really quite a funny scene, with Bonnie almost making fun of him. Then again, as he notes, his idea of foreplay, when he was married, was a six-pack.

First rate Hill novel. Very ably read by Colin Buchanan who plays Pascoe in the TV series.

[marshrat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finally seeing some of Dalziel's personal side unfortunately with very little Pascoe in the mix. I found the numerous characters a bit confusing but I was reading multiple books at the same time so I can't put it all on the book. Overall I'm enjoying the series and look forward to further developments.

[julesjones_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fourth in the Dalziel and Pascoe series. The previous book focused on Peter Pascoe and his involvement as a witness rather than a policeman, after finding his friends murdered. This one focuses on Andy Dalziel finding himself in a similar situation. The difference here is that Dalziel finds himself amongst strangers, and it's not entirely clear for some time whether there is a crime at all, and if so what it is.

Dalziel is supposed to be going on holiday after attending Pascoe's wedding, but finds himself stranded by a flood, and invites himself to stay with the funeral party who rescue him. The newly widowed Bonnie Fielding has more troubles on her mind than the loss of her husband -- their fledgling Banqueting Hall business needs to be up and running soon, or the business, and the family, will be bankrupt. Dalziel gets entangled in what at first seems like an entertaining diversion, but when more corpses appear, he has unpleasant choices to make.

A good read in its own right, but I found it even better when I read it in sequence. This book develops Dalziel as a character, showing him as off-duty as he gets, and telling us something about him as a person as well as a policeman.