An Advancement of Learning

The 'master of . . . cerebral puzzle mysteries' sends his Yorkshire detectives back to college to be taught a lesson in murder (The New York Times).

Reginald Hill 'raised the classical British mystery to new heights' when he introduced pugnacious Yorkshire Det. Inspector Andrew Dalziel and his partner, the callow Sgt. Peter Pascoe (The New York Times Book Review). Their chafing differences in education, manners, technique, and temperament made them 'the most remarkable duo in the annals of crime fiction' (Toronto Star). The Gold Dagger Award-winning series was adapted into a long-running hit show for the BBC.

If Alison Girling, former principal of England's Holm Coultram College, died in an avalanche in Austria, why has her skeleton been unearthed on campus? While no love is lost between conservative detective Andrew Dalziel and the entirety of Liberal Arts, his attention to the grim discovery must be paid. But when he and Peter Pascoe scour the ivory tower for answers, they discover that the shady faculty and creepy student body have more to bury than just one corpse. Try two-and counting. As Pascoe is sidelined by an old college flame, Dalziel's suspicions of academia are becoming dire. Because the deeper he digs for secrets, the dirtier they get in this 'steadily, edgily amusing . . . dark comedy' (Kirkus Reviews).