Great story overall, but the 'big reveal' fell a little flat. I won't say why as it's a spoiler, but let's just say I had to flick back and reread certain parts to understand who someone was, which clearly wasn't the authors intention.

As an aside, my copy had a printing error - 100 pages exactly the same as the 100 before them. Just something to be aware of if you have the UK 2010 paperback edition. The story does continue on the second attempt at a page 225, however, so don't despair if you suddenly find yourself reading a bit you've just read, when you actually want to know what happens next.

Not really a review - definitely wasn't up to the Reginald Hill standard that I
have come to expect from his Daziell and Pascoe books. I notice my copy says
that it was first published as a Patrick Ruell novel - I'm just wondering whether
it was considered not up to his usual standard or if he was trying for a new style.
Pretty implausible, the reader has to believe that for over 20 years Trudi has been
the "dormouse" of the title, content to accept and bask in the good life provided by
her mysterious husband, not even being curious as to his nomadic lifestyle, just
accepting it was part of his job. For me her friend Janet was the most believable and
likable character in the story.

Solid story with great twists and character growth. Not subtle or funny like the Dalziel books, but a gripping read.

Until Lowell told me, I did not know that Patrick Ruell is a pseudonym of Reginald Hill. She gave me this book to read.

I enjoyed the main character, a little mouse of a woman, until her husband dies. The suspense was wonderful as events progress and get worse and worse. Yet the dormouse becomes a stronger character.

Another solid story from Reginald Hill. It seemed quite long (having 10 parts, each with chapters, added to the perception), but I didn't lose interest.

The central event/mystery wasn't really resolved until the last page. That's a good thing.

This was recommended by a friend and it was an enjoyable read. It was slightly old fashioned but that was fine by me as it was written quite some time ago.

It was a very convoluted story and the twists and turns were all very well done and it all hung together well. There was a lightness to it that isn't quite so common these days and so the fact that there was death, danger and destruction was off set by quirky dialogue and witty prose.

I was irritated beyond measure by the constant repetition of one particular word. I won't say what it was - you must find it for yourself and believe me it won't take long.

However all in all it was fun and intriguing and I will probably read more by this author.

If Reginald Hill is capable of a classic potboiler, this it. Silly, beyond improbable, but fun.

I'm waffling on the rating for this book. I am a devoted Reginald Hill fan, especially of the Dalziel and Pascoe series; even more particularly when read by Brian Glover. A number of Hill's earlier works are being re-released both in paper and audio and this is one of those.

It's clearly not up to the standard he set for himself later; then again, it's a very different genre. This is a quasi spy/thriller. The heroine's husband dies in a car crash and she then learns that all is not what it seems. Fairly traditional plotting. She manages to investigate and get herself out of some bad situations. Again pretty ordinary. Occasionally, though, you can see signs of the Hill to come, and that's why 3 rather than 2 stars.

Good to read something other than the Dalziel stories

Usually a Reginald Hill mystery gets an automatic 5-star rating but not this one. Yes, it's well-plotted and very well-written but there were a few things that just didn't ring quite true. The constant twists, Trudi's rapid personality change, and the ending all combined to a "this is just a little off" feeling. Still a recommended read, but not a Must Read.

6 stars out of 5. Trudi's husband Trent should have married her best friend Jan, but for some reason the extrovert pilot married the little mouse in the airline office. Trudi only begins to wonder where his retirement money went when she finds out there's 4,000 pounds in the bank account he set up when he moved them to Yorkshire from Vienna. She keeps meeting really helpful people but begins to understand the only one she can trust is her high school friend Jan. Endless gaslighting. Motives that become clear only when characters reveal themselves. 6 deaths (one was natural causes). Trudi never figured out what her own parents were doing in Vienna before and during WWII, and she's spent her married life sleepwalking through her husband's sparse social life. When he dies she has to face reality and it's incredibly complex. Why would Trent's doctor come to his funeral in England? Why would his beautiful personal assistant come, and why was she meeting him on the road where the accident happened? Flawlessly connected events. Superb storytelling. Like The Woodcutter, it's another perfect Reginald Hill thriller.

Not p to his normal standard in my humble view as was hard to get into It did warm up towards the end but nowhere near his book entitled the woodcutter which I thought was a thrilling read. even some of his Dazel and Pasco detective stories were better than this,