Christmas holidays are always incredibly busy, so we’ve only had three reviews back so far – but luckily for us, they are absolute crackers! They gave 5 stars for this brilliant psychological thriller from the author of the Dalziel and Pascoe series. Anyway, you can read what they said for yourselves…
Patricia Thompson writes:
This is definitely a five star read and one of the best books I’ve read for a long time.
The Woodcutter in the title is Wolf Hadda who we meet properly on his wedding anniversary when his house is raided and he’s arrested for crimes which he insists he hasn’t committed and has no knowledge of.
Gradually we begin to learn more of Wolf and his past and present and he’s a believable character who had me rooting for him and for his innocence to be proved throughout the book.
This is a book which I read at breakneck speed as I couldn’t wait to find out more and more about Wolf, boy and man.
For anyone who is familiar with Reginald Hill from his Dalziel and Pascoe books, this is a departure from his usual style and not a Yorkshire Moor in the whole book, just some gritty characters who you find yourself warming to as soon as they’re introduced and others you dislike immediately which I think is a sign of some excellent story writing as the reader is totally absorbed into the story and everyone in it.
After I’d turned the last page I was left with a sadness that it had come to an end. A thoroughly enjoyable book which you both want to finish to tie all the loose ends up and a sense of loss that it is all over. I’m sure Wolf will stay in my head for a long time as his character was so believable that you don’t want to say goodbye to him.
Carol Peace writes:
A great standalone book, a definite 5 out of 5.
A great book and a great mystery. The book revelations keep you glued and you just have to read the next page to find out what the conclusion will be.
Jo Barry writes:
With the recent death of Reginald Hill the literary world has lost a writer at the top of his game, however he could not have asked for a finer swansong than The Woodcutter. Five stars.
The Woodcutter is not your average piece of crime fiction, but Reginald Hill is not your average crime writer. His voice is quintessentially British, as evidenced by his Dalziel and Pascoe novels, the basis for the highly successfully UK television series.
The novel is set, for the most part, against the rugged and unforgiving landscape of Cumbria, providing the perfect backdrop for this tale of betrayal, revenge and perhaps, redemption.
Wilfred (“Wolf”) Hadda, the son of a woodcutter, meets with his destiny as a teenager in the form of the willful and sexually precocious Imogen, The daughter of his father’s employer she is a prize to be earned and Wolf leaves to seek his fortune and prove himself worthy of her.
Three years later, having uncovered a talent for making money for both himself and other people, Wolf returns to claim his reward. He has also discovered a few other talents which are tantalizingly hinted at in the opening paragraphs.
Wolf and Imogen marry and many years of happiness and prosperity follow, until his world is turned upside down by an event which brings disgrace, financial ruin and the loss of all he holds most dear in its wake.
To say too much more would be to spoil this finely written and intricately plotted story. Suffice to say that all is never as it seems in this modern day fairytale.
From the first sentence it is evident that the reader is in the hands of an expert and it is easy to be swept along by the combination of strong, fully developed characters and edge of the seat excitement.
