Reginald Hill is a native of Cumbria and a former resident of Yorkshire, the setting for his outstanding crime novels featuring Dalziel and Pascoe, 'the best detective duo on the scene bar none' (Daily Telegraph). His writing career began with the publication of 'A Clubbable Woman' (1970), which introduced Chief Superintendent Andy Dalziel and DS Peter Pascoe. With their subsequent appearances Reginald Hill has won numerous awards, including the Crime Writers' Assocation Cartier Diamond Dagger for his lifetime. contribution to the genre.

Home from the Rugby club after taking a nasty knock in a match, Connon finds his wife even more uncommunicative than usual. After passing out on his bed for five hours, he comes downstairs to discover communication has been cut off forever – by a hole in the middle of her forehead. Down at the club, passions run high, on and off the field.This is a home game for Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel who knows all the players, male and female. But Sergeant Peter Pascoe, whose loyalties lie with another code, has a few ideas of his own.