'An outstanding novel of force and beauty [which shows] Hill's elegant writing, erudition and imagination' The Times

'He quickly proves he's lost none of his sardonic wit, punch and complexity … You'll be hard pushed to find another crime writer with his verve … Hill uses every trick in his arsenal to elucidate. The result is an epic, unbeatable mystery' Financial Times

'A big, fat mystery which has the enduring power of a myth … Hill proves once again that the driving force of a successful crime novel is character, not incident … The heights of the Dalziel & Pascoe series aside, Hill has never written a better book' Evening Standard

'Reginald Hill's books are as good as crime fiction gets and this one is as good as he gets … A tragic, funny standalone mystery … History is rewritten with brilliant originality and verve. The combination of wit and humanity is characteristic of this most inventive of crime novelists – warmly recommended' Literary Review

'Hill's plotting is brilliant, the jokes first-rate, the prose supple: it's his humble awe at the English language that enables him to be a minor master of it' Daily Telegraph

'To give more of plot would be to destroy the great pleasure this complex and accomplished novel offers … Added to his colourful prose and involving narrative are acute psychological insights, beautifully realized characters and landscapes, an examination of the nature of justice, political rage, humour and enough word games to keep any bookish crossword-puzzler happy for hours … The Woodcutter combines romance, fairy tale and tragedy in one of the most gripping crime novels of the past few years' TLS