Pictures of Perfection
1994 crime novel by Reginald Hill
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Pictures of Perfection is a 1994 crime novel by Reginald Hill, and part of the Dalziel and Pascoe series. The title is a quote from a letter by Jane Austen—"Pictures of perfection, as you know, make me sick and wicked." A quote from Austen's letters is included at the beginning of each chapter, and the story itself makes innumerable references to Austen's novels.
Plot summary
The plot involves a missing constable in the Yorkshire village of Enscombe (which is the name of the estate where Frank Churchill lives in the Austen novel Emma). While investigating the issue, the detectives Peter Pascoe and Edgar Wield become acquainted with the inhabitants of the town, and it becomes clear that there are a great many secrets that are being kept. Most of the characters featured in the novel bear a strong resemblance to a character from one of the novels of Jane Austen.
Reception
Pictures of Perfection was a finalist for the 1995 Anthony Award for Best Novel.[1]
References
- ^ "Anthony Awards". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
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Dalziel and Pascoe series by Reginald Hill
- A Clubbable Woman (1970)
- An Advancement of Learning (1971)
- Ruling Passion (1973)
- An April Shroud (1975)
- A Pinch of Snuff (1978)
- A Killing Kindness (1980)
- Deadheads (1983)
- Exit Lines (1984)
- Child's Play (1987)
- Under World (1988)
- Bones and Silence (1990)
- One Small Step (1990)
- Recalled to Life (1992)
- Pictures of Perfection (1994)
- The Wood Beyond (1995)
- On Beulah Height (1998)
- Arms and the Women (1999)
- Dialogues of the Dead (2002)
- Death's Jest-Book (2003)
- Good Morning, Midnight (2004)
- The Death of Dalziel (2007)
- A Cure for All Diseases (2008)
- Midnight Fugue (2009)
- Auteur Theory (1987)
- Asking for the Moon (1996)
- A Pinch of Snuff (1994)
- Dalziel and Pascoe
