Mormonism Tucked in Fiction

I'm currently wending my way through the novels of Reginald Hill with Andrew Danziel, Peter pascoe and Ellie Soper Pascoe. I love reading the adventures of the 'Fat Man' and the family of Pascoes that he interacts with. While reading through the series I noticed that he commented on Mormon culture a few times. I thought the quotes were interesting and they caused me to pause in reading. My relationship with Mormonism is complicated, but it is a part of me that I own and follow. So I am always surprised to 'meet' it in un-religious and popular texts. Here are my favorite quotes from his novels.

It was like the pope admitting some uncertainty about the position of the Mormons- Reginald Hill (Ruling Passion)

They also might have been gang leaders, astronauts, presidential aides or Mormon PR men, but they were unmistakably American. - Reginald Hill (April Shroud)

Here is one from another author I enjoy- Martha Grimes

Alert, Bass sat up. “Conditions?” Good Lord, conditions as in the inheritance is null and void if you divorce Helen, or become a Mormon, or sell this cottage, or refuse to keep Bolly on as a house boy? The list could go on and on.”- (The Way of All Fish)

NOw that I have completed the works of these authors (for the third or forth time) I am moving on to the non fiction works of Elaine Pagels. Her religious books are great and I'm ready to read some more serious stuff. I always turn to non- fiction in the spring as my thoughts move to more contemplation and my body yearns for warmth and time outside. The time change is this Sunday and the solstice happens soon after that on the 20th... so spring is coming at last. I can't wait!

The Danziel and Pascoe Series - In Order

I was first introduced to these series of mystery novels when I moved to Maine. It was recommended by a librarian in the area and I devoured the books until the series ended with the death of the writer. Reginald Hill had an extraordinary talent in being able to write mystery novels out of chronological order and stories within the stories while working within he framework and stories he had already written. He also had a rare habit of letting the murderer get away with his crime causing much consternation in my mind as my sense of justice felt thwarted. He passed away in January 2012. Andrew Danziel is the 'Fat Man' who works as a Detective Superintendent while Peter Pascoe is his Detective Sergent until a promotion later on in the novels. Another character worth mentioning is Ellie (Soper) Pascoe who is married to Peter and is an integral part of the lives of both Pascoe and Danziel.


1. A Clubbable Woman (1970)

2. An Advancement of Learning (1971)

3. Ruling Passion (1973)

4. An April Shroud (1975)

5. A Pinch of Snuff (1978)

6. A Killing Kindness (1980)

7. Deadheads (1983)

8. Exit Lines (1984)

9. Child's Play (1987)

10. Underworld (1988)

11. Bones and Silence (1990)

12. One Small Step (1990), novella

13. Recalled to Life (1992)

14. Pictures of Perfection (1994)

15. The Wood Beyond (1995)

16. Asking for the Moon (1996), short stories which include "The Last National Service Man", "Pascoe's Ghost", "Dalziel's Ghost", and "One Small Step"

17. On Beulah Height (1998)

18. Arms and the Women (1999)

19. Dialogues of the Dead (2002)

20. Death's Jest-Book (2003)

21. Good Morning, Midnight (2004)

22. The Death of Dalziel (2007), Canada and US Title: Death Comes for the Fat Man

23. A Cure for All Diseases (also titled The Price of Butcher's Meat) (2008)

24. Midnight Fugue (2009)

I love these characters and it feels a bit sad that there will be no more books. That I won't be able to know how the Pascoe's life changes and is lived and how their community changes with time. But I can always come back and pick up a book to make them alive again for that brief period of time... to listen to the Fat Man and sigh at his crudity even while I find myself in aw of his instincts. Good books indeed.