Midnight Fugue by Reginald Hill

Superintendent Dalziel is back from his recuperation.  Caught in a terrorist blast, he spent time in a coma and the local criminals as well as his men thought he was a goner.  Now, he is ready to come back, but is he the same Dalziel that has held sway and created terror for so many years before the blast?

The day starts with a good-looking blonde asking for his help.  Seven years ago, Gina Wolfe's husband disappeared without a trace.  He was a police officer suspected of being corrupt when he disappeared.  Now, someone is trying to make Gina think that he is still alive and ready to come back.  She goes to Dalziel for help. 

Dalziel is willing to help, but also has other matters to consider.  His second in command, Pascoe, seems to have taken to being the man in charge a bit too easily and he shows signs of not wanting to give up the power now that Dalziel is ready to come back.  Dalziel sees other worrying signs; a suspicion from his peers that he is not fully recovered, that perhaps it's time for the king to be dethroned.  There are also others who seem interested in what happened to Alex Wolfe.  There's the local hot-shot reporter.  An up-and-coming politician seems involved somehow, or perhaps it's just his father, a local gangster now gone respectable.  Can Dalziel find Wolfe or what has happened to him before another tragedy occurs?

Fans of the Dalziel-Pascoe series will be grateful for another chance to visit with this team of detectives.  Reginald Hill has opened the door into the world of these Yorkshire detectives.  Readers are comfortable visiting this world and eager to return whenever there is a new adventure to read.  This book is recommended for readers who enjoy suspense and intricate plotting.  Hill is a master at the top of his form and always a pleasure to read.