CHILD'S PLAY: A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel [SIGNED COPY]

London: UK: Collins Crime Club, 1987. 1st ed. A touch of foxing to the page edges else fine in dust jacket. SIGNED COPY. Signed by Hill at title page. A GOLD DAGGER AWARD FINALIST. This is the tenth episode in the adventures of DI Peter Pascoe and his large, profane, heavily biased, but also brilliant boss, Superintendent Andy Dalziel, head of Mid-Yorkshire CID. This time it all turns on the death of the elderly and long-widowed Gwen Huby and the fact that she’s never given up hope that her only son, who was MIA in 1944 in Italy, is still alive somewhere. So she leaves her entire estate to him, with the proviso that if he still hasn’t turned up a century after his birth, it all goes to two charities and a fascist political group. The other members of the two related families aren’t happy. They’ve been counting on their assumed inheritance. And then an Italian stranger turns up at the graveside, disturbing the funeral with a loud claim to be the missing heir. The family lawyer asks Dalziel to check this guy out -- just as a personal favor, since there’s no crime involved -- but then the claimant turns up dead. And there’s no lack of locals who would benefit.. Signed by Author. 1st Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. Book.