The Woodcutter

Starred review from June 6, 2011
British author Hill (The Stranger House) combines an edgy tale of betrayal and revenge with the trappings of a modern-day fairy tale in this sly, enchanting stand-alone. Wilfred "Wolf" Hadda, the poor but ambitious son of a Cumbrian woodcutter, has waited five years to marry Imogen, whose father, Sir Leon, employs Wolf's father as head forester, in order to fulfill the three tasks she demanded: become socially polished, get an education, and amass a fortune. Now Sir Wilfred Hadda and head of an international corporation, he's dumfounded when he's arrested, charged with child pornography and fraud, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Has he been framed? Of course. At the core of this engrossing tale are the missing five years in Wolf's youth (rumor has it he was kidnapped by fairies) and how they relate to his ingenious plans for revenge. A lovely yet skeptical prison psychiatrist ("Elf") and a shrewd vicar are some of the strong characters that complement the fast-paced, unpredictable plot.

Starred review from July 1, 2011

A grim-dandy psychological thriller about betrayal and revenge set in England.

Sir Wilfred Hadda has risen far from his humble days as a woodcutter's son. Nicknamed both Wilf and Wolf, it's the latter that follows him throughout the story. He's handsome, rich, well-connected and married to a gorgeous upper-class woman. What more could a man want? Oh wait, there's someone at the door. The authorities arrive with a warrant, something about fraud and child pornography. In a panic at the false accusations, Wolf foolishly bolts into London traffic, with macabre consequences that are not for the squeamish reader. As an accused and apparently proven child molester, the tabloids crucify and the court convicts him. His trusted friend/lawyer abandons him, his wife divorces him, his business goes belly-up and he lands in prison. Only his physical toughness protects him from his pedophile-loathing fellow convicts. He simply cannot sink lower. The Swedish-Nigerian psychiatrist Alva Ozigbo (a beautiful woman, of course) tries to persuade him to face up to his obvious guilt. He vehemently protests his innocence, though admitting guilt may shorten his sentence. Years later he is released, but he is a pariah in the Cumbrian village where he was raised and chooses to return. He just wants to become a simple woodcutter, though he has questions for which he hires a private investigator. The answers may take a while, the P.I. tells him; what will you be doing in the meantime? "Sharpening my axe," Wolf replies. Clearly, he had been set up. But by whom, and why? And what will he do about it? Doctor Ozigbo plays an intriguing secondary role as Wolf navigates the many dangerous twists and untangles the deceit that dates back for a generation.

Near the end, a character refers to the fate of "the dreadful, drab English." There's nothing drab about this dark and compelling novel, although some of its characters are dreadful human beings.

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March 1, 2011

A Cumbrian woodcutter's son, Wolf Hadda is now a high-profile entrepreneur with a beloved wife in the bargain. Then he's thrown into jail for charges he denies and is abandoned by everyone. When he returns home seven years later, he's in the mood for revenge. A Cartier Diamond Dagger award winner noted for his popular Dalziel & Pascoe series, Hill here offers a stand-alone. Of interest to the thriller set; with a 25,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2011
Hill, the CWA Gold Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award winner and author of the Yorkshire-set Dalziel and Pascoe police procedurals, turns here to a stand-alone psychological suspense story. Even though the novel is quite long for psychological suspense, coming in at a hefty 500-plus pages, Hill rarely loses hold of the nerve that holds it together. This nerve comes in the form of the character of hero Wolf Hadda, an enormously influential and wealthy businessman. Hadda is living his own dream, married to a woman he adores and father to a child he adores. The clich' of a sudden knock on the door changing lives works this time, opening up a thoroughly intriguing Kafkaesque drama, which develops from Haddas false imprisonment back to his traumatic childhood, when he was forced into committing despicable acts. Engrossing work from a genre stalwart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)