From time to time, I want to point out some excellent mysteries which, while they're not in the "classic" mode, are still very much worth your time and effort to read. That would certainly include the work of Reginald Hill, the author responsible for the popular Dalziel & Pascoe series of novels.
These books are police procedurals of a sort, but they are focussed primarily on the interaction between the two police characters. Superintendent Andy Dalziel is an "old-school" cop, flying by the seat of his fairly large pants, crude and vulgar when he wants to be, but eminently fair and generally a pretty good detective. His assistant, Sergeant Peter Pascoe, is one of the new-style English police officers, university trained. While he sometimes - often? - loses patience with Dalziel's personal foibles and old-fashioned methods, he recognizes his boss's abilities and talents as well.
The first novel to feature this pair was A Clubbable Woman, published in Britain in 1970, and it's a good introduction to the series, which now includes more than 20 books to date and a very popular BBC TV series. Set somewhere in "mid-Yorkshire," the book follows Dalziel & Pascoe as they investigate the murder of a woman who is married to a member of the local rugby club. It is an interesting blend of mostly-blue-collar characters; Dalziel has ties to the rugby club, while Pascoe prefers "association football." My primary complaint would be that it doesn't always play fair - Dalziel, in particular, keeps some of the clues well hidden - but, as I said, these are not designed to be classic puzzle mysteries, and I do recommend them heartily. Felony & Mayhem Press has re-issued the book, so it is readily available.
And I deny that the only reason I'm not doing an audio review is because I can't pronounce Dalziel's name. Apparently it's "Dee-ELL." Something to do with the "z" not really being a "z" but a "yogh." Don't ask.
(UPDATED 12/19/2015, to update book link)
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