[1] Dalziel is depicted as being rude, insensitive and blunt, whereas Pascoe is calm, polite and well mannered.
The novels employ various structural tricks, such as presenting parts of the story in non-chronological order, or alternating with sections from a novel supposedly written by Peter's wife, Ellie Pascoe (née Soper).
The novella One Small Step is even set in the future, and deals with the detectives investigating a murder on the moon.
In another departure from the norm, the duo do not always "get their man", with at least one novel ending with the villain getting away and another strongly implying that what Dalziel and Pascoe dismiss as a series of unrelated accidents actually included at least one undetected instance of murder.
In 1990, Exit Lines was adapted as a five part serial for BBC Radio 4.