Susan Hill's extraordinary collection of mysteries featuring Simon Serrailler and the English cathedral town of Lafferton continues to gain fans and draw attention across the country. New in paperback this month is The Risk of Darkness, which follows last year's hardcover release of The Vows of Silence.
Here's what one appreciative reader has to say: "In The Risk of Darkness- A Simon Serrailler Mystery by Susan Hill. the third in the Sellailler series, one of my favorite police inspectors is back, and finally, for those of you that might have read the second book and been a bit dissatisfied by the ending, we has a conclusion to the crime of the abducted children. And quite a interesting conclusion it is, not one I expected at all. Nor did I suspect that we would have the solution within the first 70 pages of the book. But fear not. As in the previous books of the series, there are any number of other issues, other storylines, to be explored and in this book, the solution of the crime is just the beginning of the story. It is one of the strength of this author, of this series, is that all these various plots can be explores without ever becoming confusing. Of course, not surprisingly, death is at the center of so many of these stories. The heartbreaking reaction of a family to death, a man driven mad by the loss of the one he loves to a horrible illness and even Simon again see death and loss touch his life in several ways. A fine continuation of this series.
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: the vows of silence, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 5 of 5
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Hill, the risk of darkness, simon serrailler, the vows of silence, Add a tag
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: the pure in heart, Susan Hill, the various haunts of men, the risk of darkness, simon serrailler, the vows of silence, Add a tag
Susan Hill takes a few minutes to discuss her acclaimed series of mysteries featuring the enigmatic detective Simon Serrailler and the catherdral town of Lafferton, England:
My aim was to look at issues in the world around me and contemporary life – which I have not done in my novels before. I also wanted to know not ‘who dunnit’ but much more importantly, WHY? What motivates a criminal? Why does someone murder and perhaps not only once?
Various real crimes interested me, I talked to psychiatrists, police, doctors and gradually worked my way towards the first book.
I also wanted to make sure that the victim or victims is someone about whom the reader can care. The ‘body in the library’ at the beginning of a story is just that – a body, not a real character. But if we have got to know the victims, even a little, then we find their murder more moving, distressing, involving - we care about them, as readers.
I wanted to follow the successful formula of many contemporary crime writers of having one main detective – and some other regular characters – and also to anchor the stories in one place, even if other places are visited during the course of one book.
So, Lafferton, a Cathedral city somewhere in the South of England, came into being. I am often asked if it is based on a real place. No, but if you think of places like Exeter or Salisbury you are on the right lines.
The Detective is Simon Serrailler, a Chief Inspector in the first book, later promoted to Detective Chief Superintendent. Members of his own family also appear in all the books – his parents, both retired doctors, his sister Cat and her husband Chris, both GPs, and their children.
Although the novels follow in chronologoical order, each one can be read independently."
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Hill, the risk of darkness, simon serrailler, the pure of heart, the vows of silence, various haunts of men, Add a tag
Susan Hill's fourth Simon Serrailler mystery, The Vows of Silence, is reviewed in ForeWord Magazine's December issue: "There is a serial killer on the loose in the English country township of Lafferton and it has everyone, including Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler, flinching at every car that backfires. What makes this case especially baffling is that the killer seems to follow no pattern—the weapon is a rifle in one case, a handgun in another. The only linkage among the growing number of murders is a frightening one. The victims are all women.
This is the premise for Susan Hill’s fourth entry in the police procedural series about C.I. Simon Serrailler. What separates Ms. Hill’s work from the groaning shelf of mystery and procedural novels is her ability to tell a story without having the reader thumb back a few pages to feel caught up. Her style is straightforward and smoothes out the ridges of her complex plotlines. And there are enough twists and turns in The Vows of Silence to make the reader reach for a literary Dramamine.
As if it’s not enough to have everyone breathing down his neck over the unsolved murders, Simon Serrailler has enough personal problems to give the most optimistic among us a splitting headache. His sister Cat has returned from Australia with her husband, who is dying from an insidious brain tumor. Serrailler, very fond of his brother-in-law, broods about the inevitable. His mother has passed away some time ago and now his father has taken up with a woman he doesn’t approve of, and, oh yes, Simon is also estranged from his own love interest, the Reverend Jane Fitzroy, who has moved from Lafferton to put space between them. There’s an old cliché in the writing business that says you can never give your hero enough problems, an idea to which Ms. Hill obviously subscribes.
Susan Hill’s portrayal of English country life seems spot on. Her narrative voice, pacing, and, especially, her ability to create believable characters, makes reading a pleasure. Finally, The Vows of Silence passes this reviewer’s litmus test for any author who writes a series: it’s time to go back and read the first three Serrailler books. After that, I’ll join the burgeoning Hill fan club that awaits the fifth Simon Serrailler novel. - Reviewed by Michael Lee
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Hill, simon serrailler, lafferton, the vows of silence, Add a tag
"Fans of character-driven suspense writers like Elizabeth George, Reginald Hill, and Ruth Rendell will love Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series. While Serrailler and his team attempt to solve a series of apparently random shootings, his sister and her husband -- both doctors -- struggle with a diagnosis that will change all their lives. A great read!” -- Carol Schneck, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI
"Susan Hill’s crime novels are getting better and better. Though her series format is of course familiar, she brings to it qualities that make it her own. The main plot is straightforward enough — who is the killer and will he be caught? — but the narrative is so streamlined and effective that it races beautifully along until it smacks against the buffers of an unexpected but entirely convincing ending. The technicalities of police investigation seem plausible, as does the interaction between the officers. The novel gains depth, not distraction, from the wealth of other stories that cluster around the private lives of its characters. Much of it unfolds in dialogue or short, crisp sentences. . . On one level, this is a book about sudden and premature death and its effect not only on those who die but also on those who remain. Here, whether death comes with a bullet or a tumour, it is a blunt instrument that destroys peace and forces a brutal reassessment of life’s priorities. Perhaps this is the central question that Hill poses in this gripping and thought-provoking novel: how on earth do we cope?" - Andrew Taylor, The Spectator
" The police procedural subplot is well written, filled with suspense and has a red herring suspect, but the emotional intensity happens more to people in Simon’s personal circle as he is the “watcher” even with Jane Fitzroy, a woman he is attracted to. The story line is fast-paced except with the relationship dance between Simon and Jane. Susan Hill effortlessly moves back and forth between the case (to include the killer’s perspective) and Simon’s personal life. British police procedural fans will enjoy Simon’s not simple investigation and look for his previous caseload." - Harriet Klausner
Blog: The Winged Elephant (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Hill, the various haunts of men, the risk of darkness, simon serrailler, lafferton, the vows of silence, Add a tag
The fourth installment of Susan Hill's magnificent series of novels featuring Simon Serrallier is coming in November from The Overlook Press. Booklist offers an early appraisal of The Vows of Silence in the September issue: "Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler is certain the murders taking place in the quiet English community of Laffterton are linked, but neither he nor the members of his investigative team are sure about the common element. In the meantime, the murderer remains on the loose, and he is more than happy to fill in the rationale behind his killing spree (if readers haven’t already guessed it) in occasional chapters that venture into his deluded mind. Complicating matters is an upcoming wedding at the local cathedral with guests of honor to include the Prince of Wales. Individuals familiar with Hill’s three previous books about laidback Chief Inspector Serrailler are the best audience for this fourth series entry, as familiarity with the characters will help sort out the family relationships (Simon’s as well as those of other characters in the town) that play a huge part in the story, constantly drawing on Simon’s attention as he looks for the killer. Fortunately, Hill does a good job balancing the interpersonal stories with the mystery, while adding to the mix a surprising, very credible overlay of deep emotion." -— Stephanie Zvirin