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Simon Serrailler #7
A Question of Identity
A particularly unpleasant murder, that of a very old woman in a housing project, rocks the town of Lafferton. The murderer has left a distinctive "sign" on the body and at the scene of crime. A couple of weeks later, a similar murder occurs, and a month or so later, so does another.
Initial investigations discover that the mysterious "sign" left on the body was the calling card of a suspect who was charged with several murders in the northwest of the country, tried but acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence. All indications suggest that this person has simply vanished. Or is he right under their noses? Simon Serrailler is obliged to make delve deeper and scratch out answers, in this addictive mystery of surpassing darkness by the bestselling Susan Hill.
Initial investigations discover that the mysterious "sign" left on the body was the calling card of a suspect who was charged with several murders in the northwest of the country, tried but acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence. All indications suggest that this person has simply vanished. Or is he right under their noses? Simon Serrailler is obliged to make delve deeper and scratch out answers, in this addictive mystery of surpassing darkness by the bestselling Susan Hill.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
253 people are currently reading
1,513 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hill
170Ìýbooks2,204ÌýfollowersSusan Hill was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1942. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels".
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls� grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls� grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 449 reviews
September 29, 2021
Simon Serrailler book #7; if there's one thing that UK writers excel at, I would say it is crime fiction detective serials, and this series is a great example. A ritualistic serial killer of elderly woman gets off on a technicality so the police are forced to hide him away and give him a new identity to prevent the victims' families or vigilantes from getting (=killing) him! A decade later Simon Serrailler has a case that appears to be the ritualistic killing of elderly women, the problem is that the most likely suspect no longer exists!
As well as a well paced and delicately put together investigation, what makes this book so interesting is the accompanying stories about Simon's private life which is just as entangled and unpredictable as his public life. The thing I like most about this book/series is that it is quite compelling despite the absence of guns, drugs, extreme violence etc, and just as chilling! 7.5 out of 12
As well as a well paced and delicately put together investigation, what makes this book so interesting is the accompanying stories about Simon's private life which is just as entangled and unpredictable as his public life. The thing I like most about this book/series is that it is quite compelling despite the absence of guns, drugs, extreme violence etc, and just as chilling! 7.5 out of 12
September 22, 2017
As always, Susan Hill held me captive throughout this, the seventh Simon Serrailler book.
No one in their right mind would break into the bedrooms of frail old ladies who are alone at night and terrify them, drag them out of their beds, shove them down in a chair in front of a mirror so they could see themselves, see the killer standing behind them, watch him get out the electrical flex, watch him uncoil it and raise his hands to loop it around their necks, watch while he starts to tighten it, watch themselves fight for breath, turn blue, start to choke. ...
Yet this is precisely what is happening. But it's not the first time. It had happened ten years earlier. A man was arrested and charged and subsequently acquitted. So where is he now? They can find no trace of him, no record that he ever existed. So just how do you find a killer who doesn't exist?
Another edge of your seat thriller/ police procedural from Susan Hill.
No one in their right mind would break into the bedrooms of frail old ladies who are alone at night and terrify them, drag them out of their beds, shove them down in a chair in front of a mirror so they could see themselves, see the killer standing behind them, watch him get out the electrical flex, watch him uncoil it and raise his hands to loop it around their necks, watch while he starts to tighten it, watch themselves fight for breath, turn blue, start to choke. ...
Yet this is precisely what is happening. But it's not the first time. It had happened ten years earlier. A man was arrested and charged and subsequently acquitted. So where is he now? They can find no trace of him, no record that he ever existed. So just how do you find a killer who doesn't exist?
Another edge of your seat thriller/ police procedural from Susan Hill.
December 22, 2022
My first book by his author and I loved it. Simon Serrailler has a lot in common with Adam Dalgleish, who I always admire, so it was probably a foregone conclusion that this would meet my approval too.
The book opens with a court scene where a murderer manages to walk free due to some kind of legal mismanagement. He is unable to rejoin society as he would probably be lynched, so he is set up with an entirely new identity and moved to another town. Years later when the same kind of murders start again Simon and his team find themselves looking for a man who does not exist anymore.
Along with all this drama the author tells us about the daily lives of a number of characters and I could quickly see that if I had started at book one I would have seen these characters as they grew and developed. It did not detract from my enjoyment of the book but reading the series in order probably makes each book even better.
Nevertheless I will have to move on to book 8 next because this one finishes on the kind of note which requires immediate follow up.
The book opens with a court scene where a murderer manages to walk free due to some kind of legal mismanagement. He is unable to rejoin society as he would probably be lynched, so he is set up with an entirely new identity and moved to another town. Years later when the same kind of murders start again Simon and his team find themselves looking for a man who does not exist anymore.
Along with all this drama the author tells us about the daily lives of a number of characters and I could quickly see that if I had started at book one I would have seen these characters as they grew and developed. It did not detract from my enjoyment of the book but reading the series in order probably makes each book even better.
Nevertheless I will have to move on to book 8 next because this one finishes on the kind of note which requires immediate follow up.
July 16, 2018
A Question of Identity picks up not long after the events that close A Betrayal of Trust. In addition to the stories involving Simon Serrailler, his sister and family, his parents, and his extended family of fellow officers at police headquarters, there is a new, particularly heinous crime in process which will lead to a complex investigation. The title proves very significant.
Once again, Hill keeps multiple plot lines running concurrently and smoothly, leaving this reader hating to put the book down at 2 in the morning. Now I’ve placed the 8th book in the series on hold and I look forward to the 9th book due this fall.
I continue to recommend this series to anyone who enjoys mysteries and police procedurals.
Once again, Hill keeps multiple plot lines running concurrently and smoothly, leaving this reader hating to put the book down at 2 in the morning. Now I’ve placed the 8th book in the series on hold and I look forward to the 9th book due this fall.
I continue to recommend this series to anyone who enjoys mysteries and police procedurals.
July 17, 2019
Another great book in the series. I love how Susan Hill gets the reader invested in secondary characters and then bam! She incorporates many aspects of every day life into her stories, which adds a richness and fullness. Book #8 coming up soon!
December 31, 2012
Susan Hill's got my number.
There is a moment in this book where really not much is happening, but an old lady is alone in her home with an electrician. Suddenly the electrician says "Gotcha!" and I nearly jumped out of my skin. At that point, I broke down, demanded my husband's undivided attention (no small request as he is currently reading the George RR Martin series), and just started telling him all about what was going on in this book. How Hill sets up this evil character then sends him underground with a new identity, how she then moves the action to Lafferton where the snow won't stop falling and small family dramas drive the action, how she introduces you to these older women who are moving to a new housing development -- their lives full of excitement and possiblity, and how you are so tense because you know these women's days are numbered.
Hill takes her time here, and lays one heck of a foundation. By the time the killing gets going it all feels personal and immediate. I just hope the tension leaves my back someday.
There is a moment in this book where really not much is happening, but an old lady is alone in her home with an electrician. Suddenly the electrician says "Gotcha!" and I nearly jumped out of my skin. At that point, I broke down, demanded my husband's undivided attention (no small request as he is currently reading the George RR Martin series), and just started telling him all about what was going on in this book. How Hill sets up this evil character then sends him underground with a new identity, how she then moves the action to Lafferton where the snow won't stop falling and small family dramas drive the action, how she introduces you to these older women who are moving to a new housing development -- their lives full of excitement and possiblity, and how you are so tense because you know these women's days are numbered.
Hill takes her time here, and lays one heck of a foundation. By the time the killing gets going it all feels personal and immediate. I just hope the tension leaves my back someday.
May 29, 2015
This book was my least favorite of the Serrailler series so far. It's difficult to say what I disliked without giving away details so I guess I'll put a spoiler alert...
First, I didn't find the murder mystery in the book to be as strong as they usually are. It was relatively easy to figure out who was behind the murders early on.
Second, Hill started many story lines and then did nothing with them. Now, I realize this is her typical writing style, BUT some of these had potential to add to the story and would have made the book so much stronger. For example, the book starts off with Keyes, the murderer, being found not guilty based on a technicality. The reader gets a glimpse into his wife's fear as a result of the verdict. She is terrified, has no idea what to do, and is rejected by her half-sister when she pleads to stay even one night. End of story until she is ready to die many years later. Then, her half-sister tries to seek out information regarding Keyes whereabouts since he has been assigned a new identity. Why would you want the man who your sister was terrified of to know she is dying? The answer in the book? Because he has a right to know...
Third, Hill usually does a great job sprinkling the story with details regarding what's going on in the personal lives of her main characters. These details were practically non-existent in the first half of this book. Then, unfortunately, when they were added, they were beyond annoying in my opinion. I have such a difficult time with the Simon/Rachel relationship. It gets on my nerves. The reader gets to endure more of, "Oh, I love you." "Me too." "But we mustn't." melodrama. Ugh... Then we throw in the bit part about Cat's son Sam who has apparently turned into a super bully. He refers to his 12 year old sister as a bit**, uses the F word, etc. Cat feels Simon should save the day there though. He should take him aside and give him a good talking to. Then finally, there is a wee bit part about the closing of the hospice, so that it will only be a day service provider. Whatever.
The only saving grace MIGHT have been the Richard/Judith story. The reader finally gets some insight into what is going on in their relationship. It didn't sit right with me though. I'm guessing it will be explored further in the next book because I think it's really a bit weak as it stands in this book.
I really like the Simon Serrailler series and typically enjoy Hill's work. This one fell short for me but I am still looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
First, I didn't find the murder mystery in the book to be as strong as they usually are. It was relatively easy to figure out who was behind the murders early on.
Second, Hill started many story lines and then did nothing with them. Now, I realize this is her typical writing style, BUT some of these had potential to add to the story and would have made the book so much stronger. For example, the book starts off with Keyes, the murderer, being found not guilty based on a technicality. The reader gets a glimpse into his wife's fear as a result of the verdict. She is terrified, has no idea what to do, and is rejected by her half-sister when she pleads to stay even one night. End of story until she is ready to die many years later. Then, her half-sister tries to seek out information regarding Keyes whereabouts since he has been assigned a new identity. Why would you want the man who your sister was terrified of to know she is dying? The answer in the book? Because he has a right to know...
Third, Hill usually does a great job sprinkling the story with details regarding what's going on in the personal lives of her main characters. These details were practically non-existent in the first half of this book. Then, unfortunately, when they were added, they were beyond annoying in my opinion. I have such a difficult time with the Simon/Rachel relationship. It gets on my nerves. The reader gets to endure more of, "Oh, I love you." "Me too." "But we mustn't." melodrama. Ugh... Then we throw in the bit part about Cat's son Sam who has apparently turned into a super bully. He refers to his 12 year old sister as a bit**, uses the F word, etc. Cat feels Simon should save the day there though. He should take him aside and give him a good talking to. Then finally, there is a wee bit part about the closing of the hospice, so that it will only be a day service provider. Whatever.
The only saving grace MIGHT have been the Richard/Judith story. The reader finally gets some insight into what is going on in their relationship. It didn't sit right with me though. I'm guessing it will be explored further in the next book because I think it's really a bit weak as it stands in this book.
I really like the Simon Serrailler series and typically enjoy Hill's work. This one fell short for me but I am still looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2024
4.25 stars. I’m hooked on this series (again). It’s replaced the Elly Griffiths series for me, and outdone it. (No soap opera storyline, yippee) Susan Hill makes you care about people quickly, and floats from mind to mind of the killer and possible perpetrators. We peek into the lives of possible future victims. We visit people who don’t seem to fit into the story at all, and then we finally see the connection. She tells the story in an interesting way. She has me completely drawn in. I’m glad she is still writing this series because I know I won’t want to stop once I’ve come to the (for now) last one.
Once again, I’m more interested in the main recurring character, who is one of the leaders of the local police force, his sister and her family, and other recurring characters than I am in the mystery but the mystery is always very good in this series. It draws you in from the start and is quite low on violence. There’s also basically no sex (or it’s offscreen) in this series, if that matters to you.
I read more than one book at a time but always this series calls my name, no matter what else I’m reading. Something quite unexpected happens to a member of Simon (main character)’s family in this and I’m very curious how that storyline develops. Simon’s sister is a doctor and the two are very close. Simon is quite an active presence in her home. Her three children have become quite close to my heart and I’m enjoying watching them develop. There are two animal characters I enjoy.
There were two new characters introduced in the last book and one in particular really draws me in. I was glad to see both recurring here and all signs are that they will continue in the series.
The audio narrations by Steven Pacey are always five star, straight through. He has a unique voice for all of the recurring characters and conveys their personalities perfectly imo. For some reason, the eighth and ninth audiobooks are missing from my library’s catalog, and I’m rejoining Audible so I can snag Pacey’s performance from them. He really is that good.
In short, fans of would enjoy this series as well. In my opinion, it is better because not nearly as far-fetched, romantically. Susan Hill’s writing is very good and all of these books are hard to put down. I haven’t come across a weak one yet, seven volumes in, so I consider that a good sign.
Will start the next as soon as I can get the Audible and book!
Once again, I’m more interested in the main recurring character, who is one of the leaders of the local police force, his sister and her family, and other recurring characters than I am in the mystery but the mystery is always very good in this series. It draws you in from the start and is quite low on violence. There’s also basically no sex (or it’s offscreen) in this series, if that matters to you.
I read more than one book at a time but always this series calls my name, no matter what else I’m reading. Something quite unexpected happens to a member of Simon (main character)’s family in this and I’m very curious how that storyline develops. Simon’s sister is a doctor and the two are very close. Simon is quite an active presence in her home. Her three children have become quite close to my heart and I’m enjoying watching them develop. There are two animal characters I enjoy.
There were two new characters introduced in the last book and one in particular really draws me in. I was glad to see both recurring here and all signs are that they will continue in the series.
The audio narrations by Steven Pacey are always five star, straight through. He has a unique voice for all of the recurring characters and conveys their personalities perfectly imo. For some reason, the eighth and ninth audiobooks are missing from my library’s catalog, and I’m rejoining Audible so I can snag Pacey’s performance from them. He really is that good.
In short, fans of would enjoy this series as well. In my opinion, it is better because not nearly as far-fetched, romantically. Susan Hill’s writing is very good and all of these books are hard to put down. I haven’t come across a weak one yet, seven volumes in, so I consider that a good sign.
Will start the next as soon as I can get the Audible and book!
July 18, 2017
Another good one in this series. I read one of these Simon Serailler police procedurals whenever I need a change of pace in my literary diet.
November 16, 2020
I continue to be sucked into this series. Even if it's getting easier to predict who the criminal is, I find myself reading the books more for the character development of Simon, Cat, Judith, the kids, and all the rest of the faces populating Lafferton.
November 3, 2024
There is so much to love about this series, and it was all on display again in this book. There is always a good mystery, and this one was a bit of a twist. Ten years ago, a killer was caught and tried but was acquitted because of a technicality. The public is outraged and out for blood, so the killer is taken into protective custody and given a new identity and a clean slate. Ten years later, the killer begins again, this time in Lafferton, with his unique methodology, but who is he now?
Also, interesting things are happening with the Serrailler family. Simon still has an entangled personal life, Cat is dealing with changes in the medical world and with her kids, and lots of other things as well. As always, I am ready to run to the library to find the next book in the series, but I must pace myself. 😊
Also, interesting things are happening with the Serrailler family. Simon still has an entangled personal life, Cat is dealing with changes in the medical world and with her kids, and lots of other things as well. As always, I am ready to run to the library to find the next book in the series, but I must pace myself. 😊
December 24, 2012
This was suggested to me by my local public librarian and now I have a writer to play catch-up with. I love nothing better than a brooding , intelligent mystery and being set in the UK is a big bonus.This book has all of that.
As the story begins, it is 10 years ago and the creepy Alan Keyes is on trial in Yorkshire for murdering three elderly ladies who lived alone by strangulation with electrical cord in front of a mirror after cutting their toenails. Because the witness was a very elderly lady who got tripped up by a sleazy defense attorney who confused her on the stand, the jury found him not guilty. His abused wife Lynne fled in horror. The police couldn't let him leave the building because the people were outside ready to tear his sorry behind to shreds for what he did no matter what the verdict. The police coerce him into allowing them to change his identity, a rarely given offer to completely erase all records from birth to that date, legally divorce him from his wife, teach him a new trade, and create a whole new identity for him including a backstory, legal records of it, and full ID.
Fast forward 10 years to the present day. The government in Lafferton is opening up some brand new housing including bungalows for elderly people in a sheltered environment. When the first 2 women move into theirs, they are promptly murdered just as the ladies in Yorkshire had been 10 years earlier including the same details about the mirror and the toenails that police had never released. Only the killer knows these details. Apparently, he's back but the local police don't know about the other murders, their details and the killer with a new and firm ID the secret police agency is NOT going to ever share with anyone.
The case is being handled by Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler who is a hands-on no-nonsense sort of guy but not especially warm and fuzzy. He has a plate load of personal issues as well already occupying his time including a boss who is retiring and keeps after him to take her administrative job after she leaves though he prefers hands-on work, a lover who is married to a man dying of Parkinson's disease which is just WRONG and immoral (vows include in sickness as well as in health) and who is ambivalent about it, a father who is a pillar of the community and doctor who was cruel to his mom and is now beating the stepmother he loves, a widowed sister with a teenaged son who has changed so much (in a bad way) that his bullying and abuse has caused his 12 year old sister to run away, and now the families of the dead women are aiming their rage at him.
We see the killer's thoughts between some chapters in italic print (and with no chapter numbers) which adds to the story without telling you who he is. In fact, it is rather shocking to find out who he is!
Another thing I liked was seeing the ex-wife (of the killer) and the victims from their own points of view. It really personalized the story and made them characters you care about. Simon's sister too was shown in her struggles as a widow with a son acting up and a daughter in distress (plus a sweet younger son)and as a hospice doctor facing the loss of income as the hospice becomes a day facility only. The only thing I didn't like and that had nothing to do with the story was the annoying Molly who tried to commit suicide while she was supposed to be watching the children.
Good book!
As the story begins, it is 10 years ago and the creepy Alan Keyes is on trial in Yorkshire for murdering three elderly ladies who lived alone by strangulation with electrical cord in front of a mirror after cutting their toenails. Because the witness was a very elderly lady who got tripped up by a sleazy defense attorney who confused her on the stand, the jury found him not guilty. His abused wife Lynne fled in horror. The police couldn't let him leave the building because the people were outside ready to tear his sorry behind to shreds for what he did no matter what the verdict. The police coerce him into allowing them to change his identity, a rarely given offer to completely erase all records from birth to that date, legally divorce him from his wife, teach him a new trade, and create a whole new identity for him including a backstory, legal records of it, and full ID.
Fast forward 10 years to the present day. The government in Lafferton is opening up some brand new housing including bungalows for elderly people in a sheltered environment. When the first 2 women move into theirs, they are promptly murdered just as the ladies in Yorkshire had been 10 years earlier including the same details about the mirror and the toenails that police had never released. Only the killer knows these details. Apparently, he's back but the local police don't know about the other murders, their details and the killer with a new and firm ID the secret police agency is NOT going to ever share with anyone.
The case is being handled by Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler who is a hands-on no-nonsense sort of guy but not especially warm and fuzzy. He has a plate load of personal issues as well already occupying his time including a boss who is retiring and keeps after him to take her administrative job after she leaves though he prefers hands-on work, a lover who is married to a man dying of Parkinson's disease which is just WRONG and immoral (vows include in sickness as well as in health) and who is ambivalent about it, a father who is a pillar of the community and doctor who was cruel to his mom and is now beating the stepmother he loves, a widowed sister with a teenaged son who has changed so much (in a bad way) that his bullying and abuse has caused his 12 year old sister to run away, and now the families of the dead women are aiming their rage at him.
We see the killer's thoughts between some chapters in italic print (and with no chapter numbers) which adds to the story without telling you who he is. In fact, it is rather shocking to find out who he is!
Another thing I liked was seeing the ex-wife (of the killer) and the victims from their own points of view. It really personalized the story and made them characters you care about. Simon's sister too was shown in her struggles as a widow with a son acting up and a daughter in distress (plus a sweet younger son)and as a hospice doctor facing the loss of income as the hospice becomes a day facility only. The only thing I didn't like and that had nothing to do with the story was the annoying Molly who tried to commit suicide while she was supposed to be watching the children.
Good book!
March 5, 2013
I could not wait for this book to come out, and it was almost like revisiting old friends. I love the way Susan Hill incorporates the Serrailler family and their lives into the crime/mystery series. Simon is a Chief Superintendent with the Lafferton Police Force, his sister, Cat, is a doctor at the local hospice, his father, Richard is also a doctor but now retired and then there is his step-mother Judith. Cat is widowed and her children, Sam (14), Hannah (12) and Felix (5) are growing up through the series. Cat also has a medical student and live-in lodger, Molly, who is suffering PTS from an incident in the last book. I always find it interesting to follow their personal stories and then, there is the added bonus of the cases Simon is working on. This one starts with a court case in 2002. Alan Keyes is on trial for the murder of three elderly women in their homes and he is found not guilty after some shaky evidence by another elderly witness. He is taken away from the court immediately for his own safety and given a new identity and a new life, because of the ill feeling towards him due to the nature of the killings, which just about everyone is convinced he should have been found guilty of. Fast forward to present day and a new sheltered housing development has just opened in Lafferton and soon afterwards, two elderly ladies are murdered in their homes, in an identical manner to the way the 2002 killings. When Nathan Coates, an ex-colleague of Simon's comes across the similarities in the cases, Simon discovers that Alan Keyes is not longer on any records and all traces of him have been wiped away. He is certain Keyes has resurfaced and is killing again, but how can he catch a killer who does not exist? I figured out who the killer was pretty early on, not that I wanted to, I love the element of surprise, but it was a little obvious. However, it was still a great story and I find with Susan Hill, the pages of the story just flow so beautifully, that I cannot seem to leave the book down for too long. They are not over the top or over dramatic and yet they are thoroughly engrossing. The downside of this one, is the waiting period for the next. Loved it.
March 19, 2017
A Question of Identity by Susan Hill
Simon Serrailler series Book #7
4 Stars
From The Book:
A particularly unpleasant murder, that of a very old woman in a housing project, rocks the town of Lafferton. The murderer has left a distinctive "sign" on the body and at the scene of crime. A couple of weeks later, a similar murder occurs, and a month or so later, so does another.
Initial investigations discover that the mysterious "sign" left on the body was the calling card of a suspect who was charged with several murders in the northwest of the country, tried but acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence. All indications suggest that this person has simply vanished. Or is he right under their noses? Simon Serrailler is obliged to make delve deeper and scratch out answers,
My Thoughts:
I really like that Susan Hill has kept the setting of Lafferton, and the characters constant throughout this series. It gives the reader the opportunity to build somewhat of a bond with them. One bond I didn't build was with the murderer that was not only sheltered but given a new identity. This just didn't seem plausible to me. The book also didn't move along quiet as smoothly as her previous books had too many unsolved side stories and took way too long to actually get underway. All the other books in this series have received 4.5 & 5 stars from me...but I just don't feel this one can get more than 4.
Simon Serrailler series Book #7
4 Stars
From The Book:
A particularly unpleasant murder, that of a very old woman in a housing project, rocks the town of Lafferton. The murderer has left a distinctive "sign" on the body and at the scene of crime. A couple of weeks later, a similar murder occurs, and a month or so later, so does another.
Initial investigations discover that the mysterious "sign" left on the body was the calling card of a suspect who was charged with several murders in the northwest of the country, tried but acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence. All indications suggest that this person has simply vanished. Or is he right under their noses? Simon Serrailler is obliged to make delve deeper and scratch out answers,
My Thoughts:
I really like that Susan Hill has kept the setting of Lafferton, and the characters constant throughout this series. It gives the reader the opportunity to build somewhat of a bond with them. One bond I didn't build was with the murderer that was not only sheltered but given a new identity. This just didn't seem plausible to me. The book also didn't move along quiet as smoothly as her previous books had too many unsolved side stories and took way too long to actually get underway. All the other books in this series have received 4.5 & 5 stars from me...but I just don't feel this one can get more than 4.
March 1, 2014
Another installment of the Simon Serrailler series of books set in the cathedral town of Lafferton.
Three old ladies are killed, the man who seems responsible however seems to have vanished into thin air.
There are themes which run through the books, Simon's relationships with thosee around him, his family and friends and those not in his immeadiate circle.
Three old ladies are killed, the man who seems responsible however seems to have vanished into thin air.
There are themes which run through the books, Simon's relationships with thosee around him, his family and friends and those not in his immeadiate circle.
August 10, 2015
it doesn't seem to matter at all that I am reading these 100% out of order. T hey are fun, pretty light, and most important compelling reading with little violence. yay!
August 23, 2020
Where I got the book: audiobook on Audible. ***SPOILERS, READ BOOK FIRST***
In this installment of the Simon Serailler murder mystery series, Simon is confronted with a killer of old ladies. Little old ladies. Nice old ladies. Because nobody is safe in Susan Hill’s world.
I’m giving this one three and a half stars because I like Susan Hill’s writing and this time around she shoved a lot of the extraneous subplotting into the background and got on with investigating the murder. The family soap opera was still there, centered mostly on Sam and Hannah who are now at an age where they can start getting into trouble and/or being trouble in general, but I don’t have that feeling of the subplots drowning out the mystery. Hill seems to have dropped the socio-political commentary level a bit, and there’s no talk this time about police cutbacks—at the same time there’s not nearly as much whining about how Simon’s paperwork stops him from getting out on the street. He acts just like any other fictional detective by unrealistically combining seniority and action, and he’s all the better for it. And I felt engaged by the mystery plot and wanted to know more, plus I find I rather enjoy it when Hill gets into the killer’s head—especially when I realized who he was (that “he� isn’t a spoiler as it’s obvious from the beginning who he is, we just don’t know who he is now.)
BUT.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TOENAILS?
I find it very hard to forgive Hill for setting up this juicy murder method and then not explaining WHY the killer window-dressed his victims the way he did. The mirror. The toenails. I thought for sure I knew what the mirror was about—there’s a theme of dual identity that runs through the killer, one victim AND the detective and is just screaming to be exploited—but seriously, what was up with the toenails? I NEED TO KNOW. I’m used to Hill leaving loose threads, but this one really bugs me as what we end up with is a killer without a motive, or perhaps no motive except the pleasure he gets from the crime. And even then, if pleasure is a motive I need to know why that particular setup is necessary for X to get his jollies. We get one clue right at the end, and I thought the moment had come when all would be revealed—and then the moment passed and was lost forever.
My other major gripe with the murder plot was the fact that they only catch the guy due to a key piece of information given to them by the sinister and mysterious department that arranges for the killer’s new identity. This is a department that’s so deeply hidden that they have to go through arcane layers of security to get anything done at all, but at one point they suddenly start acting with buffoonish incompetence and blow their cover, THEN they decide to give out one little teaser of information instead of just saying “OK, his name is ___� and THEN at the end one of them calls Serailler to have a bit of a gloat (narrator Steven Pacey uses a lovely nasal villain-voice for him because, yes, he IS a caricature and deserves a cartoon voice). If this is really the kind of deep, deep operation that can wipe out a man’s identity and retrain him into a completely new life, it would not act like this. It would probably never even acknowledge its own existence even to itself, let alone to the CID, and it certainly wouldn’t give out information on its subjects no matter what they did. Logically, it would kill them itself, by arranging for a nasty freak accident.
And let’s not even start on the fact that once again, the sleepy little cathedral town of Lafferton has a serial killer—although, to be fair, that’s just the way life is in a murder mystery series. You have to suspend your sense of the absurd and go with the flow at some point.
Hill makes a half-hearted attempt to wrap the horrendous Simon/Rachel romance into the theme with Rachel’s “I don’t know who I am� at the end, but that’s as far as it goes. There’s some Twoo Luv stuff between the two of them near the beginning, but most of the time they’re too busy to see each other, and serve them right. When they are together their relationship seems to be based on sex and eating. We know absolutely nothing about Rachel—what does she do when she’s not glued to her poor dear cuckolded husband’s side? What is she interested in? Does she have family? Who are her friends? What are her faults? What’s she like when she’s ticked off about something?
I’m trying to figure out why it is I can see all these flaws in the Serailler books and still keep reading. Is it simply for the chills? Because Hill is extremely good at evoking that OH SHIT feeling when the stair tread creaks and you know, you know . . . . And she has this way of pinpointing all the nasty things in my own head, all the little worries and disappointments and feelings of anger and frustration, and putting them into fictional characters to whom nasty things tend to happen. You could, perhaps, theorize that there are two purposes for murder mysteries—the first being to satisfy the reader’s craving for justice by ensuring that the bad guys always get caught and punished, the second being to satisfy our need to feel scared when we’re safe in our own homes, our animal instincts that SOMETHING’S GOING TO POUNCE warring with the logic based on actual crime figures. In my opinion Hill does badly on the first count, well on the second. And it’s the women and children who are picked off, one by one, as the darkness prowls around us, because we’re the weak ones and are never safe, even when we think we are.
Hang on. What was that? I think I heard a noise. I’ll be right back
In this installment of the Simon Serailler murder mystery series, Simon is confronted with a killer of old ladies. Little old ladies. Nice old ladies. Because nobody is safe in Susan Hill’s world.
I’m giving this one three and a half stars because I like Susan Hill’s writing and this time around she shoved a lot of the extraneous subplotting into the background and got on with investigating the murder. The family soap opera was still there, centered mostly on Sam and Hannah who are now at an age where they can start getting into trouble and/or being trouble in general, but I don’t have that feeling of the subplots drowning out the mystery. Hill seems to have dropped the socio-political commentary level a bit, and there’s no talk this time about police cutbacks—at the same time there’s not nearly as much whining about how Simon’s paperwork stops him from getting out on the street. He acts just like any other fictional detective by unrealistically combining seniority and action, and he’s all the better for it. And I felt engaged by the mystery plot and wanted to know more, plus I find I rather enjoy it when Hill gets into the killer’s head—especially when I realized who he was (that “he� isn’t a spoiler as it’s obvious from the beginning who he is, we just don’t know who he is now.)
BUT.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TOENAILS?
I find it very hard to forgive Hill for setting up this juicy murder method and then not explaining WHY the killer window-dressed his victims the way he did. The mirror. The toenails. I thought for sure I knew what the mirror was about—there’s a theme of dual identity that runs through the killer, one victim AND the detective and is just screaming to be exploited—but seriously, what was up with the toenails? I NEED TO KNOW. I’m used to Hill leaving loose threads, but this one really bugs me as what we end up with is a killer without a motive, or perhaps no motive except the pleasure he gets from the crime. And even then, if pleasure is a motive I need to know why that particular setup is necessary for X to get his jollies. We get one clue right at the end, and I thought the moment had come when all would be revealed—and then the moment passed and was lost forever.
My other major gripe with the murder plot was the fact that they only catch the guy due to a key piece of information given to them by the sinister and mysterious department that arranges for the killer’s new identity. This is a department that’s so deeply hidden that they have to go through arcane layers of security to get anything done at all, but at one point they suddenly start acting with buffoonish incompetence and blow their cover, THEN they decide to give out one little teaser of information instead of just saying “OK, his name is ___� and THEN at the end one of them calls Serailler to have a bit of a gloat (narrator Steven Pacey uses a lovely nasal villain-voice for him because, yes, he IS a caricature and deserves a cartoon voice). If this is really the kind of deep, deep operation that can wipe out a man’s identity and retrain him into a completely new life, it would not act like this. It would probably never even acknowledge its own existence even to itself, let alone to the CID, and it certainly wouldn’t give out information on its subjects no matter what they did. Logically, it would kill them itself, by arranging for a nasty freak accident.
And let’s not even start on the fact that once again, the sleepy little cathedral town of Lafferton has a serial killer—although, to be fair, that’s just the way life is in a murder mystery series. You have to suspend your sense of the absurd and go with the flow at some point.
Hill makes a half-hearted attempt to wrap the horrendous Simon/Rachel romance into the theme with Rachel’s “I don’t know who I am� at the end, but that’s as far as it goes. There’s some Twoo Luv stuff between the two of them near the beginning, but most of the time they’re too busy to see each other, and serve them right. When they are together their relationship seems to be based on sex and eating. We know absolutely nothing about Rachel—what does she do when she’s not glued to her poor dear cuckolded husband’s side? What is she interested in? Does she have family? Who are her friends? What are her faults? What’s she like when she’s ticked off about something?
I’m trying to figure out why it is I can see all these flaws in the Serailler books and still keep reading. Is it simply for the chills? Because Hill is extremely good at evoking that OH SHIT feeling when the stair tread creaks and you know, you know . . . . And she has this way of pinpointing all the nasty things in my own head, all the little worries and disappointments and feelings of anger and frustration, and putting them into fictional characters to whom nasty things tend to happen. You could, perhaps, theorize that there are two purposes for murder mysteries—the first being to satisfy the reader’s craving for justice by ensuring that the bad guys always get caught and punished, the second being to satisfy our need to feel scared when we’re safe in our own homes, our animal instincts that SOMETHING’S GOING TO POUNCE warring with the logic based on actual crime figures. In my opinion Hill does badly on the first count, well on the second. And it’s the women and children who are picked off, one by one, as the darkness prowls around us, because we’re the weak ones and are never safe, even when we think we are.
Hang on. What was that? I think I heard a noise. I’ll be right back
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2022
I have read this book before but still enjoyed reading it a second time. Susan Hill never fails to impress and her books are always a good read.
January 9, 2013
I first 'discovered' Susan Hill about this time last year when I read The Betrayal of Trust - the sixth in her Simon Serrailler Crime novels. (my review). I was really looking forward to her latest - A Question of Identity - and I wasn't disappointed!
A Question of Identity opens with an italicized paragraph that hints at a dark mind and darker things to come....deliciously creepy.
"It's like your brain's bursting. It doesn't happen all at once, it builds up. And then your brain's going to burst until you do something about it. You do it. You have to do it. Then it's all right again for a bit, 'til it starts again."
The book opens with a murder trial from 2002 - three elderly women have been horrifically murdered in their homes, strangled with a piece of electrical cord. The verdict is not what was expected.
Cut to present day and DCI Simon Serrailler, who works in Lafferton, an English town not far from London. And a new murder to investigate - an elderly woman has been killed in her home - strangled with a length of electrical cord........
What makes this series a stand out for me? Hill successfully combines a riveting and clever mystery with characters that I'm genuinely interested in. Both plot lines are done equally well. Those new to the series may have a wee bit of difficulty getting to know everyone at first, but will quickly become engrossed in their personal stories. Simon, his sister Cat and her family, the elder Serailler and his wife as well as the supporting cast from the station. Hill explores everyday life with a keen and discerning eye - sibling rivalry, depression, domestic abuse and more are all touched upon and examined realistically.
Back to the crime - at the opening of every chapter we are privy to more and more of the killer's thoughts. His violence and madness is escalating. I was able to suss out who the killer was midway, but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book. Instead, it really heightened the tension.
The crime is solved by the end, but the lives of Simon et al are far from settled - I can't wait to see what direction Hill takes in the next book.
I love British procedurals and this author is one of the best. Truly, if you're looking for an intelligent mystery series, pick up Susan Hill.
A Question of Identity opens with an italicized paragraph that hints at a dark mind and darker things to come....deliciously creepy.
"It's like your brain's bursting. It doesn't happen all at once, it builds up. And then your brain's going to burst until you do something about it. You do it. You have to do it. Then it's all right again for a bit, 'til it starts again."
The book opens with a murder trial from 2002 - three elderly women have been horrifically murdered in their homes, strangled with a piece of electrical cord. The verdict is not what was expected.
Cut to present day and DCI Simon Serrailler, who works in Lafferton, an English town not far from London. And a new murder to investigate - an elderly woman has been killed in her home - strangled with a length of electrical cord........
What makes this series a stand out for me? Hill successfully combines a riveting and clever mystery with characters that I'm genuinely interested in. Both plot lines are done equally well. Those new to the series may have a wee bit of difficulty getting to know everyone at first, but will quickly become engrossed in their personal stories. Simon, his sister Cat and her family, the elder Serailler and his wife as well as the supporting cast from the station. Hill explores everyday life with a keen and discerning eye - sibling rivalry, depression, domestic abuse and more are all touched upon and examined realistically.
Back to the crime - at the opening of every chapter we are privy to more and more of the killer's thoughts. His violence and madness is escalating. I was able to suss out who the killer was midway, but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book. Instead, it really heightened the tension.
The crime is solved by the end, but the lives of Simon et al are far from settled - I can't wait to see what direction Hill takes in the next book.
I love British procedurals and this author is one of the best. Truly, if you're looking for an intelligent mystery series, pick up Susan Hill.
June 17, 2013
Waited so long to get my hands on this latest installment -- and it was well worth the wait.
Many developments amongst our faithful cast: Cat struggles with budget cuts at work and her kids struggle with growing up issues. Simon confronts a murderer of old women and pines on for Rachel. Something is amiss between Simon & Cat's dad Richard and his newish wife Judith.
Made it to page 300 without really having a firm suspect -- exceptional suspense. I enjoyed the trip down the primrose path with other proffered possibilities, but really, I don't altogether believe that the leopard can change his spots so thoroughly that his family never suspects their loved one is a murderer.
I miss the brash young DS Nathan Coates. Ben Vanek just isn't as fun nor interesting a character and, cheerily, Nathan makes a brief appearance in this installment in the series. Love to continue to see more of him.
Molly continues a twerp as she proved herself in the last installment, but it seems we are stuck with her.
And what of the third triplet in Australia?
All in all, still a wonderful series. Still has maps, which I love. Still has great character development and great suspense. Just a deeply satisfying suspense series from A to Z.
Many developments amongst our faithful cast: Cat struggles with budget cuts at work and her kids struggle with growing up issues. Simon confronts a murderer of old women and pines on for Rachel. Something is amiss between Simon & Cat's dad Richard and his newish wife Judith.
Made it to page 300 without really having a firm suspect -- exceptional suspense. I enjoyed the trip down the primrose path with other proffered possibilities, but really, I don't altogether believe that the leopard can change his spots so thoroughly that his family never suspects their loved one is a murderer.
I miss the brash young DS Nathan Coates. Ben Vanek just isn't as fun nor interesting a character and, cheerily, Nathan makes a brief appearance in this installment in the series. Love to continue to see more of him.
Molly continues a twerp as she proved herself in the last installment, but it seems we are stuck with her.
And what of the third triplet in Australia?
All in all, still a wonderful series. Still has maps, which I love. Still has great character development and great suspense. Just a deeply satisfying suspense series from A to Z.
January 18, 2014
Having read Hill's ghost stories, I expected this to be atmospheric and chilling. It wasn't. Nor is it a very satisfying detective story: the murderer's identity was obvious from an early stage and the plot was weak. Several incidents had no bearing on the story at all (the ram-raid; the barrister whose mother is in the hospice) and these felt like lost opportunities because had Hill woven them into the plot, it could have hung together better.
A lot of the book deals with the day-to-day lives of the Serrailler family and their friends. This is the first Serrailler novel I've read, and I can only assume that these characters are interesting if you know them from earlier novels. I found them dull - everybody's very very nice indeed, and nobody utters a single witty line.
It wasn't a completely awful book. The murderer's monologues were fairly interesting, especially the last one. But overall, I can't think of any reason I'd recommend this book.
A lot of the book deals with the day-to-day lives of the Serrailler family and their friends. This is the first Serrailler novel I've read, and I can only assume that these characters are interesting if you know them from earlier novels. I found them dull - everybody's very very nice indeed, and nobody utters a single witty line.
It wasn't a completely awful book. The murderer's monologues were fairly interesting, especially the last one. But overall, I can't think of any reason I'd recommend this book.
July 5, 2022
With easy changes this book could’ve easily been a 5 star.
I’m not familiar with this series, this being my first, but I hated that I was plunged into the court trial and the killer was announced from the first few chapters. That really killed all the suspense.
Then the book got intense and action-filled after 150 pages, but the end was just bland. It’s a happy ending, and I wasn’t expecting the killer, but I’ve read better crime fiction.
I think a big reason I didn’t like the ending is because I technically knew the killer. Took out a big chunk of the surprise.
I’m not familiar with this series, this being my first, but I hated that I was plunged into the court trial and the killer was announced from the first few chapters. That really killed all the suspense.
Then the book got intense and action-filled after 150 pages, but the end was just bland. It’s a happy ending, and I wasn’t expecting the killer, but I’ve read better crime fiction.
I think a big reason I didn’t like the ending is because I technically knew the killer. Took out a big chunk of the surprise.
July 14, 2021
Another great instalment in the Simon Serrailler series - been a while since I read the previous one but it didn't take too long to get back into the multitude of characters and their lives that are so much a part of this series that the crimes being investigated, intriguing as they are, are almost a side issue! In this instalment, Simon and the team are investigating a series of disturbing murders of elderly women in their homes....9/10.
November 11, 2013
More middle-class crime in the tradition of PD James, Ruth Rendell et al. Forget the violence and underbelly found in more hard-hitting novelists such as Rankin and Billingham, this is firmly established in Aga-land. Hill's heroic detective, Serrailler is very much in the mould of James' Adam Dalgleish, although Hill doesn't really attempt the faux social realism of Kate Miskin (she of the high-rise flat background) but sticks firmly to what she knows. Thus, we have a world of doctors, book groups, private medical care and retired high court judges. It is a cosy world where most of us feel safe, yet into which crime occasionally and quite nastily intrudes, although in this particular outing, none of the victims are of the same class as our heroic DCS and his family. Neither of course, is the killer. The middle classes don't, in general, kill, though they may induldge in a spot of domestic violence.
This time, elderly ladies are being bumped off in a particularly nasty way in their own homes, in crimes that seem awfully similar to an earlier case in Yorkshire. Serrailler's problem is that the killer has apparently vanished, leaving no traces behind him. Something's definitely rotten in the state of Special Operations...
Serrailler, like Dalgleish remains, overall a cold fish, in spite of his adulterous affair with the (naturally) beautiful and intelligent Rachel (such a shame she didn't encounter the serial killer) and his familial relationship with the irritating superwoman, his sister Cat. The depictions of her struggle to contain the growing feud between her adolescent children, (fighting over a film role - seriously - evidently Hill's recent experience of the filming of her iconic The Woman in Black has spilled into this), and the concern for stepmother Judith depict Dr Cat in far too saintly a role. Please, let her do something wrong, or simply kill the entire farmhouse dwelling family off. Sam, the 14 yr old, is apparently a voracious reader and star hockey player - realistic? Maybe in the ultra middle class world of Susan Hill, but most 14 yr old boys are surely obsessed with both sex and computer games rather than reading?
A tv adaptation of Serrailler's adventures is promised in the not too distant future. It'll probably star Rupert Penry-Jones (or a clone) and please those who miss Dalgleish's poetic detection (Serrailler, not surprisingly is a successful artist as well as start detective) or those who think Sophie Hannah's cliched and formulaic middle-class 'psychological thrillers' are set in the real world.
Safe detective fiction for those bemoaning the demise of Poirot, or the current incarnationo of Miss Marple and not a patch on any of the Scandi equivalents.
This time, elderly ladies are being bumped off in a particularly nasty way in their own homes, in crimes that seem awfully similar to an earlier case in Yorkshire. Serrailler's problem is that the killer has apparently vanished, leaving no traces behind him. Something's definitely rotten in the state of Special Operations...
Serrailler, like Dalgleish remains, overall a cold fish, in spite of his adulterous affair with the (naturally) beautiful and intelligent Rachel (such a shame she didn't encounter the serial killer) and his familial relationship with the irritating superwoman, his sister Cat. The depictions of her struggle to contain the growing feud between her adolescent children, (fighting over a film role - seriously - evidently Hill's recent experience of the filming of her iconic The Woman in Black has spilled into this), and the concern for stepmother Judith depict Dr Cat in far too saintly a role. Please, let her do something wrong, or simply kill the entire farmhouse dwelling family off. Sam, the 14 yr old, is apparently a voracious reader and star hockey player - realistic? Maybe in the ultra middle class world of Susan Hill, but most 14 yr old boys are surely obsessed with both sex and computer games rather than reading?
A tv adaptation of Serrailler's adventures is promised in the not too distant future. It'll probably star Rupert Penry-Jones (or a clone) and please those who miss Dalgleish's poetic detection (Serrailler, not surprisingly is a successful artist as well as start detective) or those who think Sophie Hannah's cliched and formulaic middle-class 'psychological thrillers' are set in the real world.
Safe detective fiction for those bemoaning the demise of Poirot, or the current incarnationo of Miss Marple and not a patch on any of the Scandi equivalents.
May 31, 2014
(Spoilers)
The first chapter of Hill's seventh Simon Serrailler mystery, A QUESTION OF IDENTITY, begins with a bang. In 2002, inside the four walls of a courtroom, a man--Alan Frederick Keyes--is accused of murder. Three counts of murder against elderly women.
In the dead of dark, he supposedly stalked all three women in their living spaces. But months later, he is acquitted of those ghastly crimes on the grounds of insufficient evidence. The people of Lafferton are in an uproar. And soon Alan Frederick Keyes is a hunted man from the angry denizens of Lafferton. But the defendant's wife, Lynn, is in fear for her life--from her husband. Even Lynn's sister, Hilary, turns her away when Lynn raps on her door to be let in out of the cold, securely hidden away from her husband. The feeling of terror is palpable throughout the novel, which is Hill's strong suit, awakening every sense of fear inside you with believable, evocative storytelling, keeping you gripped until the end.
Ten years later, life in Lafferton seems quieter, the lives of Alan and Lynn Keyes go unnoticed, off the radar. Where have they gone? Life goes on, as it always does, never stopping for anybody. But when two other elderly women, Elinor Sanders and Rosemary Poole, are discovered murdered at their Duchess of Cornwall Close residence, the sudden news rocks the small English town. And across the way, when gunshots ring out in a public location close to Reynaldo's Club, involving Lafferton's citizens Harry and Karen Fletcher, Lafferton's DCS Simon Serrailler receives a call from his stepmother, Judith, after an especially close death call with Molly, Cat's medical student lodger. And as a snowstorm rages into Lafferton, a deranged madman is on the loose, and with great fear, everyone is looking over their shoulders, trying to keep safe.
Hill revisits old characters from her previous outing, The Betrayal of Trust, but briefly. Jocelyn Forbes, the woman living with motor neurone disease, or MND, is still alive, but barely, and Hill seems to have a keen interest in MND and its debilitating affects on a person's body. Also, Rachel Wyatt and Simon Serrailler's rendezvous continues in the latest mystery, and though the relationship adds nothing to the meat of the main story, Hill creates interesting characters that her readers care about and hope to revisit in future stories.
Striking dialogue and top-notch storytelling, Hill writes with determination, as if her hair is on fire, hitting another home run with the newest novel in the ongoing Simon Serrailler mystery series. Publishing would not be the same without quality, thought-provoking stories by smart authors like Susan Hill.
The first chapter of Hill's seventh Simon Serrailler mystery, A QUESTION OF IDENTITY, begins with a bang. In 2002, inside the four walls of a courtroom, a man--Alan Frederick Keyes--is accused of murder. Three counts of murder against elderly women.
In the dead of dark, he supposedly stalked all three women in their living spaces. But months later, he is acquitted of those ghastly crimes on the grounds of insufficient evidence. The people of Lafferton are in an uproar. And soon Alan Frederick Keyes is a hunted man from the angry denizens of Lafferton. But the defendant's wife, Lynn, is in fear for her life--from her husband. Even Lynn's sister, Hilary, turns her away when Lynn raps on her door to be let in out of the cold, securely hidden away from her husband. The feeling of terror is palpable throughout the novel, which is Hill's strong suit, awakening every sense of fear inside you with believable, evocative storytelling, keeping you gripped until the end.
Ten years later, life in Lafferton seems quieter, the lives of Alan and Lynn Keyes go unnoticed, off the radar. Where have they gone? Life goes on, as it always does, never stopping for anybody. But when two other elderly women, Elinor Sanders and Rosemary Poole, are discovered murdered at their Duchess of Cornwall Close residence, the sudden news rocks the small English town. And across the way, when gunshots ring out in a public location close to Reynaldo's Club, involving Lafferton's citizens Harry and Karen Fletcher, Lafferton's DCS Simon Serrailler receives a call from his stepmother, Judith, after an especially close death call with Molly, Cat's medical student lodger. And as a snowstorm rages into Lafferton, a deranged madman is on the loose, and with great fear, everyone is looking over their shoulders, trying to keep safe.
Hill revisits old characters from her previous outing, The Betrayal of Trust, but briefly. Jocelyn Forbes, the woman living with motor neurone disease, or MND, is still alive, but barely, and Hill seems to have a keen interest in MND and its debilitating affects on a person's body. Also, Rachel Wyatt and Simon Serrailler's rendezvous continues in the latest mystery, and though the relationship adds nothing to the meat of the main story, Hill creates interesting characters that her readers care about and hope to revisit in future stories.
Striking dialogue and top-notch storytelling, Hill writes with determination, as if her hair is on fire, hitting another home run with the newest novel in the ongoing Simon Serrailler mystery series. Publishing would not be the same without quality, thought-provoking stories by smart authors like Susan Hill.
March 14, 2013
Warning--possible spoilers.
This is the latest in a detective series by British author Susan Hill, featuring Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler. Perhaps I'd have a more positive view if I'd read some of her other titles, but this is the first I picked up and it was a disappointment. Rather than a typical British mystery story, it's a family saga with occasional detective work thrown in. Serrailler's extended family plays a prominent role, and trying to figure out who's who at the beginning is a challenge. They also all suffer from incredible angst. Besides Serrailler's troubled relationship with a married woman (whose husband is chronically ill), there's an attempted suicide, bullying, a runaway teen, job downsizing, and spousal abuse--all in a 300-page book, and most issues left hanging and never adequately resolved. The first murder doesn't happen until midway through the story, and because of the way Hill sets things up it's blatantly obvious to the reader who the culprit is (and requires a lot of far-fetched twists for the police to figure it out). Maybe it would be better as a BBC TV drama. (I looked at some of the amazon.com reviews after I wrote this and was interested that a number of readers, who are fans of Hill, thought that this title fell short and was overly moody and glum. Several also commented that this was not a "stand-alone" but needed to be read in the context of the other books in the series.)
This is the latest in a detective series by British author Susan Hill, featuring Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler. Perhaps I'd have a more positive view if I'd read some of her other titles, but this is the first I picked up and it was a disappointment. Rather than a typical British mystery story, it's a family saga with occasional detective work thrown in. Serrailler's extended family plays a prominent role, and trying to figure out who's who at the beginning is a challenge. They also all suffer from incredible angst. Besides Serrailler's troubled relationship with a married woman (whose husband is chronically ill), there's an attempted suicide, bullying, a runaway teen, job downsizing, and spousal abuse--all in a 300-page book, and most issues left hanging and never adequately resolved. The first murder doesn't happen until midway through the story, and because of the way Hill sets things up it's blatantly obvious to the reader who the culprit is (and requires a lot of far-fetched twists for the police to figure it out). Maybe it would be better as a BBC TV drama. (I looked at some of the amazon.com reviews after I wrote this and was interested that a number of readers, who are fans of Hill, thought that this title fell short and was overly moody and glum. Several also commented that this was not a "stand-alone" but needed to be read in the context of the other books in the series.)
October 22, 2015
This starts with a flashback to a trial: a man is found not guilty of three murders. Elderly, vulnerable women. Such is the public outcry that he is given a new identity.
Lafferton, ten years later. A woman is killed. Elderly, vulnerable, murdered the same way as those three women in 2002. But how can Simon Serrailler track down a villain who doesn’t exist: the man was given a new name, a new face, a new identity and was relocated. But we’re talking about murder, so surely one police department will help another?
This is an intriguing premise, all too believable. As ever with Hill’s novels, this is efficient and chilling. She introduces us to prospective villains, each seems a little questionable: but are we being unfair, reading something into signs that don’t exist, generalising, making assumptions? In parallel with the introduction of prospective villains, we are also shown prospective victims.
Whilst Simon Serrailler deals with this emotional case, his own heart is being pulled between love and guilt, and his sister Cat must manage two warring children.
An excellent tale which keeps the pages turning, an examination of the jury system. When ‘not guilty� can be the wrong verdict, when ‘with reasonable doubt� can condemn more vulnerable women. A disturbing take on the efficiency of our justice system.
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Lafferton, ten years later. A woman is killed. Elderly, vulnerable, murdered the same way as those three women in 2002. But how can Simon Serrailler track down a villain who doesn’t exist: the man was given a new name, a new face, a new identity and was relocated. But we’re talking about murder, so surely one police department will help another?
This is an intriguing premise, all too believable. As ever with Hill’s novels, this is efficient and chilling. She introduces us to prospective villains, each seems a little questionable: but are we being unfair, reading something into signs that don’t exist, generalising, making assumptions? In parallel with the introduction of prospective villains, we are also shown prospective victims.
Whilst Simon Serrailler deals with this emotional case, his own heart is being pulled between love and guilt, and his sister Cat must manage two warring children.
An excellent tale which keeps the pages turning, an examination of the jury system. When ‘not guilty� can be the wrong verdict, when ‘with reasonable doubt� can condemn more vulnerable women. A disturbing take on the efficiency of our justice system.
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April 13, 2014
Three and a half stars.
I don’t read much crime fiction and haven’t read the rest of this series about DCS Simon Serrailler, but that didn’t present a problem.
The novel starts in Yorkshire with a jury trial where a man, Alan Keyes, is acquitted of three murders. It then moves to ten years later in Lafferton where several elderly women are looking forward to a new life in the newly built houses and flats in Cornwall Close. The first murder in Cornwall Close and one that replicates those murders from 2002 doesn’t happen till a far way into the book. But in the meantime the reader is getting to know the characters. That includes being in the head of the murderer, which is not always comfortable particularly as the book goes on and his presence becomes stronger.
I found this a good read and it kept my interest. Would I go back and read more in this series? If I did it would be one after this and not an earlier novel with Simon Serrailler, but I’m inclined to think I probably won’t. That’s nothing to do with the book itself but just that I’m not that big on this genre. However for something for a change for me it provided a few hours of interest. If you’re a fan of this genre it should keep your interest.
I don’t read much crime fiction and haven’t read the rest of this series about DCS Simon Serrailler, but that didn’t present a problem.
The novel starts in Yorkshire with a jury trial where a man, Alan Keyes, is acquitted of three murders. It then moves to ten years later in Lafferton where several elderly women are looking forward to a new life in the newly built houses and flats in Cornwall Close. The first murder in Cornwall Close and one that replicates those murders from 2002 doesn’t happen till a far way into the book. But in the meantime the reader is getting to know the characters. That includes being in the head of the murderer, which is not always comfortable particularly as the book goes on and his presence becomes stronger.
I found this a good read and it kept my interest. Would I go back and read more in this series? If I did it would be one after this and not an earlier novel with Simon Serrailler, but I’m inclined to think I probably won’t. That’s nothing to do with the book itself but just that I’m not that big on this genre. However for something for a change for me it provided a few hours of interest. If you’re a fan of this genre it should keep your interest.
December 7, 2012
I am a tad picky about my police detectives. This month, I tried to like Chief Superintendent Simon Serailler, whose name I have no idea how to pronounce. It's a given that detectives are lonely people with woman issues, and Hill ticks that box, as they say. But for me, he is bland, bland, bland. He falls to the background in favor of his widowed sister and her kids. When the action starts, as he's organizing the manhunt and taking part in the capture, he's still nearly invisible, and none of the policemen turn out to have personalities. They are place holders. In this one, being inside the murderer's head is a bore, as he just repeats the same things at increasing length, and it soon becomes obvious who he must be. Hill tries to up the excitement level by having the killer rehearse in his mind just how he will end up with doing five years in a hospital for four murders (seven if you count the first round ten years ago for which he was acquitted and given a new identity). So, no character development, no suspense, no quirky detective, I have no further interest.
December 24, 2013
I read the previous book in this series (Betrayal of Trust) and enjoyed it enough to read this one when it came into my library as an advance reading copy. This review is based on having only read the last two books in the seven book series.
I found the book very hard to follow. There are a lot of characters and plot points I was expected to know from previous entries, I assume, and I had a hard time keeping them straight. Much of the plot had to do with the personal life of Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler and his family and I was just not invested enough to care.
The crime in this novel � serial killings of old women living alone � seemed almost an afterthought. The identity of the killer, who narrates chapters in his head throughout the book, did come as a surprise to me.
I like Susan Hill as a writer but at this point in this series, I would recommend a new reader start with the first book rather than this one. I don’t expect I will read any more books in this series unless I go back to the beginning.
I found the book very hard to follow. There are a lot of characters and plot points I was expected to know from previous entries, I assume, and I had a hard time keeping them straight. Much of the plot had to do with the personal life of Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler and his family and I was just not invested enough to care.
The crime in this novel � serial killings of old women living alone � seemed almost an afterthought. The identity of the killer, who narrates chapters in his head throughout the book, did come as a surprise to me.
I like Susan Hill as a writer but at this point in this series, I would recommend a new reader start with the first book rather than this one. I don’t expect I will read any more books in this series unless I go back to the beginning.
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