SueK Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 This was mentioned briefly on another thread some time ago but I thought I would start a new here on the crime series by Susan Hill. There are now four books in the series and are centred around a continuing crime in a fictitious town. Simon Serailler is the Chief Supt on the case but he is by no means the central character. We meet his family and the families of the victims and criminals. These books are not page turners in the strict sense of the word. Susan Hill moves into Ruth Rendell territory with these psychological thrillers and I enjoyed them very much. Serailler himself is a very aloof individual who doesn't seem to be able to hold down a romantic relationship - although he is very close to his sister which appears to affect his way of life. The books in the series are: Various Haunts of Men Pure in Heart Risk of Darkness The Vows of Silence (latest one to be released) I would suggest reading them in order as there is a continuity in them. Well worth trying but quite different to her horror stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Thanks for this Sue. At the library my colleague and I have just started reading Susan Hill - the wonderfully scary Woman in Black and were wondering about this detective series. I will see if I can get hold of the first one and give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysterioso Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I've just had the misfortune to read 'The Various Haunts of Men' for a crime bookgroup and thought it was utter tosh. Cliched, predictable and you could spot the killer a mile off. Really disappointed as I love Susan Hill's fiction e.g The Woman in Black' and 'Mrs DeWinter'. Recently read 'The Beacon' which again is straight fiction and was excellent but I'm extremely loathe to pick up another in the Serralier series..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 Sorry you didn't like Various Haunts of Men. I would say that, in my opinion, that is probably the weakest of the series - although I did like the characterisations (not necessarily all of the characters) and I agree, Cat the GP is purer than the driven snow:mrgreen:. Pure in Heart is quite dark. Still, as I intimated, I think the series is rather like marmite, you either love'em or hate'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 We also had The Various Haunts of Men for our reading group but I must admit, I couldn't get past page 30. Like Mysterioso, I really enjoy Susan Hill's other work, just not the crime, but then I'm not a big reader of crime anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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