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The Various Haunts of Men

Simon Serrailler 1

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The Various Haunts of Men

By: Susan Hill
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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About this listen

 A woman vanishes in the fog up on "the Hill", an area locally known for its tranquillity and peace. The police are not alarmed; people usually disappear for their own reasons. But when a young girl, an old man, and even a dog disappear, no one can deny that something untoward is happening in this quiet cathedral town. Young policewoman Freya Graffham is assigned to the case; she's new to the job, compassionate, inquisitive, dedicated, and needs to know, perhaps, too much. She and the enigmatic detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler have the task of unravelling the mystery behind this gruesome sequence of events. From the passages revealing the killer's mind to the final heart-stopping twist, The Various Haunts of Men is an astounding and masterly crime debut and is the first in what promises to be a magnificent series featuring Simon Serrailler.

You should listen to Susan Hill's brilliant Simon Serrailler trilogy in the correct order which is as follows:

  • Book 1: The Various Haunts of Men
  • Book 2: The Pure in Heart
  • Book 3: The Risk of Darkness
©2004 Susan Hill (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Genre Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Small Town & Rural Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Crime Exciting Heartfelt Scary Suspense
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It took me a little time to get into this story, but once I did I was hooked into nearly 15 hours of a complex and surprising story. Susan Hill has avoided many of the cliches of crime fiction creating well-rounded and believable characters, including the police men and women. Unlike real-life, as befits the genre, the crimes are meticulously planned by a highly intelligent psychopath. I didn't twig who this was until it was revealed near the end of the book.
It's not just a well-crafted crime thriller, but also explores alternative versus conventional medical treatments as part of the fabric of the story. Initially I was concerned that the author might be trying to encourage patients with serious conditions, such as cancer, to try alternative medicine in place of effective treatments, but was relieved that this turned out not to be the case.
Steven Pacey's reading of the book is superb: he brings the different voices convincingly to life. I don't know how these readers manage it, but the best of them can switch from being female to male; young to old; regional accent to accent without caricaturing their voice.

An unusual crime thriller

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A good solid crime story with lots of dark corners to explore and some neat pen-portraits. So why only 4 stars? I felt the characters of Simon Serrailler and Freya Graffam to be a little cliche. There was a little bit too much of "woman escaping bad relationship to start again" in Freya and a little too much of the strong silent enigmatic alpha-male about Simon. Put those two aspects together and at times there were sections which read like a formulaic romance novel rather than a murder mystery. No reason why an author cannot have both romance and murder in one novel, but it needs to be done with more finesses than it is here. But that cannot take away from a sound plot and some other interesting characters. The ending is also good. I had already formed in my mind where the sequels would go with the characters only to have the rug pulled out from under me! Definately worth a read but bear in mind the peculiar treatment of the two main characters and read past the cliches if you can.

Good solid crime story

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My first Susan Hill book and it will not be my last, a combination of excellent plot characters and narrative means I am heading for the store to buy my next Susan Hill today.

A can't put down book

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If there's a better book on Audible, I've yet to come across it. No-one has a better grasp of how to multiply plausible suspects, build genuine suspense and dread, or grow believable, likeable characters than Susan Hill. Her heroines and heroes are the stuff of sagas - but fallible, and like most of us, often lacking in vital insights. Her villains are horrific without being mustachio-twirling pantomime baddies. You read and you think, yes, I'd end up dead too: I wouldn't have escaped that situation either! She spins intersecting plot lines effortlessly, and makes the simplest activities engaging. In this book, an able and courageous detective gets onto the trail of a lethal predator. Distracted by her problematic feelings for a colleague, she is slow to see the danger building as the investigation jolts information and evidence free in unpredictable ways, creating even more danger and tension. (I'm sure I'm not the only reader who wanted to stand up and shout "BEHIND YOU!!!!!!" at various points.) The plot is set against the background of a cosy/creepy community of New Age and alternative healing practitioners and aficionados in a small semi-rural community. Crystals, dandelion tea, séances, reflexology and psychic surgery: do any of these connect the disappearances under investigation?

"Men are our subjects and the deeds of men"

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pulled me in quickly and kept me till the end.

very good book

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