by Susan Hill
(No. 3 in the series of novels about DCI Simon Serrailler.)
I guess the title should have given me a clue, but this was quite a depressing read. The darkness in question is primarily the evil at the heart of the life of a child murderer. But it is more: it is a whole series of frightening and sometimes brutal events which form the plot of this novel and lead to the reader feeling oppressed by the sheer complexity of the forms evil can take. You might argue that Susan Hill's writing is just reflecting the evils all around us every day - all of the forms it takes have indeed been shown to exist in newspapers of recent years - but it does not do much to brighten a reader's view of life.
I wanted to read it as it picks up on some of the unresolved events from the previous one in the series ("The Pure in Heart") and we see at least one criminal brought to justice. However, some of the loose ends remain loose - and it may be that number 4 in the series will sort that out. As before, Susan Hill almost overwhelms her readers with a whole host of new characters - and, to be honest, some of them seem to have tenuous links with the main plot.
By now it will be clear that I have reservations about this novel. I read to the end, but hesitate to recommend it. If you have enjoyed volume one (in my opinion the best so far) and persisted to volume two, you will probably want to go on to this one. However, I am quite clear in my own mind that Susan Hill's earlier (and shorter) novels like "The Woman in Black" pack a more powerful punch than this - and are a good deal less depressing.
Review by Jean Nale
I guess the title should have given me a clue, but this was quite a depressing read. The darkness in question is primarily the evil at the heart of the life of a child murderer. But it is more: it is a whole series of frightening and sometimes brutal events which form the plot of this novel and lead to the reader feeling oppressed by the sheer complexity of the forms evil can take. You might argue that Susan Hill's writing is just reflecting the evils all around us every day - all of the forms it takes have indeed been shown to exist in newspapers of recent years - but it does not do much to brighten a reader's view of life.
I wanted to read it as it picks up on some of the unresolved events from the previous one in the series ("The Pure in Heart") and we see at least one criminal brought to justice. However, some of the loose ends remain loose - and it may be that number 4 in the series will sort that out. As before, Susan Hill almost overwhelms her readers with a whole host of new characters - and, to be honest, some of them seem to have tenuous links with the main plot.
By now it will be clear that I have reservations about this novel. I read to the end, but hesitate to recommend it. If you have enjoyed volume one (in my opinion the best so far) and persisted to volume two, you will probably want to go on to this one. However, I am quite clear in my own mind that Susan Hill's earlier (and shorter) novels like "The Woman in Black" pack a more powerful punch than this - and are a good deal less depressing.
Review by Jean Nale
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