by Susan Hill
I was attracted to this novel right away because I had read a number of Susan Hill's earlier works ("The Woman in Black", "The Mist in the Mirror", "I'm the King of the Castle", "In the Springtime of the Year") and loved them all. What I hadn't realised, however, is that this volume is her first venture into detective fiction, and represents the first in a series of books about Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler.
Although the blurb hails Serrailler as the main character, I felt when reading that Freya Graffham was of far more interest. She certainly emerged as a far more attractive character than Simon, and her input to the case was far more significant. The case in question (or really cases) revolves around the disappearance of a succession of individuals, apparently unconnected, from the normally quiet community of Lafferton, a very English town.
The characters are varied and really come to life. Susan Hill succeeds in creating not just discrete characters but whole family units which draw the reader in. (When I understood that there was to be a series of these novels, I realised the significance of the large-scale canvas she creates for herself, as the Serrailler family are the continuing focus of the next two which I have now read.)
It was not easy getting started on the novel as Hill introduces the reader to a large number of different characters and situations without at first making any links between them. It was easy to lose track of who they all were, all contributing to a sense of confusion. Also the main narrative is broken into at intervals by excerpts from "The Tape", and we do not know for some time whose voice we are hearing, nor why these are there. Provided you can read quite quickly, however, these minor problems are soon resolved. It is definitely well worth persisting - I was totally engrossed by the plot and characters by the time I reached page 60! After that I could not bear to put it down.
Review by Jean Nale
Although the blurb hails Serrailler as the main character, I felt when reading that Freya Graffham was of far more interest. She certainly emerged as a far more attractive character than Simon, and her input to the case was far more significant. The case in question (or really cases) revolves around the disappearance of a succession of individuals, apparently unconnected, from the normally quiet community of Lafferton, a very English town.
The characters are varied and really come to life. Susan Hill succeeds in creating not just discrete characters but whole family units which draw the reader in. (When I understood that there was to be a series of these novels, I realised the significance of the large-scale canvas she creates for herself, as the Serrailler family are the continuing focus of the next two which I have now read.)
It was not easy getting started on the novel as Hill introduces the reader to a large number of different characters and situations without at first making any links between them. It was easy to lose track of who they all were, all contributing to a sense of confusion. Also the main narrative is broken into at intervals by excerpts from "The Tape", and we do not know for some time whose voice we are hearing, nor why these are there. Provided you can read quite quickly, however, these minor problems are soon resolved. It is definitely well worth persisting - I was totally engrossed by the plot and characters by the time I reached page 60! After that I could not bear to put it down.
Review by Jean Nale
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