Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

The Various Haunts of Men


I Give This Book 2.5 Stars!


Description: A woman vanishes in the fog up on "the Hill", an area locally known for its tranquility 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 unraveling 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, the first in what promises to be a magnificent series featuring Simon Serrailler.


This book had such potential, but fell flat in my opinion.  The description makes the book sound like a mystery/thriller, but it's written more like a drama.  It felt like it was extremely drawn out, and at times I was completely bored.   I picked the killer out half way through the book, but never really understood why he killed.   There wasn't much momentum through the book.  The shocker at the end was completely unfulfilling.  And why it's called a Simon Serrailler mystery is beyond men.  You barely see the man throughout the book and by the end you know next to nothing about him. 

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