The start of a series with a chief inspector to rival Wexford or Dalgliesh but with a supernatural feel. A deep tale that draws the reader into the thoughts and deeds of the characters. It is very evocative and atmospheric with a shocking end; quite superb. The next, The Pure in Heart, comes in hardback at the same time, but start with this one.
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 magnificent series featuring Simon Serrailler.
Susan Hill has won both the Whitbread and Somerset Maugham Awards and been shortlisted for the Booker. She is the subject of one of the Vintage Living Texts. She runs her own publishing business, Longbarn Books, and edited the literary magazine, Books and Company. Her novels are set for GCSE and A Level, and her play, The Woman in Black, has been running in London's West End for 15 years.
In 2011 Susan Hill was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library, awarded to an author for a body of work.
