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Simon Serrailler #5
The Shadows in the Street
THE SHADOWS IN THE STREET
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
351 people are currently reading
1630 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hill
180 books2,265 followersSusan Hill was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1942. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels".
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
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January 14, 2025
The Shadows in the Street is the fifth book in Susan Hill's detective series of books featuring Simon Serrailler. However this series deviates from the convention, where a named detective, plus possibly their sidekick, use their consummate skill and experience to solve devious crimes. Simon Serrailler does not feature much in the novels at all, frequently entering very late in the story, and sometimes being only on the periphery of the action.
This novel follows several murders of prostitutes in Simon Serrailler's home town, the fictitious English cathedral town of Lafferton. At the start we are introduced to the main character Abi, following her miserable and pitiful existence as a prostitute, from which she hopes to escape, and which the author describes with great insight and compassion. From Abi's point of view, we see the typical life of a young prostitute, penniless, subject to violent boyfriends, drug addiction and dependent on other prostitutes for random and chaotic childcare. We see the trap from which she feels she cannot escape, and we see her care and love for her children.
Susan Hill's style is direct and simple; plain and down-to-earth - in fact typical of Yorkshire folk - she originally came from Scarborough. "Yorkshire is so much part of me," she has said, explaining that her spare uncluttered prose is quite deliberate, "The moment anyone starts thinking 'I'm going to be a stylist' they're finished." In the same interview, she said of the Simon Serrailler series that it was "my contemporary fiction, where I look at the world as it is". She describes both the potential victims, and also the middle-class residents of Lafferton, whose attitudes to the prostitutes are sympathetic and judgemental by turn. The author is careful to present a full and unbiased picture, giving each individual to whom she turns her analytical eye, due care and attention.
The novels are heavily character-oriented, which is perhaps not surprising given that Susan Hill was a well-established novelist before ever venturing into crime novel territory. Each one in the series has an element of mystery, and each is a page-turner, but the reader becomes much more involved than usual with the lives of the individuals the author has created. This is nicely balanced between the characters specifically drawn for the current novel, and the running story, which is based on Simon Serrailler's personal and family life.
An intellectual aesthete, rather in the mould of P.D. James's poet-detective Commander Adam Dalgleish, Simon Serrailler is also a rather introverted artist - this time of the visual variety. We therefore come away from the book with a solid understanding of the main characters, an involvement in the eventful lives of Simon Serrailler's twin sister Cat, who is grieving heavily in this novel, his nephew and niece, his stepmother Judith and his curmudgeonly father. We even explore the personalities and lives of his work colleagues, including Detective Sergeant Vanek, to whom Simon Serrailler is a hero who can do no wrong. Yet Simon Serrailler's character is more shadowy and far less clearly delineated.
In the main Susan Hill uses the viewpoint character of Cat to reveal the author's compassion for her characters,
"She looked at the girls again as they stood by a street lamp lighting cigarettes. They were probably no more than twenty, thin, hollow-eyed, their legs without tights under the short strips of skirt. Sexual disease. Drug-related illnesses. Every sort of violence. Even just exposure to the cold. Those were only a few of the risks they ran every night….The street lighting threw hard shadows, but when they turned their faces to it, they were the faces of children."
Simon Serrailler is introduced to the story as having recently completed an exhausting investigation, for SIFT (The Special Incident Flying Taskforce) which necessitated him taking leave afterwards. When the news breaks of a 17-year-old girl, strangled and thrown into the river in Lafferton, he is holidaying on Taransay, a remote Scottish island. He is toying yet again with the idea of painting watercolours for a living, and has formed a relationship with one of the island's residents. It is strictly a holiday romance, with no strings attached, although some humour is injected into the narrative when her burly intended husband takes a rather dim view of this.
However there is little humour in this novel, its focus clearly being on the social issues. Simon Serrailler is rapidly brought back to Lafferton to investigate the case. Since another prostitute is missing, the police are keen to establish whether that case too will prove to be one of murder.
The mystery to be solved in this novel almost seems to be a way of exploring the characters and psyches of those involved. There is a new Anglican Dean of the Cathedral, who is causing ructions amongst his parishoners by instigating changes too quickly, sweeping away many of the treasured traditions. Or is it his wife who is largely responsible for this? Commonly referred to as "Mrs Proudie" by members of the congregation - a nice light-hearted touch - the reader understands that this situation is a mirror-image of that in Anthony Trollope's "Barchester Towers". The Dean's assistant, Miles Hurley, seems to be a calming and restraining hand. A young Baptist minister, Darren, also runs an Outreach programme, visiting the prostitutes' locations weekly with his van, doling out tea, sandwiches, a cheery smile ... and a religious pamphlet. We watch the discussion between the "Magdalen" committee set up to help the young prostitutes, and the various ways in which events are mismanaged as the various factions of do-gooders - whether doctors, clerics, or neither - cannot see eye to eye.
We also follow Leslie, a lonely librarian who watches the prostitutes and is well known to them. Just as they seem to be his only friends, he is their knight in shining armour, taking them sandwiches and flasks of coffee to keep out the cold, without any apparent underlying motives. But he harbours violent thoughts about his co-workers, and although he lives with his mother he keeps his night-time activities secret from her. The police are naturally very suspicious of his behaviour.
Another major character is a violent drug-pusher and addict, Jonty Lewis, who has a history of violence towards prostitutes. Then there is the shadowy "beanie man", an unknown quantity referred to this way jokily by the prostitutes because of his headgear, and as a way of defusing the threat they feel from him. And there is one character who has bipolar disease, and again, this informs her whole life. As soon as she starts to feel stable, in common with many bipolar patients, she stops taking her medicine. This has dramatic consequences for the story. And not everyone who is strangled or disappears is a prostitute, which puts the entire police investigation, which is now focussed on a specific serial killer profile, back several paces.
Cat, Simon Serrailler's sister, is a GP, and hence privy to many of the problems explored in this book - drug dependence, depression, guilt and other aspects of mental health - plus the emotional issues of grief she herself feels. Viewing the events through her eyes enables the reader to look a little deeper than the linking mysteries of the book, and into social and psychological issues. Susan Hill portrays the emotional inner turbulence of her characters, such as the difficulties of someone who is trying to care for someone with bipolar disorder, with great perception and insight. Her literary novels have dealt in the past with the psychology of grief, and the difficulties of serious psychological disturbance. It makes for very interesting crime fiction to have an author of such literary merit incorporate these features within the frame of a detective novel. The ending to the mystery is satisfying.
For detective fiction aficionados, it is possible to guess the perpetrator towards the end, not by sifting though complicated clues, but more by the way the book is written. And this is an author who can write,
"Missing Chris, feeling totally bereft of him, wanting him back, sinking to the depths every time she remembered that he would never come back, longing for him so that she felt ill and incapable of functioning as a human being – all of it needed no prompting, like some memories that were touched by a piece of music, or a chance remark, or going into a particular building. All of it was now part of her, wrapped around her like a second skin.
Bereavement, she had discovered, was about many things, but one of those, and the one which few people seemed to know or warn about, was a long-lasting, overwhelming physical and mental tiredness. Even now, a year after Chris’s death, she felt exhausted for much of the time, with an exhaustion that seemed to be beyond deep and to bear no relation to whatever else she might have been doing or even to how much sleep she got."
This novel follows several murders of prostitutes in Simon Serrailler's home town, the fictitious English cathedral town of Lafferton. At the start we are introduced to the main character Abi, following her miserable and pitiful existence as a prostitute, from which she hopes to escape, and which the author describes with great insight and compassion. From Abi's point of view, we see the typical life of a young prostitute, penniless, subject to violent boyfriends, drug addiction and dependent on other prostitutes for random and chaotic childcare. We see the trap from which she feels she cannot escape, and we see her care and love for her children.
Susan Hill's style is direct and simple; plain and down-to-earth - in fact typical of Yorkshire folk - she originally came from Scarborough. "Yorkshire is so much part of me," she has said, explaining that her spare uncluttered prose is quite deliberate, "The moment anyone starts thinking 'I'm going to be a stylist' they're finished." In the same interview, she said of the Simon Serrailler series that it was "my contemporary fiction, where I look at the world as it is". She describes both the potential victims, and also the middle-class residents of Lafferton, whose attitudes to the prostitutes are sympathetic and judgemental by turn. The author is careful to present a full and unbiased picture, giving each individual to whom she turns her analytical eye, due care and attention.
The novels are heavily character-oriented, which is perhaps not surprising given that Susan Hill was a well-established novelist before ever venturing into crime novel territory. Each one in the series has an element of mystery, and each is a page-turner, but the reader becomes much more involved than usual with the lives of the individuals the author has created. This is nicely balanced between the characters specifically drawn for the current novel, and the running story, which is based on Simon Serrailler's personal and family life.
An intellectual aesthete, rather in the mould of P.D. James's poet-detective Commander Adam Dalgleish, Simon Serrailler is also a rather introverted artist - this time of the visual variety. We therefore come away from the book with a solid understanding of the main characters, an involvement in the eventful lives of Simon Serrailler's twin sister Cat, who is grieving heavily in this novel, his nephew and niece, his stepmother Judith and his curmudgeonly father. We even explore the personalities and lives of his work colleagues, including Detective Sergeant Vanek, to whom Simon Serrailler is a hero who can do no wrong. Yet Simon Serrailler's character is more shadowy and far less clearly delineated.
In the main Susan Hill uses the viewpoint character of Cat to reveal the author's compassion for her characters,
"She looked at the girls again as they stood by a street lamp lighting cigarettes. They were probably no more than twenty, thin, hollow-eyed, their legs without tights under the short strips of skirt. Sexual disease. Drug-related illnesses. Every sort of violence. Even just exposure to the cold. Those were only a few of the risks they ran every night….The street lighting threw hard shadows, but when they turned their faces to it, they were the faces of children."
Simon Serrailler is introduced to the story as having recently completed an exhausting investigation, for SIFT (The Special Incident Flying Taskforce) which necessitated him taking leave afterwards. When the news breaks of a 17-year-old girl, strangled and thrown into the river in Lafferton, he is holidaying on Taransay, a remote Scottish island. He is toying yet again with the idea of painting watercolours for a living, and has formed a relationship with one of the island's residents. It is strictly a holiday romance, with no strings attached, although some humour is injected into the narrative when her burly intended husband takes a rather dim view of this.
However there is little humour in this novel, its focus clearly being on the social issues. Simon Serrailler is rapidly brought back to Lafferton to investigate the case. Since another prostitute is missing, the police are keen to establish whether that case too will prove to be one of murder.
The mystery to be solved in this novel almost seems to be a way of exploring the characters and psyches of those involved. There is a new Anglican Dean of the Cathedral, who is causing ructions amongst his parishoners by instigating changes too quickly, sweeping away many of the treasured traditions. Or is it his wife who is largely responsible for this? Commonly referred to as "Mrs Proudie" by members of the congregation - a nice light-hearted touch - the reader understands that this situation is a mirror-image of that in Anthony Trollope's "Barchester Towers". The Dean's assistant, Miles Hurley, seems to be a calming and restraining hand. A young Baptist minister, Darren, also runs an Outreach programme, visiting the prostitutes' locations weekly with his van, doling out tea, sandwiches, a cheery smile ... and a religious pamphlet. We watch the discussion between the "Magdalen" committee set up to help the young prostitutes, and the various ways in which events are mismanaged as the various factions of do-gooders - whether doctors, clerics, or neither - cannot see eye to eye.
We also follow Leslie, a lonely librarian who watches the prostitutes and is well known to them. Just as they seem to be his only friends, he is their knight in shining armour, taking them sandwiches and flasks of coffee to keep out the cold, without any apparent underlying motives. But he harbours violent thoughts about his co-workers, and although he lives with his mother he keeps his night-time activities secret from her. The police are naturally very suspicious of his behaviour.
Another major character is a violent drug-pusher and addict, Jonty Lewis, who has a history of violence towards prostitutes. Then there is the shadowy "beanie man", an unknown quantity referred to this way jokily by the prostitutes because of his headgear, and as a way of defusing the threat they feel from him. And there is one character who has bipolar disease, and again, this informs her whole life. As soon as she starts to feel stable, in common with many bipolar patients, she stops taking her medicine. This has dramatic consequences for the story. And not everyone who is strangled or disappears is a prostitute, which puts the entire police investigation, which is now focussed on a specific serial killer profile, back several paces.
Cat, Simon Serrailler's sister, is a GP, and hence privy to many of the problems explored in this book - drug dependence, depression, guilt and other aspects of mental health - plus the emotional issues of grief she herself feels. Viewing the events through her eyes enables the reader to look a little deeper than the linking mysteries of the book, and into social and psychological issues. Susan Hill portrays the emotional inner turbulence of her characters, such as the difficulties of someone who is trying to care for someone with bipolar disorder, with great perception and insight. Her literary novels have dealt in the past with the psychology of grief, and the difficulties of serious psychological disturbance. It makes for very interesting crime fiction to have an author of such literary merit incorporate these features within the frame of a detective novel. The ending to the mystery is satisfying.
For detective fiction aficionados, it is possible to guess the perpetrator towards the end, not by sifting though complicated clues, but more by the way the book is written. And this is an author who can write,
"Missing Chris, feeling totally bereft of him, wanting him back, sinking to the depths every time she remembered that he would never come back, longing for him so that she felt ill and incapable of functioning as a human being – all of it needed no prompting, like some memories that were touched by a piece of music, or a chance remark, or going into a particular building. All of it was now part of her, wrapped around her like a second skin.
Bereavement, she had discovered, was about many things, but one of those, and the one which few people seemed to know or warn about, was a long-lasting, overwhelming physical and mental tiredness. Even now, a year after Chris’s death, she felt exhausted for much of the time, with an exhaustion that seemed to be beyond deep and to bear no relation to whatever else she might have been doing or even to how much sleep she got."
November 20, 2017
EXCERPT: They could never quite decide if he was OK or not. He wasn't weird. He wasn't anything. All the same. . .
'Say what you like,' Hayley had said, 'not normal.'
Only he seemed normal, watching them eat the sandwiches he'd made for them, pocket the chocolate bars he'd bought out of his own money, finish off the hot tea or coffee. He had a normal coat, normal blue wool scarf. Normal black shoes. Normal. He was clean, he shaved, he hadn't got anything special about him or anything peculiar either. Just normal.
Only not.
THE BLURB: Simon Serrailler is on sabbatical on a Scottish island, recovering from an exhausting murder investigation, when he is urgently summoned back to Lafferton. Two local prostitutes have been found strangled. By the time Serrailer has reached the town, another girl has vanished. Is this a vendetta against prostitutes by someone with a warped mind? Or a series of killings by an angry punter? Then the wife of the new Dean at the Cathedral goes missing - has the killer widened their net or is there more than one murderer at large?
MY THOUGHTS: Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series is one of my favorite series, for many reasons. It is about so much more than a detective. It encompasses the story of a family, three generations of it, their struggles with their lives, their jobs, and each other. Disappointments, expectations, petty jealousies, health problems, deaths, remarriage, and the joys and problems of raising families. Moral dilemmas. Faith. Loss. Love. Grief. Adjustment. Belonging, or being on the outside looking in.
But there is always a crime to solve, and nothing is ever straightforward. Simon Serrailler, DCI, artist, loner, does not always feature hugely in the plot, but is a presence all the same. In the Shadows in the Street, he doesn't feature in his police role until quite well into the book. And yet this doesn't detract from the story at all, instead we get to see a side of Simon rarely shown to us, the recluse, the loner, the artist very much at home on a remote island.
There is always so much more to her books than is at first apparent. And discovering the hidden depths is always a pleasure for me.
A very fond ☆☆☆☆☆ for The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill, published by Chatto and Windus, a division of Random House. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'Say what you like,' Hayley had said, 'not normal.'
Only he seemed normal, watching them eat the sandwiches he'd made for them, pocket the chocolate bars he'd bought out of his own money, finish off the hot tea or coffee. He had a normal coat, normal blue wool scarf. Normal black shoes. Normal. He was clean, he shaved, he hadn't got anything special about him or anything peculiar either. Just normal.
Only not.
THE BLURB: Simon Serrailler is on sabbatical on a Scottish island, recovering from an exhausting murder investigation, when he is urgently summoned back to Lafferton. Two local prostitutes have been found strangled. By the time Serrailer has reached the town, another girl has vanished. Is this a vendetta against prostitutes by someone with a warped mind? Or a series of killings by an angry punter? Then the wife of the new Dean at the Cathedral goes missing - has the killer widened their net or is there more than one murderer at large?
MY THOUGHTS: Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series is one of my favorite series, for many reasons. It is about so much more than a detective. It encompasses the story of a family, three generations of it, their struggles with their lives, their jobs, and each other. Disappointments, expectations, petty jealousies, health problems, deaths, remarriage, and the joys and problems of raising families. Moral dilemmas. Faith. Loss. Love. Grief. Adjustment. Belonging, or being on the outside looking in.
But there is always a crime to solve, and nothing is ever straightforward. Simon Serrailler, DCI, artist, loner, does not always feature hugely in the plot, but is a presence all the same. In the Shadows in the Street, he doesn't feature in his police role until quite well into the book. And yet this doesn't detract from the story at all, instead we get to see a side of Simon rarely shown to us, the recluse, the loner, the artist very much at home on a remote island.
There is always so much more to her books than is at first apparent. And discovering the hidden depths is always a pleasure for me.
A very fond ☆☆☆☆☆ for The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill, published by Chatto and Windus, a division of Random House. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 7, 2015
Once again, Susan Hill has written a mystery and police procedural that provides developed characters and plot, ideas that don't lead to easy or glib resolution--much like real life. In this episode, while Serrailler is on a sabbatical after a long and difficult case, two local prostitutes are murdered and then a third goes missing. Simon is summoned home shortly before his scheduled return date to take full charge of the investigation. As in prior outings the Lafferton Cathedral itself becomes a character as there is a new Dean who is setting off waves among the established congregation with his ideas for new policies and procedures. A very English tale.
All of the characters have considerable back story, which is not to say that we know them all equally. but we do come to see how most of them work, how they function every day and how these crimes effect them on all levels. Hill is a master at pulling the rug out from under the feet of the reader on occasion so beware.
I highly recommend this series.
All of the characters have considerable back story, which is not to say that we know them all equally. but we do come to see how most of them work, how they function every day and how these crimes effect them on all levels. Hill is a master at pulling the rug out from under the feet of the reader on occasion so beware.
I highly recommend this series.
April 1, 2018
Love Susan Hill's books! Her writing is awesome. Looking forward to her new one coming out this year.
December 4, 2023
This fifth book in Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler series was so good, I’ve already started the sixth book 😀.
This author has a way of making you care about a new character within a page or two. The killer in this book murdered prostitutes, and I really hope that some of the ancillary characters return. I bet they won’t, but I became attached to them, and to their children in some cases. Very curious what the future holds for them.
I love how Hill gets you into the mind of her characters.
The main character is one of the managers of a team of detectives. His family are all recurring characters. I’ve become so attached to his sister, Cat, and her children. In fact, upon finishing this book, I immediately started the sixth one, because I just have to know how they’re getting on. (There was a pretty significant family tragedy in the fourth book, and they are still dealing with the fallout.)
I read this series mainly for Hill’s characters and her writing. I love the creepy British atmosphere in this series. I really like Simon’s family (- in fact, much more than I like Simon himself at this point). I always enjoy the mystery aspect, and I like following along with various detectives to see how they catch the criminal(s). However, the mystery is secondary for me in a series like this, because I enjoy the recurring characters so much.
Steven Pacey narrates this entire series, I believe, and his performances are top-notch. He has that slightly creepy voice that lends itself perfectly to a series like this. He has voices for each of the recurring characters, and imo the voice he creates is perfect for each one.
I highly recommend this series for crime lovers, and for those looking for a creepy, atmospheric read. I would definitely suggest reading them in order. A lot happens with the recurring characters, and you’d lose a lot if you didn’t.
This author has a way of making you care about a new character within a page or two. The killer in this book murdered prostitutes, and I really hope that some of the ancillary characters return. I bet they won’t, but I became attached to them, and to their children in some cases. Very curious what the future holds for them.
I love how Hill gets you into the mind of her characters.
The main character is one of the managers of a team of detectives. His family are all recurring characters. I’ve become so attached to his sister, Cat, and her children. In fact, upon finishing this book, I immediately started the sixth one, because I just have to know how they’re getting on. (There was a pretty significant family tragedy in the fourth book, and they are still dealing with the fallout.)
I read this series mainly for Hill’s characters and her writing. I love the creepy British atmosphere in this series. I really like Simon’s family (- in fact, much more than I like Simon himself at this point). I always enjoy the mystery aspect, and I like following along with various detectives to see how they catch the criminal(s). However, the mystery is secondary for me in a series like this, because I enjoy the recurring characters so much.
Steven Pacey narrates this entire series, I believe, and his performances are top-notch. He has that slightly creepy voice that lends itself perfectly to a series like this. He has voices for each of the recurring characters, and imo the voice he creates is perfect for each one.
I highly recommend this series for crime lovers, and for those looking for a creepy, atmospheric read. I would definitely suggest reading them in order. A lot happens with the recurring characters, and you’d lose a lot if you didn’t.
August 20, 2020
Another easy read in the Simon Serrailler series (book 5).
March 31, 2011
Review from Badelynge
Susan Hill has been writing extraordinary fiction for over four decades. She is adept at characterisation and building complex emotional landscapes for her characters to inhabit. In 2004 she turned her hand to writing in a completely new genre; the detective novel. She plays with the genre's staple ingredients and adds her own flare for exploring human relationships to the mix, creating a thoroughly engrossing series. The latest installment The Shadows in the Street, continues to follow the primary characters, brother and sister, DCI Simon Serrailler and Dr. Cat Deerborn. Serrailler often takes a back seat in the narrative, most notably in the first book, The Various Haunts of Men. The crime or mystery is used primarily as a backdrop to explore related themes of the effects of crime, murder, loss, insanity, loneliness, paranoia and more. Hill never coddles the reader with comfort reading; there are many scenes of true heart rending sadness in all the books. It's not offered up as melodrama but rather as an attempt to show the results of tragedy that can enter any of our lives at any moment. The sixth Serrailler book, The Betrayal of Trust will be out in 2011. I recommend them all.
Susan Hill has been writing extraordinary fiction for over four decades. She is adept at characterisation and building complex emotional landscapes for her characters to inhabit. In 2004 she turned her hand to writing in a completely new genre; the detective novel. She plays with the genre's staple ingredients and adds her own flare for exploring human relationships to the mix, creating a thoroughly engrossing series. The latest installment The Shadows in the Street, continues to follow the primary characters, brother and sister, DCI Simon Serrailler and Dr. Cat Deerborn. Serrailler often takes a back seat in the narrative, most notably in the first book, The Various Haunts of Men. The crime or mystery is used primarily as a backdrop to explore related themes of the effects of crime, murder, loss, insanity, loneliness, paranoia and more. Hill never coddles the reader with comfort reading; there are many scenes of true heart rending sadness in all the books. It's not offered up as melodrama but rather as an attempt to show the results of tragedy that can enter any of our lives at any moment. The sixth Serrailler book, The Betrayal of Trust will be out in 2011. I recommend them all.
December 18, 2012
Incredibly dull to read. I gave it a chance to pick up after it's underwhelming first paragraph, (in summary: "it's raining, it's been raining for a while. I should grab an umbrella before I go out into the rain. I think it may continue raining)." The opening paragraph was the true killer in this so called, mystery thriller.
This is, by far, the most boring piece of entertainment I have encountered featuring a serial killer and murdered prostitutes. And I've spent countless dark winter hours watching Law and Order marathons, (even until the light inside me smothered). It's not the plot that is to blame, it's the tedious way it is presented. At first I gave Hill the benefit of the doubt. She is British, and they have a more reserved manner of expressing themselves (and admittedly, it rains a lot in Britain). However, once I had read half the book and failed to become invested, her grace period was over. I read the rest of the book allowing myself to be amused by it's relentless tediousness.
This is, by far, the most boring piece of entertainment I have encountered featuring a serial killer and murdered prostitutes. And I've spent countless dark winter hours watching Law and Order marathons, (even until the light inside me smothered). It's not the plot that is to blame, it's the tedious way it is presented. At first I gave Hill the benefit of the doubt. She is British, and they have a more reserved manner of expressing themselves (and admittedly, it rains a lot in Britain). However, once I had read half the book and failed to become invested, her grace period was over. I read the rest of the book allowing myself to be amused by it's relentless tediousness.
July 22, 2022
To read a book in this series is to be treated two genres in one: this series if not merely a mystery series; it's also a family saga. The life of Simon Serrailler, confirmed bachelor with occasional forays into 'should I be married?', and his family (sister, father, stepmother, etc.) is served up against murders both foul and obscene. You dance from one facet to the next...
Starting with Simon, having come off a rather difficult case, is enjoying several weeks of vacation on a small island of Scotland. He's not merely a DCI, but a renowned sketch artist and is torn between one vocation and the other. His family is in turmoil, having gone through two recent deaths, and he's got a new stepmother he absolutely abhors. His sister and her children is a huge part of his life, and there's so much 'family stuff' going on, it almost reads like a simple family saga, but then...
There's young women being killed, mostly prostitutes, in the little town of Lafferton, England. When Simon returns home, it's his job to investigate these crimes.
These books are weighty and complex, with back stories galore - but only when and where needed. The story jumps from one POV to another, though the series belongs quite solidly to Simon. He's the center 'cog' everything whirls around.
Never a dull moment in one of these books.
Five stars.
Starting with Simon, having come off a rather difficult case, is enjoying several weeks of vacation on a small island of Scotland. He's not merely a DCI, but a renowned sketch artist and is torn between one vocation and the other. His family is in turmoil, having gone through two recent deaths, and he's got a new stepmother he absolutely abhors. His sister and her children is a huge part of his life, and there's so much 'family stuff' going on, it almost reads like a simple family saga, but then...
There's young women being killed, mostly prostitutes, in the little town of Lafferton, England. When Simon returns home, it's his job to investigate these crimes.
These books are weighty and complex, with back stories galore - but only when and where needed. The story jumps from one POV to another, though the series belongs quite solidly to Simon. He's the center 'cog' everything whirls around.
Never a dull moment in one of these books.
Five stars.
August 23, 2020
Where I got the book: audiobook on Audible.
YES! Lafferton has another serial killer! Which is a good thing really, since Simon Serrailler is now in such an exalted job that he can only deal with serial killers, so let’s keep ‘em coming.
This time the baddie is killing prostitutes, of which sleepy little Lafferton suddenly seems to have a high number. Did they build a casino or something? That’s the fun about fictional towns—you can just add in what you need, although the factories and mean streets that we now have don’t really seem to fit with the cathedral close and Midsomer-village-like atmosphere of the earlier books.
Bizarrely, the novel opens with Simon having a holiday fling with an accommodating Scottish lass, yet another instance of Simon Being A Shit To Women imo even though she’s obviously willing and I’ll concede that at last Hill has written him a relationship that actually works. Being Simon he’s also angsting about his job and his family while getting out alone into nature to draw stuff. His drawings sell really well, but they never seem to me to be anything more than very proficient sketches—I’d like to know exactly what it is that has London galleries all over him.
Well, fortunately the serial killer comes along and then we get into the most focused mystery plot we’ve had since the first book in the series. And with the most sympathetic victims, to my mind—I thoroughly enjoyed Abi’s story and rooted for her throughout. The resolution seemed a bit unsatisfactory to me, without enough delving into why the killer did it, but I loved the Len subplot, especially his very understandable and realistic murderous thoughts about the people in his life. We all have those thoughts, Hill’s saying—we just don’t all act on them.
I could have done without the Dean’s wife subplot, which I found a little tedious. It’s as if Hill cast around for something else dark to write about and landed on bipolar disorder.
And yay! Somebody punches Simon for Being A Shit To Women. And I laughed out loud when he tries the devastating-smile-and-pushing-back-the-floppy-blond-hair on a woman in order to get into the ICU and fails miserably. I like the guy (always imagining him as looking a bit like the highly tasty Rupert Penry-Jones) but I’d probably punch him too at some point.
YES! Lafferton has another serial killer! Which is a good thing really, since Simon Serrailler is now in such an exalted job that he can only deal with serial killers, so let’s keep ‘em coming.
This time the baddie is killing prostitutes, of which sleepy little Lafferton suddenly seems to have a high number. Did they build a casino or something? That’s the fun about fictional towns—you can just add in what you need, although the factories and mean streets that we now have don’t really seem to fit with the cathedral close and Midsomer-village-like atmosphere of the earlier books.
Bizarrely, the novel opens with Simon having a holiday fling with an accommodating Scottish lass, yet another instance of Simon Being A Shit To Women imo even though she’s obviously willing and I’ll concede that at last Hill has written him a relationship that actually works. Being Simon he’s also angsting about his job and his family while getting out alone into nature to draw stuff. His drawings sell really well, but they never seem to me to be anything more than very proficient sketches—I’d like to know exactly what it is that has London galleries all over him.
Well, fortunately the serial killer comes along and then we get into the most focused mystery plot we’ve had since the first book in the series. And with the most sympathetic victims, to my mind—I thoroughly enjoyed Abi’s story and rooted for her throughout. The resolution seemed a bit unsatisfactory to me, without enough delving into why the killer did it, but I loved the Len subplot, especially his very understandable and realistic murderous thoughts about the people in his life. We all have those thoughts, Hill’s saying—we just don’t all act on them.
I could have done without the Dean’s wife subplot, which I found a little tedious. It’s as if Hill cast around for something else dark to write about and landed on bipolar disorder.
And yay! Somebody punches Simon for Being A Shit To Women. And I laughed out loud when he tries the devastating-smile-and-pushing-back-the-floppy-blond-hair on a woman in order to get into the ICU and fails miserably. I like the guy (always imagining him as looking a bit like the highly tasty Rupert Penry-Jones) but I’d probably punch him too at some point.
September 24, 2010
Shadows in the Street is Susan Hill’s fifth novel in the Simon Serrailler series which follows the trials and tribulations of the Detective and his family in Lafferton.
Lafferton is a Cathedral town and in recent times has seen an increase in the number of prostitutes found walking the streets. They have started to encroach on the centre of town, an unwritten taboo broken by the introduction of pimps and the trafficking of younger working girls.
Serrailler is on an extended holiday on the remote island of Taransay (most famous for the television series Castaway in 2000). Miles from nowhere and without a mobile phone signal the detective is enjoying a quiet vacation following his draining stint with The Special Incident Flying Task force (SIFT).
The island is a sedate haven far removed from the manic turmoil of SIFT. Gentle walks across the island, a small community and warm log fires help rejuvenate his energy levels. That is until he receives an urgent call from Lafferton calling him back following the murders of two prostitutes.
Shadows in the Street is an intensive character driven novel, well written and although a crime fiction novel I felt the investigation played a secondary role to character and story building. This is by no means a negative but if you are looking for an detective led storyline then this may not be up your street.
Full review on my blog here http://www.milorambles.com/2010/09/16...
Lafferton is a Cathedral town and in recent times has seen an increase in the number of prostitutes found walking the streets. They have started to encroach on the centre of town, an unwritten taboo broken by the introduction of pimps and the trafficking of younger working girls.
Serrailler is on an extended holiday on the remote island of Taransay (most famous for the television series Castaway in 2000). Miles from nowhere and without a mobile phone signal the detective is enjoying a quiet vacation following his draining stint with The Special Incident Flying Task force (SIFT).
The island is a sedate haven far removed from the manic turmoil of SIFT. Gentle walks across the island, a small community and warm log fires help rejuvenate his energy levels. That is until he receives an urgent call from Lafferton calling him back following the murders of two prostitutes.
Shadows in the Street is an intensive character driven novel, well written and although a crime fiction novel I felt the investigation played a secondary role to character and story building. This is by no means a negative but if you are looking for an detective led storyline then this may not be up your street.
Full review on my blog here http://www.milorambles.com/2010/09/16...
August 30, 2023
Enjoyed it. Weird to find a crime novel comforting but love how the characters are growing and developing throughout this series. Much like a literary soap opera 😉
February 4, 2011
The Shadows in the Street, the latest addition to Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler mystery series, showcases the author's amazing ability to balance the elements of both plot and character without sacrificing one for the other. Hill allows her characters to simmer and become full-bodied persons who walk off the page and into the reader's mind where their stories intersect and blend to reach a very satisfying conclusion.
In Shadows the cathedral town of Lafferton is a cauldron of old and new. Simon still occupies his apartment in the Close near the cathedral but when the story opens he is on holiday off the Scottish coast. His twin sister, Cat Deerborn, a physician, is still seeing patients but is struggling to adjust to life without her husband, Chris, who died a year earlier of a brain tumor. Their father, who remarried after their mother's death, still disapproves of his son's two professions, artist and detective with the Lafferton Police Department. However, Cat and her stepmother have become quite close, and Cat relies on her to help with the three children. But the cathedral has a new Dean who, together with his wife and long-time friend and assistant, have upset the congregation with aggressive plans for changing the way the church conducts its services and community outreach. The Lafferton Police Department also has a new member who wants to work with Simon and learn his methods. And then there's Chantelle, the newest member of Lafferton's group of girls who work in the oldest profession, plying their trade along the tow path by the canal. When Chantelle is murdered, the hunt for her killer begins, and the plot begins to thicken.
Hill builds her characters' stories in targeted short bursts that reveal their strengths and shortcomings along with their hopes and heartaches. Short chapters move the focus rapidly from character to character and scene to scene, which keeps the narrative fast and fresh. Hill never judges her characters but manages to grant them all some measure of respect and dignity despite their failings. This sensitive treatment builds a foundation of trust between the author and her audience. She then leaves us to our own judgment of the murderer.
The Shadows in the Street is the fifth entry in the Simon Serrailler series after The Various Haunts of Men,The Pure in Heart, The Risk of Darkness, and The Vows of Silence.
May 8, 2016
I save the books in this series for a time when I need a change of pace from my usual reading, but also need to return to an author and characters that I can count on for a good, fast-paced mystery. Well written, well plotted, great recurring characters, and new ones entering the scene as well. And, as always, the town of Lafferton is a pleasure to return to.
In this one, someone is murdering young prostitutes. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times, but Susan Hill had a few surprises up her sleeve, and this time even the police couldn't put it all together. A great detective series, highly recommended.
In this one, someone is murdering young prostitutes. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times, but Susan Hill had a few surprises up her sleeve, and this time even the police couldn't put it all together. A great detective series, highly recommended.
December 16, 2020
Another great instalment in the Simon Serrailler series, this being the fifth book - a slow burner initially as Simon is recuperating on an isolated Scottish island whilst back home at Lafferton a new DS joins Simon's team where someone seems to be targeting the town's prostitutes. As Simon is recalled from his holiday, clues are few and far between in his team's search for the culprit. Totally gripping despite the fact my suspicions as to the perpetrator proved to be right at the end - 9/10.
January 6, 2011
I do enjoy this Simon Serrailler series. Plenty of twists and turns, and unusual characters abound. That is, once the current mystery really gets underway.
I will say here that Simon did not come on the scene until about 100 pages in, and the first 100 pages were not that exciting.
Part of the reason for this comes from Ms. Hill's series writing style. There is always reference to persons and incidents from previous books in the series. This is not a bad thing if they are going to have even a minor roll in the book you are reading, but they don't.
If you did not read previous books in the series, you would have no idea what she is refering to. For instance, in this book, there is a letter from Jane to Cat and another time Simon has a thought of Jane and then immediately dismisses the thought. Jane is not a part of this story so why make casual, yet ambigous, reference to her.
I know about Jane because I read the book with her as one of the main characters. But what if you did not read the previous book? This book has no reason to mention Jane, she is not on the scene and has nothing what-so-ever to do with this story.
There are several other mentions of something happening in the previous book, that don't need to be mentioned, because nothing about the previous incident is explained in the slightest, nor does it have any relevance to the story at hand.
Again, in my mind these mentions should be dropped as they have nothing to do with this story. This kind of thing is the reason it takes over 100 pages for something to start happening in the book.
All of that being said, I still enjoy reading this series. Ms. Hill's prose is very good she does a nice job of developing the characters in the story, even the minor ones. I am sure I will read her next book.
I will say here that Simon did not come on the scene until about 100 pages in, and the first 100 pages were not that exciting.
Part of the reason for this comes from Ms. Hill's series writing style. There is always reference to persons and incidents from previous books in the series. This is not a bad thing if they are going to have even a minor roll in the book you are reading, but they don't.
If you did not read previous books in the series, you would have no idea what she is refering to. For instance, in this book, there is a letter from Jane to Cat and another time Simon has a thought of Jane and then immediately dismisses the thought. Jane is not a part of this story so why make casual, yet ambigous, reference to her.
I know about Jane because I read the book with her as one of the main characters. But what if you did not read the previous book? This book has no reason to mention Jane, she is not on the scene and has nothing what-so-ever to do with this story.
There are several other mentions of something happening in the previous book, that don't need to be mentioned, because nothing about the previous incident is explained in the slightest, nor does it have any relevance to the story at hand.
Again, in my mind these mentions should be dropped as they have nothing to do with this story. This kind of thing is the reason it takes over 100 pages for something to start happening in the book.
All of that being said, I still enjoy reading this series. Ms. Hill's prose is very good she does a nice job of developing the characters in the story, even the minor ones. I am sure I will read her next book.
February 27, 2013
I enjoyed this thoroughly. To me, this series is not so much Simon Serrailler mysteries as it is about his physician sister Dr. Cat Deerbon with him popping in here and there. Cat is the real centerpiece here and we find her a year after her husband Chris died of a brain tumor still hurting as she contends with three kids and a career as a doctor. Her new stepmother Judith helps by caring for the kids while she works and goes about activities and her rather cold and distant retired doctor dad Richard is actually getting to enjoy family life with Cat's 3. He had been too busy working when triplets Ivo, Simon, and Cat and their handicapped sister Martha (killed by their mother who then died herself) were young.
Young prostitutes are being murdered in this story. We see a closeup of what it is like to be a low paid hooker raising two kids in Abi's story and also a close up of mental illness in the story of the new Dean of the Cathedral Stephen Webber and his mentally ill wife Ruth. Nothing is in black and white- it is shades of gray all the way- and we come to a deeper understanding of the plight of both.
Simon finally deals with his feelings that Judith was trying to replace his mother and Cat makes an important career decision. There is concern about Cat's son Sam who has not only taken his dad's death hard but must deal with a new school and some serious bullying. There is also contention over the Cathedral when the new dean wants to update prayer books and music to draw in younger people and the congregation-including Cat- act a little pompous about the superiority of the stuff that keeps the younger people from coming.
This was a good one in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Young prostitutes are being murdered in this story. We see a closeup of what it is like to be a low paid hooker raising two kids in Abi's story and also a close up of mental illness in the story of the new Dean of the Cathedral Stephen Webber and his mentally ill wife Ruth. Nothing is in black and white- it is shades of gray all the way- and we come to a deeper understanding of the plight of both.
Simon finally deals with his feelings that Judith was trying to replace his mother and Cat makes an important career decision. There is concern about Cat's son Sam who has not only taken his dad's death hard but must deal with a new school and some serious bullying. There is also contention over the Cathedral when the new dean wants to update prayer books and music to draw in younger people and the congregation-including Cat- act a little pompous about the superiority of the stuff that keeps the younger people from coming.
This was a good one in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
November 29, 2011
Yet again, another great read from Susan Hill. This is one of my favourite series about the Serrailler family and the cases Simon Serrailler is involved with, in his capacity as a DCS in the Lafferton police force. As always, this is much more than a crime story, the series continues with Simons sister, Cat and her family, his father Richard who has remarried Judith and the various characters who come into play in the story. Here, Simon is away on extended leave in Scotland and is called back to investigate the murder of a young prostitute. The case is frustrating, as there are no leads and the press are baying for blood and when a second girl is found murdered and a third goes missing, the pressure is really on. Cats story is as ever one I love to follow, there is much upheaval in her life and it is now changing and turning in new directions. Judith is now a great source of comfort to her and they are extremely close, and Cat is disappointed that Simon has not taken to her as she has. There is also changes in the Cathedral when a new Dean and his wife is ruffling more than a few feathers. I was delighted to see the latest instalement in the library and I have ordered it, so I can continue to visit with these characters and see where their lives are going. I hope she keeps writing this series for sometime to come.
February 6, 2015
Well you might be forgiven for assuming I really enjoyed this book as I devoured it in one sitting. In a way I did as usual it is set in the cathedral city of Lafferton which I imagine to be akin to Exeter. All the familliar characters from the first four novels return apart from those who have died usually in dramatic circumstances in the course of the series. As ever with Hill the writing is crafted and the conjuring of settings excellent. The plot however which involves the murder of sex workers or Toms as they are referred to is sketchy to say the least and can there really be another serial killer in Lafferton? I guessed the identity of the killer well before Serrailler and found myself enjoying the gossipy, parochial scenes in the novel more than the main plot line. The denouement was clumsy and entiely predictable.
July 27, 2016
Another excellent audio book read by Steven Pacey!
Susan Hill does her usual skillful writing, describing the controversies in a church when a new pastor wants to change the beloved aspects of church life, two groups from the church try to help prostitutes without really knowing what to do, the personalities of the prostitutes and their hopes and family life and struggles all are on the stage before the first murder is committed and well before Inspector Simon Serrailler is summoned back to Lafferton.
As always in a good murder mystery, there are twists near the end and the saga of Serrailer's family continues.
Susan Hill does her usual skillful writing, describing the controversies in a church when a new pastor wants to change the beloved aspects of church life, two groups from the church try to help prostitutes without really knowing what to do, the personalities of the prostitutes and their hopes and family life and struggles all are on the stage before the first murder is committed and well before Inspector Simon Serrailler is summoned back to Lafferton.
As always in a good murder mystery, there are twists near the end and the saga of Serrailer's family continues.
February 11, 2023
Although it was a good idea for a murder mystery, too much of the book followed the lives of the characters. Usually I like to read about the characters, but not when it takes over the majority of the book.
Even so, I will continue to read this series!
Even so, I will continue to read this series!
April 21, 2013
Susan Hill is at the top of my list. Regrets? That I don't have the next installment in hand.
April 6, 2016
I'm not sure that the quote on the cover - "brilliantly compelling - is entirely accurate but a pleasant read. Some good characterization of minor characters.
March 22, 2023
I would have a beaming smile at guessing who the killer was, but it was poorly concealed, to be honest. I enjoyed the story but again felt a little deflated at how Susan chose to wrap things up.
Still, it's a series worth continuing with.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Still, it's a series worth continuing with.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 31, 2023
Comfortable - guessed the ending though so marked down slightly for that.
Will read more of the series, love the characters too much not to.
Will read more of the series, love the characters too much not to.
April 22, 2025
After 5 mediocre, weirdly paced novels that are more boring than intriguing, I'm giving up on Simon Serrailler. I'm officially in a book slump.
In case you're wondering, this one was about somebody killing prostitutes in Lafferton. Who would've thought such a small town would have a bustling sex industry? Or serial killer after serial killer?
In case you're wondering, this one was about somebody killing prostitutes in Lafferton. Who would've thought such a small town would have a bustling sex industry? Or serial killer after serial killer?
August 25, 2023
Not my favorite so far, but I'll keep going.
December 4, 2018
Another good one in the series. I'll definitely read the next. Who in their right mind would want to live in Lafferton? 🤣
January 30, 2018
Ah I think I'm going to need a little break from these, such sad, acute, pictures of people's lives. Plus Sam being sad and silent is wrecking me.
October 5, 2020
Return to form in this series as Serrailler is all but side lined and lots of other characters run the story. Clever twists, brutal murders and nice pacey story- all with DS Stupid watching it pass him by. Poirot he isn't.....more Clouseau.
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