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Available
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Series
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Collection
Publication
Audible Studios (2007), Unabridged MP3; 11h21
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: We met Simon Serrailler first in The Various Haunts of Men and got to know him better in The Pure in Heart. Susan Hill's third crime novel, The Risk of Darkness-perhaps even more compulsive and convincing than its predecessors-explores the crazy grief of a widowed husband, whose derangement turns into obsession and threats, violence and terror. Meanwhile, handsome, introverted Simon Serrailler, whose cool reserve has broken the hearts of several women, finds his own heart troubled by the newest recruit to the Cathedral staff: a feisty female Anglican priest with red hair. The Risk of Darkness is truly the work of a writer at the top of her form..
Media reviews
Blighted souls and the bleak lives they lead overwhelm the plot of Hill's diffuse and meandering third thriller to feature Chief Insp. Simon Serrailler.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Jenners26
The Risk of Darkness is the third book of the “Simon Serrailler mystery series” (though, honestly, I think it could just as easily be the “Lafferton mystery series” as Simon often seems like a minor player in his own books). This is, to be honest, one of the oddest mystery series I’ve
As always, we get involved in the happenings of Simon’s family, particularly his sister Cat. (And let me tell you, Susan Hill isn’t afraid to knock off her own characters. No one is safe!) We also see Simon having strong feelings for a woman (sadly, not the oft-used and abused Diana)—whose attraction might be her very unavailability. Finally, a major story thread is the death of a young wife, whose crazed and bereaved husband goes off the rails as a result. As with the previous two books, we flip back and forth between all these plot lines and get into the heads of all the characters (from a murderer to a victim to the murderer’s family and everyone in between).
Part of why I like this series is that I never know where Hill is going to take it. Any one could die at any moment. New story lines are introduced and may or may not be continued in future books. Simon is a bit of a cad who has some major character flaws and often seems like a cipher in his own series. Hill writes fluidly from the points of view of children, men, women, victims, criminals, and the police. She gives minor characters story lines that continue from book to book. You never know who might appear in the next book or what minor plot point might turn out to be critical. It is a unique series (and if you’ve read another like it, please let me know!), and I’m intrigued about where she will take the fourth book, The Vows of Silence. If you’re looking for a well-written, unusual and unpredictable mystery series, this would be worth checking out.
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ever read, which is part of the attraction for me. In the first book, Simon barely made an appearance, and the ending was so shocking that I had to reread it to make sure I read it right. The second book dealt primarily with a child kidnapping case, which was left unresolved. In this third book, the child kidnapping case is picked up again as we find out “whodunit” (the answer isn’t one you could have figured out, but the “who” is particularly interesting).As always, we get involved in the happenings of Simon’s family, particularly his sister Cat. (And let me tell you, Susan Hill isn’t afraid to knock off her own characters. No one is safe!) We also see Simon having strong feelings for a woman (sadly, not the oft-used and abused Diana)—whose attraction might be her very unavailability. Finally, a major story thread is the death of a young wife, whose crazed and bereaved husband goes off the rails as a result. As with the previous two books, we flip back and forth between all these plot lines and get into the heads of all the characters (from a murderer to a victim to the murderer’s family and everyone in between).
Part of why I like this series is that I never know where Hill is going to take it. Any one could die at any moment. New story lines are introduced and may or may not be continued in future books. Simon is a bit of a cad who has some major character flaws and often seems like a cipher in his own series. Hill writes fluidly from the points of view of children, men, women, victims, criminals, and the police. She gives minor characters story lines that continue from book to book. You never know who might appear in the next book or what minor plot point might turn out to be critical. It is a unique series (and if you’ve read another like it, please let me know!), and I’m intrigued about where she will take the fourth book, The Vows of Silence. If you’re looking for a well-written, unusual and unpredictable mystery series, this would be worth checking out.
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LibraryThing member majkia
I love, love, love the Simon Serailler series by Susan Hill. This is the third of the series. I’m not sure why I love it so much, but I expect it is because she creates such fully rounded characters, with lives far beyond the mysteries. And her detective is fascinating, maddening, and appealing
Moral questions and assumptions we make about victims and perps are often turned on end.
I’m going to jump into book 4 tomorrow. I can’t wait!
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to me. And his family is just as complex as he is.Moral questions and assumptions we make about victims and perps are often turned on end.
I’m going to jump into book 4 tomorrow. I can’t wait!
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LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: Every violent act has many victims.
Extended review:
That six-word review is really not a review so much as a statement of a major theme of the book. Not only is this third Simon Serrailler novel packed with violent acts, and especially violent criminal acts, but it is also an
This is a powerful message.
In delivering that message through a gripping narrative, the book certainly succeeds. It held my attention through a very fast read of 374 pages.
Nevertheless, I came away dissatisfied yet again--even more so, perhaps, than at the end of the second book of the series.
This book reveals what should have been disclosed in the conclusion of The Pure in Heart, but wasn't: namely, who committed the abductions and murders of the missing children. However, we are left to wonder what the perpetrator actually did, and even more important, why. It took a whole third novel to close the case that occupied the attention of the (nominal) main character, Simon Serailler, throughout the second, and we are still left with major unanswered questions.
Perhaps the problem here lies in expectations. Beneath the title are the words "A Simon Serailler Mystery." To employ the label "mystery" is to invoke the conventions of a genre, and foremost among the traditional conventions of this genre is that the mystery be explained and the questions answered by the end. It would be fair to call these stories "crime novels," for they are certainly about crime, its effects, and the process of solving crimes, but they are not really mysteries in the usual way.
The principal character, Simon Serailler, doesn't even do any detecting or crime solving. Curiously, he seems to simply stand at the hub of a wheel while other characters, good, bad, and in between, spin around him.
An odd aspect of all three books in this series so far is that we are routinely shown the sensations, thoughts, and actions of numerous point-of-view characters but that there is an opacity in all of them. Secrets are alluded to but not exposed. We are told that the character remembers something, but not what it is that the character remembers. A troubling recollection, a persistent doubt, a disturbing association--these things frequently stay hidden. An inner narrative can't be called a character study if the key to a character's behavior remains oblique. Puzzles remain puzzles.
And that insight into what makes characters what they are, revealing why they do what they do, is to me one of the main pleasures in reading fiction. By withholding those revelations, the author is, in my opinion, denying me the payoff I expect in return for giving my attention to her story.
I picked up this book in haste when I made a quick stop by the library en route to an appointment where I knew I'd have some waiting time. I spotted it on the shelf and thought it would be better than a complete unknown. And it probably was. The narrative delivery, style, pacing, and all those other qualities are satisfactory. It is only that yet again it raises questions and then, frustratingly, obscures the answers. Yes, life is like that. But a mystery novel isn't supposed to be.
Extended review:
That six-word review is really not a review so much as a statement of a major theme of the book. Not only is this third Simon Serrailler novel packed with violent acts, and especially violent criminal acts, but it is also an
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inventory of collateral damage. Even people at several removes from the perpetrators and their direct victims are seen to be harmed as a result of the antisocial acts of a few.This is a powerful message.
In delivering that message through a gripping narrative, the book certainly succeeds. It held my attention through a very fast read of 374 pages.
Nevertheless, I came away dissatisfied yet again--even more so, perhaps, than at the end of the second book of the series.
This book reveals what should have been disclosed in the conclusion of The Pure in Heart, but wasn't: namely, who committed the abductions and murders of the missing children. However, we are left to wonder what the perpetrator actually did, and even more important, why. It took a whole third novel to close the case that occupied the attention of the (nominal) main character, Simon Serailler, throughout the second, and we are still left with major unanswered questions.
Perhaps the problem here lies in expectations. Beneath the title are the words "A Simon Serailler Mystery." To employ the label "mystery" is to invoke the conventions of a genre, and foremost among the traditional conventions of this genre is that the mystery be explained and the questions answered by the end. It would be fair to call these stories "crime novels," for they are certainly about crime, its effects, and the process of solving crimes, but they are not really mysteries in the usual way.
The principal character, Simon Serailler, doesn't even do any detecting or crime solving. Curiously, he seems to simply stand at the hub of a wheel while other characters, good, bad, and in between, spin around him.
An odd aspect of all three books in this series so far is that we are routinely shown the sensations, thoughts, and actions of numerous point-of-view characters but that there is an opacity in all of them. Secrets are alluded to but not exposed. We are told that the character remembers something, but not what it is that the character remembers. A troubling recollection, a persistent doubt, a disturbing association--these things frequently stay hidden. An inner narrative can't be called a character study if the key to a character's behavior remains oblique. Puzzles remain puzzles.
And that insight into what makes characters what they are, revealing why they do what they do, is to me one of the main pleasures in reading fiction. By withholding those revelations, the author is, in my opinion, denying me the payoff I expect in return for giving my attention to her story.
I picked up this book in haste when I made a quick stop by the library en route to an appointment where I knew I'd have some waiting time. I spotted it on the shelf and thought it would be better than a complete unknown. And it probably was. The narrative delivery, style, pacing, and all those other qualities are satisfactory. It is only that yet again it raises questions and then, frustratingly, obscures the answers. Yes, life is like that. But a mystery novel isn't supposed to be.
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LibraryThing member drneutron
Susan Hill has created a wonderful thing in Lafferton, an imaginary English cathedral town. She's populated it with real people and painted a dead-on picture of life there. The Risk of Darkness is her third book set in Lafferton, and is more than just the next episode in the Simon Serrailler
I highly recommend The Risk of Darkness, but for best results, start from the beginning and read all three!
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series. Instead, the three books are really one story flowing from one into the other without seams. And the story isn't really about Simon. It's really about the whole Serrailler family and their extended circle of friends and associates. It's also about life and how things can change in a heartbeat - whether in relationships, life and death, or sudden violence. I highly recommend The Risk of Darkness, but for best results, start from the beginning and read all three!
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LibraryThing member ccayne
Love this series. Complex characters, moral questions, well developed,relationships among the character s combined with a strong element of mystery make this a winning series
LibraryThing member JaneSteen
Where I got the book: audiobook on Audible.
I’ve been ripping through these audiobooks, since they’re short (well, they are compared to my last two years of listening comprised of the Outlander and Game of Thrones series), read very nicely and each one picks up where the last one left off. This
This novel’s main problem is its multiple plot lines, which are interesting but lend an air of messiness that no doubt reflects real life but won’t provide a satisfying read for crime fans used to having stories tied up a little more neatly. I found Hill to be less than completely convincing with the story of the man driven bonkers by bereavement and by the insertion of the priest with the atheist mother, although I’m sure I wasn’t the only reader who was on tenterhooks wondering if this was a Love Interest (the priest is female) and how, if it was, Hill was possibly going to make it work with the decidedly secular Simon.
Where I found the novel most compelling was in the story of the young single mother and her daughter, who are profoundly affected by the resolution of the child murder case. I’m not sure what it says about a novel’s main story when what I liked most about it was a fairly minor subplot, although I did find the clifftop scene memorable and wish Hill could write more such unlikely adventures for Simon. Realism be damned.
I’ve been ripping through these audiobooks, since they’re short (well, they are compared to my last two years of listening comprised of the Outlander and Game of Thrones series), read very nicely and each one picks up where the last one left off. This
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makes them a very easy listen. I’d read The Risk of Darkness on its own a few years ago, and concluded at the time that Death was the central character, but I’d say that’s probably true of all of Hill’s books. Perhaps what I meant was that the novel doesn’t really have a central character, not even Simon Serrailler whose professional adventures and angst-filled private life are constantly interrupted by the subplots shouting for attention.This novel’s main problem is its multiple plot lines, which are interesting but lend an air of messiness that no doubt reflects real life but won’t provide a satisfying read for crime fans used to having stories tied up a little more neatly. I found Hill to be less than completely convincing with the story of the man driven bonkers by bereavement and by the insertion of the priest with the atheist mother, although I’m sure I wasn’t the only reader who was on tenterhooks wondering if this was a Love Interest (the priest is female) and how, if it was, Hill was possibly going to make it work with the decidedly secular Simon.
Where I found the novel most compelling was in the story of the young single mother and her daughter, who are profoundly affected by the resolution of the child murder case. I’m not sure what it says about a novel’s main story when what I liked most about it was a fairly minor subplot, although I did find the clifftop scene memorable and wish Hill could write more such unlikely adventures for Simon. Realism be damned.
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LibraryThing member bjmitch
Uh-oh, I'm involved in another series! The Risk of Darkness is a Simon Serrailler mystery and I do believe I'm in love. Not really, but Serrailler is a wonderfully conflicted British detective with a good heart. He is a triplet whose sister lives nearby in Lafferton, and brother lives in Australia
The case that involves both Simon and Cat is the disappearance of several small children. This is heartwrenching of course for everyone in the area and for Simon. Another plot line centers around a woman who dies of mad cow disease due to eating tainted meat, and her husband who is driven mad by her loss. He thinks he sees her everywhere and at one point holds a woman hostage.
The villain in the case of the children is an intense character and I never quite "got" why this person did it despite knowing of an unhappy childhood. That's part of why I liked the book though. I like having to puzzle out the why's of actions like this. Relationships between family members and coworkers are a large part of this story. Not one character is a cliche; everyone is as unique as people really are.
Susan Hill obtained star billing on my authors-to-look-for list when I read her The Woman in Black last fall. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a mystery with depth.
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and has little to do with the family. Simon is close to his mother but his father is rather too aloof for the triplets to feel much for him. Sister Cat is a doctor with a generous soul which often causes problems with her husband (also a doctor but burned-out), who is left to take care of their children. Handsome Simon is single and Cat thinks he has treated women badly. She's too right.The case that involves both Simon and Cat is the disappearance of several small children. This is heartwrenching of course for everyone in the area and for Simon. Another plot line centers around a woman who dies of mad cow disease due to eating tainted meat, and her husband who is driven mad by her loss. He thinks he sees her everywhere and at one point holds a woman hostage.
The villain in the case of the children is an intense character and I never quite "got" why this person did it despite knowing of an unhappy childhood. That's part of why I liked the book though. I like having to puzzle out the why's of actions like this. Relationships between family members and coworkers are a large part of this story. Not one character is a cliche; everyone is as unique as people really are.
Susan Hill obtained star billing on my authors-to-look-for list when I read her The Woman in Black last fall. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a mystery with depth.
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LibraryThing member saratoga99
It is very unusual to read a mystery and know who the villian is in 65 pages .What a psychoneurotic creature this villian appears to be. This is Susan Hill's third Simon Serrailler mystery, and it was a labyrinth from start to finish. As children continue to disappear, Simon and his colleagues are
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yet to find substantial leads. By accident, they do. Moving in another direction, we meet a totally distraught husband whose young wife succombs to Mad Cow Disease. In this part of the maze, we meet Cat, a physician, as well as Simon's sister. Pushing forward, we also meet an Anglican priest, Jane Fitzroy. As Max Jameson's grief exacerbates to insanity, his path crosses Jane Fitzroy's, in a most violent and traumatic way. Most of the characters continue from Susan Hill's first two books in this series.Susan Hill does not write in a straight line, and the complexity and psychological aspects of her characters add depth to the plots and to the characters. I must catch up and read THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN and THE PURE IN HEART. At the end of this book, I felt both satisfied and anxious for the next installment. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cranwoman
Susan Hill writes about everyday life and people in a small town in England. An accused child serial murderer is examined not only through her own thoughts, but from her neighbor, her mother and the detective who caught her. Meanwhile a distraught widower attempts to deal with his loss, not very
I enjoyed the many characters and was able to get to know them each enough to want to read other books in this series.
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successfully.I enjoyed the many characters and was able to get to know them each enough to want to read other books in this series.
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LibraryThing member sprocto
This is a well written, intelligent book that captured my interest right away and held it through the end. It is a slice of life in a small English town with a terrible crime at the center. How that crime and other events send ripples out through the community of the town and the inhabitants is
I am glad Susan Hill has written more books because I intend to read them all! Thanks for sending this one along LibraryThing!!
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fully explored. The character development is wonderful without being tedious. But as in life, the reader doesn't get all the answers. There is much left to think about.I am glad Susan Hill has written more books because I intend to read them all! Thanks for sending this one along LibraryThing!!
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LibraryThing member ansate
Despite being billed as a "Simon Serrailler Mystery", this is neither a mystery, nor centered on Simon. It is more like a television drama centered around the Serrailler family, which we have been dropped into midseason, and fade out again midway through the next season. It is a well written drama,
If you are looking for a mystery - the problem set out, the murderer found through the hard work and luck of the police - look away.
Despite the surprise genre, it is a perfectly good novel of heartbreak and relationships. I just can't help feeling that it would be a better one if it didn't pretend to be about Simon.
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with some charming and well-drawn characters. Sadly, Simon is not one of these. If you are looking for a mystery - the problem set out, the murderer found through the hard work and luck of the police - look away.
Despite the surprise genre, it is a perfectly good novel of heartbreak and relationships. I just can't help feeling that it would be a better one if it didn't pretend to be about Simon.
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LibraryThing member icolford
Riveting character based crime novel, third in the Simon Serrailler trilogy (after The Various Haunts of Men and The Pure in Heart). The story revolves around the disappearance of a child, and questions arise and linger regarding a possible connection with an earlier case. Susan Hill excels at
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multi-dimensional characterization, and the brooding Simon Serrailler is perhaps one of the most compelling protagonists in the long tradition of British crime fiction. This novel is a treat for fans of crime fiction and will appeal to readers of literary fiction as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member ehines
Hill really is a fine writer, and this series really hits its stride here.
LibraryThing member LizzieD
The Risk of Darkness is book three in the series of mysteries that Susan Hill has written about her British DCI Simon Serrailler. Book two, The Pure in Heart, ended with a serial kidnapper/murderer still at large. Eight months have passed, and police are no closer to finding the criminal. A
Hill has claimed a high place in my personal pantheon of mystery writers by virtue of her effective writing and character development. Simon himself is an enigma, hardly better understood now than in the first book of the series, The Various Haunts of Men , where he had very little part in the action. Although his family love him and his associates value and respect him, he is hardly a likable person. In his relationships with women he can be perfectly charming and perfectly self-centered, apparently unaware that he is anything less than sensitive and kind. He is neither. Either his own needs are so urgent that he can’t see beyond them, or perhaps he lives in his head so much that he has never learned to take somebody else’s reality into account. In this book he begins to learn a little. I expect to like the protagonist of most mysteries. I can’t tell whether the author wants me to like Simon or whether she doesn’t care one way or the other. Her other characters are well-rounded characters whose complexities are susceptible to analysis. *MILD SPOILER* As in the first book of the series, Ms. Hill does not mind doing away with a core character whom she had developed carefully. *END SPOILER*
Most mystery/thrillers in my experience give the reader a horrific look into the childhood of a serial killer. Ms. Hill does not follow this line. We hear the accused killer’s thoughts; we come to know the killer’s mother and her second husband as they deal with the sudden arrest of her child; but we never understand. I think that this is an interesting approach. This book does end with closure of a sort, but I hope that another in the series is forthcoming.
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possible break in the case takes Simon to another town, and within 100 pages, an arrest has been made. The rest of the book details the quest for evidence, the reactions of those close to the person arrested, and various developments in the lives of Simon and his own family.Hill has claimed a high place in my personal pantheon of mystery writers by virtue of her effective writing and character development. Simon himself is an enigma, hardly better understood now than in the first book of the series, The Various Haunts of Men , where he had very little part in the action. Although his family love him and his associates value and respect him, he is hardly a likable person. In his relationships with women he can be perfectly charming and perfectly self-centered, apparently unaware that he is anything less than sensitive and kind. He is neither. Either his own needs are so urgent that he can’t see beyond them, or perhaps he lives in his head so much that he has never learned to take somebody else’s reality into account. In this book he begins to learn a little. I expect to like the protagonist of most mysteries. I can’t tell whether the author wants me to like Simon or whether she doesn’t care one way or the other. Her other characters are well-rounded characters whose complexities are susceptible to analysis. *MILD SPOILER* As in the first book of the series, Ms. Hill does not mind doing away with a core character whom she had developed carefully. *END SPOILER*
Most mystery/thrillers in my experience give the reader a horrific look into the childhood of a serial killer. Ms. Hill does not follow this line. We hear the accused killer’s thoughts; we come to know the killer’s mother and her second husband as they deal with the sudden arrest of her child; but we never understand. I think that this is an interesting approach. This book does end with closure of a sort, but I hope that another in the series is forthcoming.
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LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
The main character in The Risk of Darkness is Simon Serrailler, a British police detective who is also an artist. He has a quirky family & interpersonal troubles & is likely to remind you of PD James' Adam Dalgleish. This is the third book in the series. I thought I hadn't read any of these, but
This is a slow, almost meditative book that I hesitate to call a mystery because, while there is crime in the book, the book itself isn't really about solving a crime or capturing a criminal or even understanding a criminal. Instead, this is book that weaves together the threads of stories that happen in the aftermath of a crime. It's as if Hill dropped a rock into a pond & rather than talking about the rock or the pond, she decided to talk about the ripples & the things they touch.
This is well-written & contemplative. If you're looking for a fast-paced thrill ride, this is not your book. Read this to peer all around the edges of a crime & to see its impact on many different lives.
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realized as I was reading that I recognized Simon & found that I had read the first one, The Various Haunts of Men.This is a slow, almost meditative book that I hesitate to call a mystery because, while there is crime in the book, the book itself isn't really about solving a crime or capturing a criminal or even understanding a criminal. Instead, this is book that weaves together the threads of stories that happen in the aftermath of a crime. It's as if Hill dropped a rock into a pond & rather than talking about the rock or the pond, she decided to talk about the ripples & the things they touch.
This is well-written & contemplative. If you're looking for a fast-paced thrill ride, this is not your book. Read this to peer all around the edges of a crime & to see its impact on many different lives.
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LibraryThing member Readanon
Great read! Susan Hill brings her characters to life, teasing information out little by little about them so that they become more and more real as the book progresses. With a main story line and several smaller story lines, all connected in various ways, this book keeps one's attention and leaves
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one wanting more. Not having read the first two books in the series, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to follow as easily, but the story can stand on its own. I did, however, immediately upon completion of reading this, order the first two books and well as two of Ms. Hill's ghost stories. Definitely an author to keep up with in future. Show Less
LibraryThing member dorisannn
This is a most welcome addition to the SImon Serralier crime novels. If you like P.D. James and
Elizabeth George, you will be entranced by Simon as well as his family. The RISK OF DARKNESS finds Simon drawn to a young Anglican priest who is stalked by a grieving widower. Simon, through little
Elizabeth George, you will be entranced by Simon as well as his family. The RISK OF DARKNESS finds Simon drawn to a young Anglican priest who is stalked by a grieving widower. Simon, through little
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effort, finds women drawn to him without any effort on his part. This may be different. For full enjoyment, I would suggest that you read THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN and THE PURE IN HEART before starting THE RISK OF DARKNESS. A remakable book by a truly gifted novelist. Show Less
LibraryThing member bhowell
I haven't read anything by Susan Hill since the wonderful 'Woman in Black 'which was adapted for the stage and has been a very popular play. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Risk of Darkness" , a crime novel which is the 3rd book in the Simon Serrailler series. I am now anxious to read "The Various Haunts
warning, Possible Spoiler:
My only disappointment with the book was that we really don't learn very much about motivation. Why was the killer compelled to murder children? Certainly we are given facts but I was expecting some sort of pyschological resolution or dramatic childhood events which delivered an explanation. We are left to speculate and that may have been intentional.
Still a great read.
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of Men and 'The Pure in Heart'. warning, Possible Spoiler:
My only disappointment with the book was that we really don't learn very much about motivation. Why was the killer compelled to murder children? Certainly we are given facts but I was expecting some sort of pyschological resolution or dramatic childhood events which delivered an explanation. We are left to speculate and that may have been intentional.
Still a great read.
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LibraryThing member Jax450
I have not read the previous Simon Serrailer novels and while this book stands well on its own I did feel that I was missing some background information that would have added to the experience of this story. The reason for this is that Susan Hill takes good care to make the story of her character's
To call this a Crime Novel is more accurate than calling this a mystery. By revealing a key plot point early in the novel, Hill removes much of the mystery. She falls a bit short on keeping the interest as high in the last parts of the novel but the character development is strong and believable.
It will be interesting to see where Susan Hill takes this series. With a little more mystery and the same attention to characters, it should prove to be a fun ride.
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lives a large part of the novel. This makes for an enjoyable read and even though a reader is keeping track of a large number of characters, Hill takes time to flush them out so that no one seems too superfluous.To call this a Crime Novel is more accurate than calling this a mystery. By revealing a key plot point early in the novel, Hill removes much of the mystery. She falls a bit short on keeping the interest as high in the last parts of the novel but the character development is strong and believable.
It will be interesting to see where Susan Hill takes this series. With a little more mystery and the same attention to characters, it should prove to be a fun ride.
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LibraryThing member OneMorePage
In the small town of Laffteron, England, a crime has been committed, a child abucted. DCI Simon Serrailler has been investigating, but has not been able to make progress. A similar abduction occurs in a neighboring town, and Simon is called to consult. Before long, the perpetrator is caught, the
Meanwhile, his sister, Cat, one of the town doctors, is called to the deathbed of Liz, a young woman tragically gone insane and dying from Mad Cow Disease. Liz's husband, Max, goes insane throughout the course of the story, committing desperate acts in his grief over the loss of Liz.
Other characters intertwine throughout the story, creatng a deft picture of the continung life of Simon and his family. A comfortable, fast series read from a talented author.
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second abducted child found alive. The problem Simon faces is in linking the perpetrator to the earlier abduction without a body, without evidence, and without a confession.Meanwhile, his sister, Cat, one of the town doctors, is called to the deathbed of Liz, a young woman tragically gone insane and dying from Mad Cow Disease. Liz's husband, Max, goes insane throughout the course of the story, committing desperate acts in his grief over the loss of Liz.
Other characters intertwine throughout the story, creatng a deft picture of the continung life of Simon and his family. A comfortable, fast series read from a talented author.
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LibraryThing member MissMermaid118
Susan Hill's THE RISK OF DARKNESS is the third book in her series featuring Chief Inspector Simon Serreiller. This is an intelligent, provocative, and well-written novel. I just didn't like it. I read it because I received an advanced reader's copy through Library Thing's Early Reviewer Program. I
Perhaps if I had not initially approached the book as a detective novel, I would have enjoyed it more, but the profusion of dead bodies added to my misconception. Aside from an unnamed number of children, there are several other deaths from both violent and natural causes. It seems to me that the novel is more of an examination of the ripple-like effects of death on those left behind. Simon, still grieving deaths which occurred in the first two novels of the series, not only attempts to support friends and family members suffering sudden losses but also endures yet another major loss of his own. I don't believe there is a single character in the novel who is not touched by death. It is the different ways in which the characters react and cope with these deaths that drive the story. Whether you find these reactions and coping mechanisms realistic and sympathetic will determine how much this novel appeals to you. As a psychological exploration of grief, I found it ultimately generalized and superficial. I would have preferred more in-depth focus on less characters. I also found the depiction of Max Jameson, a grieving husband who descends into insanity, to be distractingly over the top.
THE RISK OF DARKNESS is definitely not a stand alone novel. I'm sure my enjoyment of the story was compromised by not having read the second book in the series, THE PURE IN HEART. It might surprise you to learn that I have every intention of "backtracking" and reading that one as well as the next volume when it is released in the U.S. Why? Well, this may not be a conventional detective series, but it is not without some elements of mystery. For instance, what is the significance of Simon being one of a set of triplets? It's mentioned frequently enough that obviously it's a fact meant to be noticed. Simon's family members are important secondary characters, and we learn a lot about them, but why should he be one of a triplet? Has this distinction shaped his development in some way? It seems counter to him being so emotionally isolated. Also, what is the point of Simon so often being mistaken as gay? Male, female, straight, not, in both novels I've read, one character or another repeatedly assumes him to be gay. Coming across as gay is more complicated than just being good-looking, impecably dressed, and emotionally distant with women. As I read I kept asking myself, What is the point? THE RISK OF DARKNESS is less a "who-dunnit?" than a "why-is-it?"
That I believe there are answers to these questions (and others) is indicative of the respect I have for the author. Susan Hill's first book was published in the early 1960's, and since then she has written numerous novels, non-fiction, children's books, plays, and short stories as well as won multiple awards including the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Prize (1972 for THE BIRD OF NIGHT). This is a woman who puts enormous thought and planning into her writing. I haven't read any of her other works, but several titles are now on my to-be-read list, particularly THE WOMAN IN BLACK. I can't help but think there is some overarching theme to the Simon Serrailler novels that it not yet evident from my spotty reading of the series, and I want to find out what it is. I do so love a mystery!
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had read the first book in the series, THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN, and it never quite clicked with me. At the time, I chalked it up to being distracted by some pretty serious real-life stresses and upheavals and not with any flaws of the book. But as I began THE RISK OF DARKNESS, I was overcome with a feeling of deja vu - I just couldn't get into it properly; I had trouble thinking of Simon Serreiller as the "main" character; interesting things were happening, but the threads seemed too random, and I wasn't connecting the pieces. When the murderer was apprehended within the first third of the book, I finally realized this was no who-dunnit.Perhaps if I had not initially approached the book as a detective novel, I would have enjoyed it more, but the profusion of dead bodies added to my misconception. Aside from an unnamed number of children, there are several other deaths from both violent and natural causes. It seems to me that the novel is more of an examination of the ripple-like effects of death on those left behind. Simon, still grieving deaths which occurred in the first two novels of the series, not only attempts to support friends and family members suffering sudden losses but also endures yet another major loss of his own. I don't believe there is a single character in the novel who is not touched by death. It is the different ways in which the characters react and cope with these deaths that drive the story. Whether you find these reactions and coping mechanisms realistic and sympathetic will determine how much this novel appeals to you. As a psychological exploration of grief, I found it ultimately generalized and superficial. I would have preferred more in-depth focus on less characters. I also found the depiction of Max Jameson, a grieving husband who descends into insanity, to be distractingly over the top.
THE RISK OF DARKNESS is definitely not a stand alone novel. I'm sure my enjoyment of the story was compromised by not having read the second book in the series, THE PURE IN HEART. It might surprise you to learn that I have every intention of "backtracking" and reading that one as well as the next volume when it is released in the U.S. Why? Well, this may not be a conventional detective series, but it is not without some elements of mystery. For instance, what is the significance of Simon being one of a set of triplets? It's mentioned frequently enough that obviously it's a fact meant to be noticed. Simon's family members are important secondary characters, and we learn a lot about them, but why should he be one of a triplet? Has this distinction shaped his development in some way? It seems counter to him being so emotionally isolated. Also, what is the point of Simon so often being mistaken as gay? Male, female, straight, not, in both novels I've read, one character or another repeatedly assumes him to be gay. Coming across as gay is more complicated than just being good-looking, impecably dressed, and emotionally distant with women. As I read I kept asking myself, What is the point? THE RISK OF DARKNESS is less a "who-dunnit?" than a "why-is-it?"
That I believe there are answers to these questions (and others) is indicative of the respect I have for the author. Susan Hill's first book was published in the early 1960's, and since then she has written numerous novels, non-fiction, children's books, plays, and short stories as well as won multiple awards including the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Prize (1972 for THE BIRD OF NIGHT). This is a woman who puts enormous thought and planning into her writing. I haven't read any of her other works, but several titles are now on my to-be-read list, particularly THE WOMAN IN BLACK. I can't help but think there is some overarching theme to the Simon Serrailler novels that it not yet evident from my spotty reading of the series, and I want to find out what it is. I do so love a mystery!
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LibraryThing member Kittybee
This is the third book in a series and I haven't read the first two so there were certain aspects of the book that made it hard to follow. I wouldn't say I "liked" this book, but I thought it was well written and it approached the genre of mystery from a completely different angle than just about
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every mystery I've ever read. I can't say I'll be seeking out other works by the author though. Show Less
LibraryThing member bfolds
While I did enjoy this book, I found it to be less engaging that the others in this series. Simon Serailler is an interesting character but here we were just poking at his edges.....more character development, please....
LibraryThing member JaneSteen
On the face of it, The Risk of Darkness is just another British police procedural, a genre which has its attractions for me when I just need to relax my brain. I landed in the middle of a series, which is always a bit disorienting, but the main characters got sketched in pretty quickly so I wasn't
As I got deeper into this novel, I realized that the main character was, in fact, Death. This is not the usual murder-solved-in-the-third-to-last-chapter formula; without spoiling the plot for you, let me just say that you don't have to wait too long for the big catch of the novel. This particular criminal is just part of a dance of death that weaves through the plot, not all attributable to crime by any means. To those characters lucky enough to survive, death brings change and sometimes renewal.
All this weaving and bobbing makes the novel a little fragmented in places, as you're trying to follow several plot lines at once (this may be improved by reading the series from the beginning!). Once you see the unifying element of death, it's much easier to perceive everything falling into place. With short, punchy chapters, this novel reads briskly and easily, so I'm putting it in both the "beach read" and "good" categories. If you like your crime with a British flavor, check this one out of the library, but if your idea of good reading is P.D. James, you might find it a little lightweight.
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lost for long. There is the usual loner hero; they are generally reserved and private men, whose aura of unattainability and rugged, low-key sexiness has the women round them like flies, and Simon Serailler does not disappoint in that respect. One thing I found strange was that some of the other characters assumed he was gay, and I just couldn't find any explanation of that in this book. Was there something about his personal appearance and manner? All I learned of him was that he has white-blond hair, not generally an indicator of sexual orientation in my experience.As I got deeper into this novel, I realized that the main character was, in fact, Death. This is not the usual murder-solved-in-the-third-to-last-chapter formula; without spoiling the plot for you, let me just say that you don't have to wait too long for the big catch of the novel. This particular criminal is just part of a dance of death that weaves through the plot, not all attributable to crime by any means. To those characters lucky enough to survive, death brings change and sometimes renewal.
All this weaving and bobbing makes the novel a little fragmented in places, as you're trying to follow several plot lines at once (this may be improved by reading the series from the beginning!). Once you see the unifying element of death, it's much easier to perceive everything falling into place. With short, punchy chapters, this novel reads briskly and easily, so I'm putting it in both the "beach read" and "good" categories. If you like your crime with a British flavor, check this one out of the library, but if your idea of good reading is P.D. James, you might find it a little lightweight.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
The third Serrailler mystery, and just as good as the first two. Suspenseful and dark, and Hill continues to more thoroughly develop her characters in this really excellent series.
Awards
Theakstons Old Peculier Prize (Longlist — 2008)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009-03-05
2006