The Shadows in the Street A Simon Serrailler Mystery

by Hill, Susan

• ISBN13: 9781590204085
• ISBN10: 1590204085
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-09-02
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Summary

Susan Hill¹s Simon Serrailler series has established itself as superior crime fare with four gripping psychological thrillers already in print. Serrailler has just wrapped up a particularly exhausting and difficult case and is on sabbatical on a far-flung Scottish island when he is called back to Lafferton by the Chief Constable. Two local prostitutes have been found strangled. When the wife of the St. Michael¹s Cathedral Dean goes missing and then another respectable woman is taken on her way to work, the townspeople grow angry and afraid. Serrailler is in the greatest danger of his life. REVIEW: Praise for Susan Hill ³As every Trollope reader knows, English cathedral towns can be hotbeds of viciousness and vice. And so it is in Lafferton, where Susan Hill sets her thoughtful mysteries. As if it weren¹t bad enough that flesh traffickers from Eastern Europe have been deploying a small army of underage prostitutes on the edge of town in Shadows in the Street, the unpopular new dean of the cathedral, a Œhappy-clappy¹ Anglican evangelical, and his overbearing wife (Œthe Mrs. Proudie of St. Michael¹s¹) are hell-bent on saving the souls of these ŒMagdalenes,¹ whether they like it or not. Simon Serrailler, the brooding detective hero, doesn¹t appear on the scene until a serial killer begins picking off some of the local working girls who¹ve been displaced by the foreign competition. But his absence allows Hill to direct her elegant prose to other characters, especially Serrailler¹s widowed sister, observed in depth as she struggles to live with her grief.² -- Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review ³It¹s the intelligence of this brooding series that rivets a reader¹s attention.² -- Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post ³Hill knows how to keep those pages turning.² -- Chicago Sun-Times ³This is the fifth of Hill's exceptional series (after The Various Haunts of Men, The Pure in Heart, The Risk of Darkness,and The Vows of Silence). Her characters continue to be intelligent and engaging, and the perfect balance of drama, atmosphere, and suspense holds the reader to the very last page. Highly recommended for fans of thoughtful British mysteries, especially those written by P.D. James, Martha Grimes, and Tana French.² -- Library Journal ³It is really the characters that are so strong in these novels and even the minor characters are brought to life... As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.² -- Canadian Bookworm Blog ³Hill continues to engage us with fresh characters and intriguing story lines.² -- MostlyFiction.com ³Elegant prose² -- New York Times Book Review ³Right from its rain drenched opening lines, Shadows draws the reader into its bleak landscape. Hill is a master at creating atmosphere the autumn chill hovering over the town seeps right into the story, and tightens its hold on the reader as the plot hurtles towards its climaxŠ strong writing, taut pace and finely etched characters² -- BookPleasures.com ³[Susan Hill¹s]ability to get inside the head of a serial killer is next to none. She has a way of making the reader view life from the point of view of someone who is deranged and on the brink of destruction. Her novels are full of characters that have depth and versatility and her plot lines are full of suspense and nail biting action. If you like a good mystery or thriller, this series will be right up your alleyŠSusan Hill has done a remarkable job.² -- Deb¹s Book Bag Blog

Author Biography

Susan Hill is the author of the famous ghost story The Woman in Black. She lives in the UK, where she runs her own small publishing company, Long Barn Books.