The Various Haunts of Men

A Simon Serrailler Mystery, Book 1

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A woman vanishes in the fog up on "the Hill", an area locally known for its tranquility and peace. The police are not alarmed; people usually disappear for their own reasons. But when a young girl, an old man, and even a dog disappear, no one can deny that something untoward is happening in this quiet town.

Young policewoman Freya Graffham is assigned to the case; she's new to the job, compassionate, inquisitive, and dedicated. She and the enigmatic detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler have the task of unraveling the mystery behind this gruesome sequence of events.

©2004 Susan Hill (P)2011 AudioGo

Very satisfying

A mystery, but emotionally involving. Reader was excellent. Susan Hill has a good series going with these characters and plots.

Enjoyed it but....

Good mystery with detailed character development. Disappointing wrap up.

Spoiler alert - couldn't believe after bringing us along and involving us with the main character, she was killed! It wasn't about Simon! So why call it a Simon mystery. It was about Frayer (sp?).

Not what I expected...

I loved the way the author introduced characters, like many different stories coming together to make one. Her storytelling is rich and easy to listen to, or maybe that was the reader. Steven Pacey was wonderful, and although I was no fan of the ending, I loved the book because of his reading. Strange that this book is called "A Simon Serrailler Mystery", since his character was only really focused on through other characters. With a better (and happier) ending, this book would have been one of my favorites. Now I'm just trying to decide if I should continue the series.

Little too dark and creepy

This series was recommended to me because I love books by Elizabeth George and PD James. I will definitely read more. She develops characters well, and isn't afraid to take the story in surprising directions. However, I just didn't like the chapters written by the serial killer. They were a little too dark and creepy for me.

Ok. Good book, not as developed psychologically as I would have liked.

This is a decent mystery, but It’s not that much of a mystery. It’s well written and the characters are developed to a normal, modern novel degree, but not enough psychological depth for me.
Interestingly, in the last little bit of the novel, the main character’s mother finally gets in touch with some material that she’s been avoiding. For that reason alone, I might read the next installment.

Oh My, I'm Shocked

Well written, great character development. I'm am so shocked and sad about the ending. I feel like I've lost my best friend.

Page Turner

I was quick engrossed in this novel. At first the large number of characters had me a little confused, but as each they became interesting in their own roles it came together. The storyline moved quickly and had me listening almost non-stop for 2 days. 👍👍

Good but difficult

Narration excellent. Ending difficult to read..not the way you wanted it to.
Character not story most important.

Serrailler, Who Is Mysteriously Absent/Vague...

Poor title...the main character was NOT Simon Serrailler, but I suppose the author needs him to figure largely in the books later on in the series, so this was her way of introducing him (He isn't developed well and what you do find out doesn't make him terribly interesting or likeable).

While I like realism in my stories, I don't like for a book to be categorized as a "mystery" that's part of a "series" when it does not function in the same way that most books of the genre do (in other words, the series main character is NOT the main character, so you develop a relationship with the wrong character). It's at the very least, confusing to the reader - and at the worst, quite distressing. Many threads left undone, and one major, MAJOR problem with the outcome. Like a big kick in the gut! That's all I can say without writing a spoiler.

This is terribly unfortunate, because the writing is INCREDIBLY GOOD. I'm tempted to keep going with the series because the writing is so wonderful, but the heartache of the issues in this book makes me hesitate.

I gave the story three stars because there are issues with the plot that I personally don't like...but that doesn't mean they aren't written well or believeable.

I'd love to hear from other readers who went on to read more in this series after suffering through the issues in this book.

Haunting Indeed

I'm pleased to find this series. Unusual, yes, unexpected, yes. But, from what's in "The Various Haunts of Men," it seems to me that Susan Hill can take her place among the elite of mystery writers. There's nothing cozy or formula about this story, but it's thoughtful, serious about human nature, and it feels true. I was truly hooked and moved by the characters and the emotion of the story.

Other reviews have mentioned the relatively short amount of time actually devoted to the man who is supposedly the "hero" of this series, Simon Serrailler. Let's just say that this book is enough to keep me moving forward in the series to find out more. And I'm happy to be doing so with this wonderful narrator, Steven Pacey.