The Pure in Heart

Simon Serrailler 2

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler, first introduced in The Various Haunts of Men, is on a painting holiday in Venice when he is summoned home by a telephone call. He has family problems to face, and the stress and grind of running a busy police station. When a little boy is snatched as he stands with his satchel at the gate of his home, waiting for his lift to school, an ordinary community realises that terror and evil are in their very midst.

©2006 Susan Hill (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

too moralistic

Seriously, Simon Serrailler is supposed to be cad because he is unwilling to tie himself to a woman with whom he had a friends-with-benefits occasional relationship? Who has now come unhinged and is stalking him, his sister and his mother? Who is 45 years old but seemingly has never had her heart broken before, and now is discovering for the very first time that people get dumped -- yes they do, yes we all do -- but to her, it's so very, very unfair! Apparently the reader is meant to sympathize with poor Diana, as does Simon's sister.
The story is slow-paced and enjoyable, if you like slow-paced stories with pretty good character development. You get used to the characters and end up needing more. It's unfortunate however that the author's underlying moral values and insistence on religion should be so irritating.

Better than the first

I'm completely hooked on this series. Has crime, suspense, mystery and family. Love it!

disappointing ending

good narrator, well- written, but don't read if you're hoping for a neatly tied-up ending.

Follows the first book well. Enjoyable!

I'm really enjoying this series. I've binged the first 2 books in barely over 2 days. Book 3 is already downloading!
Great for fans of Joy Ellis's Crime on the Fens series and Nikki Gallespie (?) series.

That's it for me

I hate books without endings. Please don't tell me that what Hill wrote in the last chapter was the ending. This one "ended" not with a bang, not with a whimper but rather petered out. No more Susan Hill for me. Steven Pacey is a good narrator--worth more listening.

Loved book 1, this one not as much

I felt like there wasn’t much substance to this book. You have a crime….Which I’m confused about, The author never really goes into what happened! In the little side crime was just sort of a non-event. Overall just not much happening in this book for me

Disappointing

I typically like British mysteries/thrillers because the plot evolves slowly and logically and the action is suspenseful without car chases and blazing guns. But this was a huge disappointment. The author introduces plot lines and then forgets about them. What happened to the Americans? Why were they introduced? What happens to Diana? And Karen? And Gunten? Did he get the job? Plot resolution is non-existent, and the characters are generally unbelievable. While many characters at first glance appear to be complex, the author manages to make them incredibly unlikeable and flat. Don't waste your credits on this one - try "Gentlemen and Players" instead!

Disappointed

Felt like nothing was resolved. Seems like part of a story. Liked the characters but just seems unfinished.

11 hrs 37 mins and still waiting for a plot

Would you try another book from Susan Hill and/or Steven Pacey?

Loved Hill's "The Various Haunts of Men" Steven Pacey has a pleasant reading voice but sometimes hard to tell when there was a character change. Maybe he was just as bored as I was.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Wilkie Collins

Have you listened to any of Steven Pacey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Ok

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Pure in Heart?

You could cut any scene or character and it wouldn't change the book. Seems to be just unrelated descriptions of people and their lives.

Any additional comments?

I would have ended the book with a serial killer taking out all of the characters. Oh, except for the children. And the labrador.

OMG Get to thePoint!

If you are looking for a detective story SKIP THIS AUTHOR!
The books are flabby with unwanted details and really irritating characters-especially the central one.
I’ve tried three and they don’t get better.

Reader - beware!!!