The Benefit of Hindsight

Simon Serrailler, Book 10

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

In this, the 10th Simon Serrailler crime novel, Simon must engage with his own demons as Lafferton struggles to cope with a series of crimes that threaten the sanctity of hearth and home.

On the face of it DCS Simon Serrailler has had time to recuperate after the violent incident that cost him his arm and nearly his life. He is back in harness at Lafferton CID but is spending his spare time high up in the cathedral roof, making drawings of some medieval angels which are being restored.

Lafferton is apparently going through a quiet patch, so far as crime is concerned, until one night two local men open their front door to a distressing scene. Simon makes a serious error of judgment when handling the incident. The stress of this, combined with the fact that he refused all offers of counselling after the loss of his arm, takes its toll.

In her new role as a private GP, Simon’s sister Cat’s medical and counselling skills are tested by terrible and unexpected events at the homes of two very different Lafferton women. Their unreliable father, Richard, has returned to live nearby, in a luxury apartment for the well-heeled over 60s. It’s not long before he’s up to his old tricks.

©2019 Susan Hill (P)2019 Penguin Audio

So disappointing

Like all avid Simon Serrailler listeners, I have been hoping we would get a further episode. When I finished listening I felt mildly unsatisfied but then Audible offered some of the earlier books as three for two credits. I had read these but not listened to so I snapped u p three of them. Having listened to the first one, I can see why I felt that the latest was lacking. The earlier books have everything - suspense, family relationships and general depth to the characters which this does not and the ending made me think that the author was just tired of the whole thing and keen to get it wrapped up. I have loved the series, Susan Hill is a superb author and Steve Pacey an excellent reader but I would hesitate to buy any further Serrailler.

More a Soap than a Detective Story

Other reviews are correct there aren't many twists and turns in this series - indeed crime and detection plays a smaller and smaller role since Serrailler's injury. Having said that Serrailler feelings and family life have always played major roles - and I continue to look forward to each new instalment. I am no longer sure quite why - but I do - and will no doubt download Book 11 as soon as its available.

What a pointless listen.

Nothing went anywhere, no plots had a reason to be..the highlight was, SPOILER ALERT, a cat died.

in hindsight I wish I hadn't bothered

no conclusion to main plot, too many sub plots which had nothing to do with the main story.

No twists and no turns

In hindsight I shouldn’t have bothered. These books are not about police-work and catching criminals, it is about Simon and Cat and their lives and problems. He is a policeman so there is a crime but never mind, it doesn’t have to be solved, the crime is irrelevant. She is a doctor but it seems only to serve as a purpose to criticize the NHS. Don’t bother if you want to read about crimes and how they are solved and all lose ends tied up and all questions answered and the criminals behind bars. No twists and no turns, only two frustrated siblings and their day-to-day life. Very disappointing.

Brilliant

This latest book is a joy... the tension and anticipation is there but so too are the family dramas, so well described I feel for them. I cannot wait for another book in the series.
Susan Hill is a brilliant writer, she paints an up to date picture of life and is well informed about our police force.

Disappointed

I’m a huge fan of Susan Hill and particularly enjoy the Simon Serrailler series, until now.
The storyline was good and engaging but I’m afraid I felt the ending was lazy. It just came to a stop. Far too many loose ends and unanswered questions. It was as if the author just got bored of writing and wound everything up as quickly as possible. If there is another to come in the series I hope it’s better than this one.

Disappointing

Certainly not up to the same standard of the authors previous novels in this series. The crime is lost in this story which spends too much time describing the eating and drinking preferences of the key characters. Too many unresolved plot lines - should I presume theses will be addressed in the next novel? Problem being this is such a poor novel I may not read the next in this series.

Really good

Excellent novel, very well read. Several different threads all of which held my interest throughout

Bland

Disconnected .
No proper story or end.
Characters you don’t care about, with the exception of Cat who you want to slap.
The cat dying is explained with more detail than crimes.
Thought this latest one might be worth a try .. I was wrong it worse than than the last one.