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

Why do we have so many psychos?!!!!

An interesting first read. I struggled with the first few chapters and everything fell into place and it became a very good read. I did not detect any great brilliance on the part of the main character Simon Serrailer and hopefully his brilliance will emerge in future books in the series. Strangely I found D.S.Graffham and the killer more interesting than Serrailer. I was not prepared for the books ending and it took me by surprise. Overall it was a very good first book. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Nice summer mystery

First time experience with Susan Hill. I'm usually not a big mystery fan, but this story had solid, believable characters and an interesting plot. Either I missed them or there were not the usual hints thrown in along the way as to the possible identity of the serial killer. Still a fun listen,

Great story

A bit meandering to start, this turned out to be an interesting book with fantastic range of voices performed by the reader.

I have mixed feelings.

I have mixed feelings. The narrator was excellent. The story was well written but it was horribly sad and it seemed so pointless in the end.

Great Book…Not So Great of an Ending

Enjoyed the book, the wrap up leaves me wondering too much…just END it properly, I felt like a few pieces were left hanging.

Best of the best....

One of my favorite series of all times, these books by Susan Hill featuring the enigmatic Simon Serrailler, the non-doctor, third-of-a-set-of-triplets, contemplative sort of police detective who outdoes Adam Dagleish every time. "The Various Haunts of Men" is the first in the series, and while not exactly required to read or listen to them in order, it helps.

This book has everything -- story, fascinating and complex chatacters, family issues, a baffling crime (ie series of crimes), plenty of tension and maybe most importantly, a whole string of people you come to care about, many of whom continue into subsequent books.

Susan Hill is remarkable. No one creates characters like she does, and no one spins original stories with more veracity. These are people you know, with all their strengths and faults, their hidden sins and unexpected virtues.

Steven Pacey's narration is perfect -- just the right pace and tone.

The only real problem with these books is pacing yourself -- there aren't that many, and you can only read them for the first time once.

Out of balance storyline - good narration

I would have loved to have given this 4 stars or even 5, but I can't. I will first tell you Pacey does a good job with the narration although a few pronunciations are a bit odd (grimaced turned into grim-ACEd). However Hill's narrative is out of balance. Her character descriptions, exposition and set up take an entire 6 hours. The true action begins after that and is a decent length. However, the resolution is FAR too quick and unsatisfactory. It reminds me of an essay test where the teacher suddenly announces "Finish up! You only have 10 minutes left!"

Since this is the first in the series and I have yet to read more, I am hoping she gets this balance better in later books. I am not certain I can truly recommend this book because of its slap-dash ending, but you might like it.

Also, the title is not related to the storyline at all. Why she picked it I don't know.

Okay but a little long...

I feel like this one took a bit to get going but overall it was a good read. It moved along at a fair pace and the ending, though a little predictable, contained elements that I had not expected. The writing is good and the narration is as well. Not a rushing thriller but a solid story.

Gritty

First of all, I have to say, I could listen to Steven Pacey read anything, with his rich, mellifluous, British accent!
This story has everything from murder, to mystery, to horror and thriller, and even a family bit as well! Great read, really helps you to get into the mind of the protagonist.

I will look into others by this author

I will look into other susan hill bks..I need 7 more words to close this.