A fantastic and exciting mystery with plenty of twists and turns. ( )

This is the first book in the detective Simon Serrailler series and a great read. It takes place in a fictional English cathedral town where an unusual number of people are disappearing. A psychopath is on the loose and carrying out his plan which he has prepared for all his life.
I had read "The Risk of Darkness first which is the 3rd in the series and now I am ordering "The Pure in Heart" which is the second.
Susan Hill is such an accomplished writer and this series is fabulous. ( )

#47 [The Various Haunts of Men ]by Susan Hill

Fantastic read! As do so many British authors Hill handles even the most horrific details with kid gloves, softens them. I enjoy reading British novels for this reason. They seem to understand that fireworks and special effects aren't needed to mak a story. At the end if the book, she slams you with reality. This is not something I have seen before and I have to say it makes for a good read,

I will be looking to read the next in the series.. ( )

Folks have begun disappearing in Lafferton, a small town well away from the bustle of London where DS Freya Graffham has come to rebuild her life. At first, she's only got hints and clues that something bad is happening to the missing people, but it soon becomes clear to her that things are connected. Unfortunately, the powers that be aren't so easily convinced until a fourth person disappears...

The Various Haunts of Men is a decent serial-killer police procedural - plenty of mystery, a little misdirection, some action thrown in for good measure. But where Hill shines is in her characters. We get peeks into the lives of the victims, the investigators are fascinating, the insights into the killer are well done. By the end of the book, the reader is completely engaged with the residents of Lafferton and their lives.

Recommended for those looking for intelligent, well-written mysteries. Fortunately, this is just the first of a series of books, and I'm looking forward to diving in to the next very soon. ( )

The Various Haunts of Men is the first in a series of crime procedurals, about to number four, that feature DCI Simon Serrailler. Having said that, I hasten to add that Simon is conspicuous by his relative absence in this mystery. Instead, it is DS Freya Graffham who figures large in the pursuit of a serial killer in the small town of Lafferton. Another reviewer has mentioned Freya's childishness. I thought the characterization was dead right; Freya has just escaped from an abusive relationship with her professional confidence intact but her personal center thoroughly shaken. She is rebuilding herself and finds herself not to be a perfect architect.
Other reviewers have given a sense of the action, so I won't repeat that. I will reiterate their praise of Susan Hill's writing. Within five pages an anxious reader relaxes in the hands of a more than competent author. Ms. Hill takes pains to develop characters whom she will use again in the next books of the series. Unfortunately for a reader like me, she uses the same degree of care in creating characters that I cared about and will never meet again. Then too, I'm always a bit leery of novels dealing with serial killers, and I found this one as convincing as any. What I was not prepared for was the major plot wrench at the end. I vowed that I would never read another Susan Hill mystery as long as I lived. I broke the vow, of course, drawn back to Lafferton by curiosity about characters and by the enjoyment of Hill's fine writing. ( )