The Benefit of Hindsight

In the tenth Simon Serrailler novel, Simon is struggling with the physical and emotional aftershock of the attack that left him gravely injured and claimed his arm. He’s been fitted with a state-of-the-art prosthesis and returned to work at Lafferton CID, but he is far from 100%. Meanwhile, things in Lafferton have been sleepy. But the calm is rudely shattered by a pair of thefts: targeted, intricately planned and professionally executed B&E’s. The first goes off without a hitch: the homeowners return from an evening out to discover their house ransacked and a selection of portable valuables missing. With his head only partially in the game—nursing grievances, suffering from PTSD and refusing offers of support—Simon heads up the show more investigation in an efficient but bull-headed manner, dismissing the advice of his team, convinced that his way is the only way to track down the perpetrators. Then there is a second theft, one that results in tragedy when the homeowners arrive home early and surprise the thieves in the act. Simon’s sister Cat features prominently in this novel, becoming friends with the victim of the second B&E and consulting with a perplexing young pregnant couple who seem emotionally detached from each other and their baby. Cat and Simon’s father, Richard, as demanding and judgmental as ever, makes an appearance and suffers a health crisis. Cat’s relationship with her second husband, Simon’s boss, Kieron develops further, and Cat’s son Sam makes a surprising career decision. An attractive feature of Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler novels has always been the interplay of police procedure and family life, and The Benefit of Hindsight is no exception. The novel is entertaining and suspenseful, the story complex and diverting, and it is gratifying to spend time with familiar characters. With the crime solved, Simon’s investigative decisions are scrutinized and come under formal review, and he is forced to reflect on how he wants his life and his career to move forward. The Benefit of Hindsight is a worthy addition to a stellar series. Let’s hope there is more to come. show less

It is advisable to read Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series in order, since each of the recurring characters has a complicated backstory. The latest novel, "The Benefit of Hindsight," is a haunting work of fiction in which Simon and his sister, Dr. Cat Deerbon, a partner in a private practice, make decisions that could have tragic consequences. DCS Serrailler, of Lafferton CID in England, orders a news blackout after professional thieves break into an unoccupied home and steal the residents' valuables. Subsequent events suggest that Simon's order to conceal information about this crime from the media had negative consequences that he did not foresee. Meanwhile, Simon is struggling with panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder. show more He has refused to consult a therapist to obtain the psychological help that he needs. In addition, Dr. Cat Deerbon's pregnant patient, Carrie Pegwell, admits that she dreads motherhood. Carrie believes, without any evidence, that there is something seriously wrong with her unborn baby. Making matters worse, her aloof husband, Colin, provides his wife with very little comfort and support. What should Cat do, if anything, to help this troubled couple?

Hill adeptly juggles a variety of intriguing subplots. Among them: a naïve waitress, Shenda Neill, allows her devious boyfriend to involve her in criminal activities; Cat and Simon continue to hold a grudge against their egotistical and selfish father; Simon derives solace from his passion for drawing (he is an accomplished artist); and Cat's son, Sam, now a hospital porter, is in the process of deciding what profession he would like to pursue. The author shows how Simon and Cat have been affected by the tragedies that they have endured in the past. Although the siblings frequently argue, Simon and Cat remain devoted to one another.

"The Benefit of Hindsight" moves along briskly, its dialogue is involving, and Hill explores the ways in which Simon's personal flaws have affected his ability to form and maintain healthful relationships. Hill offers no pat resolutions to the issues that she raises. On the contrary, she shows that life can be messy, unpredictable, and unbearably painful. What gets us through tough times are such qualities as strength of character, the kindness of our loved ones, and our willingness to learn from our mistakes. show less

Like all long running series, I've become attached to the characters. Simon, Cat, their beyond difficult elderly father and this book catches us up on them all. I'm going to be an outlier with my review because I was a little disappointed in this the latest. A robbery, a murder, a medical crisis and a heartbreaking scenario, all that could have been handled differently in hindsight.

For me the plot was scattered, back and forth, but it was the depth I was missing. Her novels are usually tightly plotted, but I didn't feel that was the case within this one.. It seemed rushed and lacking in emotion. Even with the benefit of hindsight, where mistakes made were gone over, it seemed these were just shrugged off. Of course, it could just be show more me, entirely possible and this will not put me off reading the next in series when it comes out. Everyone has an off day or two. I've certainly had plenty.

ARC from Edelweiss. show less

‘The Benefit of Hindsight’ is the tenth book in the Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill and she covers a lot of ground. At the book’s heart, as with its predecessors, is the town of Lafferton and the Serrailler family. Crime, when it happens, affects so many people and Hill shows this effectively as more and more people are drawn into the aftermath.
The themes of this book are post-traumatic-stress-disorder, pre-natal premonition and post-natal depression, art robbery and private v public healthcare. Written in a list it can seem clinical, but Hill is expert at winding together the personal lives of ordinary people so that you care about them. The continuity of the Serrailler family throughout the series adds the familiarity of show more real family issues that are not crime-related, just ordinary family stuff. Simon is struggling with the aftermath of his injury, not physically, but with panic attacks. His sister Cat has settled into her job with private GP service Concierge and it is Cat who meets two people central to the story; pregnant mum Carrie who unshakingly believes her baby will be born damaged; and Cindy, wife of businessman and charity supporter, Declan McDermid.
When a lonely house is burgled in a professionally assessed and organised operation, Simon’s team consults art and antique experts. A second burglary goes wrong, with far-reaching consequences for Simon. The meaning of the novel’s title is key to the plot affecting brother and sister, as Cat’s patient Carrie remains convinced the doctors are unable to diagnose the hidden disease of her newborn baby. As Carrie’s sense of despair deepens, her introverted husband Colin – who she fears would rather spend his time staring at his computer screen trading money, than talking to her – paces around the room ‘like a zoo animal’. The meaning of the book’s title is an indication that Hill is interested as much in the aftermath of a crime, as in the modus operandi of the crime itself. One of the reasons I enjoy this character-led series is the lack of gratuitous violence, I don’t need to skip paragraphs of gory description or violence. That is not to say the books are not thrilling, but they are deeper explorations of the motives, fears and reactions of everyone affected by crime. Importantly, Simon Serrailler is not a perfect policeman, a perfect man; occasionally he allows his own life and emotions to affect his decision-making and must face the consequences.
Susan Hill delivers yet another Serrailler book that does what it says on the tin. Well-written and plotted, familiar but with an unexpected twist, with Simon being strong and mysterious yet vulnerable.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ show less

SPOILERS

This was a good read, although it ended with everything completely unresolved. I had spent the entire novel waiting for Cat's sub-plot to be folded into the main story and for the main story to develop into something more interesting than a burglary gone wrong, but neither of these things occurred.

The Cat sub-plot, involving her patient Carrie (and I'm still finding the whole private GP practice thing morally unacceptable) was strange and disturbing, almost Gothic at times, and didn't really fit with the tone of the novel as a whole. There were other mini plot strands which seemed as if they were going to be significant, but then went nowhere - why did we hear so much about the trip Declan, Pauline, and her husband took to show more Norfolk? what about the retired health visitor Cat consulted?

Simon continues to be self-involved and unlikeable (in my opinion!) but somehow I keep reading. show less

Lafferton is fairly quiet as DCS Simon Serrailler returns to work more or less full-time, seemingly well-adjusted to his prosthetics, but when a burglary turns violent, his judgment is brought into question because of the actions he takes. In the meantime, his sister Cat is adjusting to her new situation as a general practitioner in a private medical practice, after years of NHS service; it’s not exactly guilt that she’s feeling, but some emotions need to be explored just a bit more than others…. “The Benefit of Hindsight” is the tenth Simon Serrailler novel and in some ways is even darker than the previous two (each of which are horrific in their own ways). I must say that Cat is probably my favourite character in the series, show more and I’m actually beginning to dislike Simon for his emotional lock-down, though I suspect Ms. Hill wants her readers to feel that way about him. The complexities of human interactions and emotions are always at the heart of this series, and this addition is no exception. Although sometimes grim, the stories are always engrossing and I very much like Ms. Hill’s writing; definitely recommended, but with this series it is absolutely vital for the reader to begin with the first book and carry on from there. show less

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

I am so annoyed at myself. So I like most of Susan Hill books so I saw this on NetGalley and went gimme without realizing this is part of a series. I really wish that NetGalley would let you send books back. Totally my fault, and for now on I am going to cross-reference books on Goodreads to just check for things like that. That all said, I can't really help here at all. Since this is book # 10 I was totally confused about past events and who was what and why things were important. I loved the cover though! Seriously though this dragged for me at times and I found myself rushing through it.

"The Benefit of Hindsight" follows DCS Serrailler after show more he has has returned to work after losing one of his arms. With crime rates down, Lafferton has been quiet, until one night when two men open their front door to a distressing scene. Serrailler makes a serious error of judgment when handling the incident, and the stress of this, combined with the ongoing trauma of losing his arm, takes its toll.

So Serrailler seems like an okay character. I don't know what to say here since this is the first book starring him I have read. All of the characters seem fine and have past and current connections. I did like that Serrailler messes up and the book follows through on the theme on in hindsight what could he have done better.

I did like the writing and thought the flow was fine. I just was not engaged since I came into this series at book #10 and did not care about the characters in the same way I would have if I started off with book #1. Because of this, I am going to go back and read this series and will update this review after I finish books #1-9. show less