Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Various Haunts of Men: A Simon Serrailler Mystery
Various Haunts of Men: A Simon Serrailler Mystery | Susan Hill
20 posts | 25 read | 19 to read
When Susan Hill first introduced us to the city of Lafferton, to its meticulously crafted cast of characters, and to its chief police inspector Simon Serrailler, readers went wild. When it was released in hardcover, The Various Haunts of Men was named a BookSense Pick and was immediately on the must-read list of every mystery fan. Now out in paperback, Hill's intricate and pulse-pounding novel will reach an even wider audience.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Tineke
post image
Pickpick

I enjoyed that the attention was way more on all the various people in this town. I did not like that there had to be romantic feelings between Freya and her intendent. The murderer is suddenly revealed at about 400/550 pages in. And that's that. The ending was a bit disappointing, it kind of sizzled out.
549 pages; TBR since 7/7/2019.

review
EvieBee
post image
Pickpick

I really, really enjoyed this book; now I have a whole new series to get wrapped up in. I‘ve only read Hill‘s literary memoir, HOWARD‘S END IS ON THE LANDING. She is a gifted writer!
This translates into a very literary police procedural that is more about each of the characters, including the victims, than it is about the actual murders. More please! Thank you @Adventures-of-a-French-Reader for recommending! #hoopla

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

Adventures_of_a_French_Reader Glad you liked it! 3y
EvieBee @Adventures-of-a-French-Reader Already checked out the next book in the series! 🤓 3y
Adventures_of_a_French_Reader @EvieBee haha, watch out, it's quite a long series ;) You'll be booked for quite a while! 3y
56 likes2 stack adds3 comments
review
Adventures_of_a_French_Reader
post image
Pickpick

Chosen by my mystery book club, this book was a great discovery. I felt it was a far more realistic depiction of police work than most of the books out there. Very well written. Susan Hill sets perfectly the decor for the series, at the end of this book, we really get a clear image of the community of Lafferton.

EvieBee This sounds great! Just checked it out from the library. Hopefully I get to it soon. 3y
Adventures_of_a_French_Reader @EvieBee Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did ;) 3y
EvieBee Had to come back to tell you that I started the audiobook and am already an hour in. It‘s great! I love slow paced mysteries like this! Thanks so much for the recommendation! 3y
Adventures_of_a_French_Reader @EvieBee I also love slow paced mysteries, as I tend to find them more realistic. With fast paced mysteries and thrillers, I tend to get annoyed, and roll my eyes a lot at the lack of realism... But I know that few people like slow paced books. 3y
20 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
EadieB
post image

Day 15 - #Top20Series #20Days20Series
#SimonSerraillerSeries #SusanHill

If you haven‘t started this series, you need to! Soooo good!

Andrew65 Not started. Too many series too little time. 🙈 (edited) 4y
EadieB @Andrew65 I know! I need to finish the ones I started. 4y
Andrew65 @EadieB I‘m trying to focus on finishing some of those first. 4y
See All 14 Comments
MsMelissa Stop making me feel bad for all the series I haven‘t started reading yet 🤣 4y
EadieB @Book_Fiend_Melissa ok but you need to know the good ones! 4y
Hazel2019 I‘ve just purchased a couple books from your series‘ recommendations...just to try them out 😊 4y
EadieB @Hazel2019 Which ones did you buy? 4y
Hazel2019 @EadieB The cold cold ground by Adrian McKinty and Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. Did I choose well for a start? I‘m very new to book series of any type. 4y
EadieB @Hazel2019 yes they are good ones. After you should get (edited) 4y
Hazel2019 @EadieB will do! Appreciate the recommendations 😊 4y
Hazel2019 @EadieB and make sure your TBR here is up to date so I don‘t accidentally get you something you already have with the #LMPBC package 😁 4y
EadieB @Hazel2019 Ok I'll go through my TBR list. How do you remove books for your TBR? Can't seem to figure that out. Choices are TBR, Reading or Read. (edited) 4y
Hazel2019 @EadieB if you just click on the TBR icon twice, it should de-select it. And then say done. It won‘t be on any list then. 4y
EadieB @Hazel2019 OK Thanks! 4y
45 likes1 stack add14 comments
review
MaGoose
post image
Pickpick

The story is told from a few different viewpoints, which takes a little getting used to. This book is billed as a Simon Serrailler mystery, but he's not the main character in this first book in the series and doesn't play a major role until the end. The plot is a little dragging in spots but quickens up towards the end. There's a major twist near the end, which is unforeseen. Overall, I liked it and will read at least the next one in the series.

rretzler I‘ve had this on my radar for awhile 6y
MaGoose @rretzler I liked it overall. The author could have tightened up the plot in places, IMHO. But, if you read it, stick with it. The ending is good and somewhat unexpected. 6y
rretzler Thanks! That‘s one thing about me, I rarely ever give up on a book. Some of my favorite books didn‘t grab me until more than halfway through. If I would have bailed, I would have missed something wonderful. I certainly can‘t say that about all books though 🤣 6y
41 likes3 comments
blurb
MaGoose
post image

More birthday cards. Thank you to all my #jb and #litsylove friends.

@Canndor @Crazeedi @sarah24

Avanders Happy birthday!! 🎉🎂 6y
Annl Happy Birthday! 6y
Birdsong28 Happy birthday! Hope you have a good day! 😘📚📖 6y
See All 9 Comments
Tanisha_A Happy birthday! Have fun! 🎂🥳🎈 6y
Crazeedi 🎂🎉🎁 have a great day! 6y
Erofan Happy birthday to you 🎉🎁🎂 6y
erzascarletbookgasm Happy birthday! Hope you‘re having a great day! 🎂 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🎊🎊🎊 Hope your day is awesome !!! (edited) 6y
43 likes9 comments
blurb
MaGoose
post image

I'm about 25% of the way through this one. So far it's okay to pretty good. The plot does jump from one character's point of view to another, but it's easy to follow so far.

review
Jillsmith
post image
Pickpick

Enjoyed this- totally guessed the killer early - looking forward to more in this series.

blurb
gradcat
post image

When are these A to Z‘s due? I‘m trying to play along here.
1. (The) Outsiders
2. Flannery O‘Conner
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo‘s Nest
4. Olives and Fried Onions

MaleficentBookDragon They are posted on Mondays, but you can post them whenever you want. 6y
gradcat Thanks for letting me know @MaleficentBookDragon I need all the help I can get! 6y
37 likes2 comments
review
Ajessgirl
post image
Panpan

I was looking for a new mystery series that is character driven and not too gory/graphic, and the Simon Serrailler series was recommended to fit the bill. It had so much promise, but just didn't deliver. Without giving any spoilers, I was so disappointed and frustrated after devoting 400+ pages to the story. Many story lines are just left hanging, and Simon Serrailler is quite minimally featured throughout. Definitely skip this one.

Richryan52 May I suggest the Daniel Silva books? However, you should read them in order as the later books contain spoilers 6y
DGRachel I echo @Richryan52 recommendation. They are more spy thriller than strictly mystery, but so very, very good. This is the first one: 6y
Ajessgirl Thank you so much, @Richryan52 and @DGRachel !! I will definitely try Daniel Silva! 6y
Richryan52 You could also try this guy Rich Ryan. I‘m told he writes pretty decent mysteries. 6y
21 likes4 comments
blurb
Ajessgirl
post image

The lovely view from our Airbnb in Mystic!

Reviewsbylola So beautiful! 6y
BookaholicNatty Absolutely breathtaking!!! I wouldn‘t want to leave!!! Love Airbnb!!! 6y
39 likes2 comments
review
Magpiegem
Panpan

I literally threw this book across the room when I finished it. Such a waste of precious reading time (and yet I still didn‘t bail) it was about 250 pages too long and was not a satisfying ending. Still that‘s one off the TBR mountain!

blurb
Magpiegem
post image

I wish I had the patience for this book that Sky has whilst she waits for Teddy to drop some apple but it‘s just dragging on soooo much!

review
Kmmsellers
post image
Panpan

Finally finished this one on audio. I‘m torn in my review of it. I enjoyed the narrator, really liked a lot of the writing, and in the beginning, I wanted to keep listening. But, I didn‘t feel connected to the characters, there wasn‘t enough tension (you know who the killer is too early on) and the ending was dissatisfying. I wonder if this would have been better in hard copy... eh.

blurb
Magpiegem
post image

You know sometimes a book just seems to take forever to get through- this is one of them!

blurb
Kmmsellers
post image

My favorite part of the day is when I get home and get to go for a long #audiowalk with my dog.

blurb
Magpiegem
post image

Next up from the TBR pile. Starting it in bed with a cuppa. #attackthestack

thegirlwiththelibrarybag 🐻 cute mug! 7y
26 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
RebeccaH
post image
Pickpick

I liked this! It was slowly paced, but I like a story that takes its time to develop. She describes the world of the book satisfyingly well.

On another note, I have this feeling I'll be reading less in 2017 than usual. I'm busy with work, with my kid, with other life things, and I am also preoccupied with political stuff. It's hard to focus on reading these days. Ah, well.

BkClubCare You gotta do what ya gotta do. Books will be there for you as you need them. 8y
RebeccaH You are right @BkClubCare and thank you! I'm aiming for enjoying everything I read, even if it isn't as much as usual. 8y
34 likes2 comments
blurb
RebeccaH
post image

Up next for my mystery book group.

39 likes4 stack adds