The Pure in Heart [Audio CD]

Susan Hill (Author), Steven Pacey (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2006

Package: 10 CDs Audiobook 11 Hr 38 Min The Pure in Heart is the second of Susan Hill's novels set in the English Cathedral town of Lafferton and featuring the enigmatic policeman, Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler. A little boy is kidnapped as he stands with his satchel at the gate of his home, waiting for his lift to school. An ex-con finds it impossible to stay straight. A severely handicapped young woman dies in the night - has someone who loves her helped her out of this world? Once again, Susan Hill brilliantly creates a community, with detail so sharp and convincing that readers feel that these people are their neighbors. And that terror and evil are always in their midst...

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audio Book (2006)
• ISBN-10: 0792752627
• ISBN-13: 978-0792752622
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,778,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Simon Serrailler novel, October 14, 2005

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pure in Heart: A Simon Serrailler crime novel (Hardcover)

I found this second book in the DCI Simon Serrailler series to be a wonderful read. Susan Hill's writing flows seamlessly, making it simple to read quickly and easily. Simon is recalled by his father from Venice, where he has been enjoying a painting holiday. His younger sister, Martha, who has been severely brain damaged since her birth, over 20 years ago, is in danger of dying from pneumonia, and, as Simon has always felt close to this child/woman, returns at once, happily to see her recover. A nine year old schoolboy is kidnapped from outside his front gate while waiting for a ride to school, and Simon is at once back into work mode with a large team of experienced police men and women, searching for any clues to the whereabouts of the missing boy. Simon's closest sibling, his sister Cat, a doctor on maternity leave, is his main emotional support when the strain of dealing with the grieving parents of the boy, combined with the pressure he feels when a once casual girlfriend begins to stalk him, threatens to overcome his professionalism. This is not a murder/mystery as such, but rather, a crime story and, when added to the family history which is unfolding in Simon's life, paints an interesting picture of the Simon Serrailler story which we have yet to discover. I'm greatly looking forward to the next in the series to flesh out this rather enigmatic character.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A study of uncommunicative relationships and life chances, more than a crime novel, September 19, 2006

By 

Helen Simpson (Leeds, England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pure in Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

I started off enjoying this book and thought I was going to like DCI Simon Serrailler as he seemed a caring, likeable chap with a deep love for his severely handicapped sister and a fondness of art. However I didn't feel we really got to know him any better, other than to find out he obviously has problems with relationships, possibly a mixture of his strange uncommunicative family and his job, and was actually a pretty disappointing character.

I found Susan Hill's descriptive writing conjured up scenes and images in my mind very easily, not flowery descriptions, just everyday believable ones. However the story line all felt a bit flat and I kept thinking things would tie together somehow or there would be a satisfying end but it was just the opposite. I can cope without having everyone living happily ever after but this left me feeling cheated of purposeful story line.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second Book in "Simon Serrailer" Series Leaves Readers Eager For Third, December 26, 2007

By 

Susan K. Schoonover "Sue Yingling" (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pure in Heart (Simon Serrailler Crime Novels) (Hardcover)

THE PURE IN HEART is talented novelist Susan Hill's second installment in her series starring British Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler, his family, co-workers and other inhabitants of the fictional cathedral city of "Lafferton". DCI Serrailer is much more at the center of the novel then in the first published book, THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN, and he as well as many of the others making second appearances receive more character development in this outing.

The "pure in heart" of the novel's title refers to two innocent victims. The first is Martha, DCI Serrailer's twenty-six year old sister, who has been severely handicapped since birth. The second innocent and the subject of the main mystery is David a school boy snatched from outside his home while waiting for a car pool ride. THE PURE IN HEART is not simply a thriller but a thoughtful character study that examines many conflicts of modern life. Well written, very readable and sympathetic to its characters and setting Susan Hill's Serrailer's series is highly recommended to those who love literary thrillers and I am already anticipating the US release of the third and fourth books.