The Vows of Silence [Paperback]

Susan Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008

In the peaceful cathedral city of Lafferton, a gunman is terrorising young women. What - if anything - links the attacks? Is the marksman with a rifle the same person as the killer with a handgun or do the police have two snipers on their hands? Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler is in charge of the case, but he is also struggling to deal with a tragedy at the heart of his own family. Two forthcoming events - a local fair and the high-profile cathedral wedding of the Lord Lieutenant's daughter - only add to the pressure.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A triumph: cunningly plotted, shrewdly characterised. Hill has an understanding of evil that is both acute and disconcerting. Literary Review The psychology and pace of the whole - and the quality of the writing - are utterly absorbing. Country Life Masterly story telling from an accomplished writer The Good Book Guide All the ingredients for the perfect crime novel are here, but the added value comes from Hill's distinctive and human psychological insights. The Daily Mail Delicious agony...The suspense-building techniques of Alfred Hitchcock have long been locked into Susan Hill's literary apparatus and they are given full rein here Daily Express Susan Hill's crime novels are getting better and better... The main plot is straightforward enough -- who is the killer and will he be caught? -- but the narrative is so streamlined and effective that it races beautifully along until it smacks against the buffers of an unexpected but entirely convincing ending Spectator It's a wonder it hasn't been snapped up for telly Scotland on Sunday I stayed up gone two in the morning and by the end there were tears in my eyes Daily Telegraph As always, Hill creates a marvellous cast of characters with absorbing contemporary concerns... This is crime reading for those who relish a perceptive take on human nature as much as finding out whodunit Daily Mail --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Susan Hill's novels and short stories have won the Whitbread, Somerset Maugham and John Llewelynn Rhys Prizes, and many of them are set texts for GCSE and A levels. She is the author of Mrs de Winter, the sequel to Rebecca, and the ghost story, The Woman in Black, which was adapted for the stage and has been running in London for more than twenty years Born in Scarborough, she lives in Gloucestershire, where she runs her own small publishing company, Long Barn Books. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Non Basic Stock Line (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0701180005
• ISBN-13: 978-0701180003
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,878,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4th Serrailler Saga focuses on family, May 30, 2009

By 

M. Lightbody (Madras, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Vows of Silence (Hardcover)

The fourth mystery focuses on a shooter who seems at first like he/she is killing women randomly. a pattern emerges quickly. The first victim is a newlywed, the second a bride to be, but the Lafferton Police, led by newly promoted Simon Serrailler are baffled. The shooter is extremely good at covering his tracks. Serrailler knows the shooter won't stop before they're caught.

The mystery plot is serviceable but seems almost an afterthought tagged on the saga of the Serraillers, particularly Simon and his sister Cat Deerbon. I'm not one to recognize the culprit early but this one was evident to me nearly from the first time they walk on stage.

This book is dark in tone, like most of the series. This time, Dr. Cat has to deal with a grave illness within her own home forcing her to examine medicine intimately from the patient's standpoint.

Though the mystery is solved at the end of this book, there are many open stories left, particularly with Simon and Rev. Jane Fitzroy. Perhaps Simon may be finally softening his solitary ways. Obviously, there is another book in the works.

Hill is a superb writer, with a deep understanding of human nature and a tolerant, non-judgmental eye. It is always a pleasure to nestle in with the world she creates.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serailler does it again, May 13, 2009

By 

Barbara J. Zaft (Huntington Beach CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vows of Silence (Paperback)

In the fourth book of the Simon Serrailer series, Susan Hill continues the saga of the detective's turmoil around his family's crises while Simon searches for a serial gunman. The ending to the investigation is somewhat lame. However, the author's depiction of Simon's interrelationships is, as usual, superb. Susan Hill brings a new level of involvement with the psyche of her detective as he moves through his small town working ceaseslessly to find the source of evil...yes, evil...in the town. Can't wait for the next book from her.

3.0 out of 5 stars More of the same, November 3, 2011

By 

Harley "Harley" (Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vows of Silence (Simon Serrailler 4) (Kindle Edition)

Amazon reminds me I have not reviewed this and I guess I should. Simon is still a pompous twit, his sister still the struggling GP earth mother. Women are being shot at seeming random. Simon moons around in a moody fugue while the police struggle to solve the crime. I read this some time ago so cannot remember all the details. I read it because I'd bought it. I liked the first book in the series and bought the rest only to become tired of the format. The slightly Gothic feel of these books, our misogynist hero, the strangely dated feel. I almost lost the will to finish this.

If you liked the first and second books, then you will enjoy this. They are well written if not to my taste. Hence my OK rating rather than less which if I judged by how I enjoyed it I might be tempted to give. They just have not clicked for me. I believe there are currently two more but I finish here.