You just have to enjoy a Susan Hill story especially when Simon Serrailler is the lead. This was my first time reading one of her short stories and have to say I’m not nearly as big a fan as I am of a full book. This was a flashback story for me too so probably another reason for it not being my favourite. Good story though and left me waiting for the next book.

Five stars because this is the first Simon Serrailler book I have read. It is very short but paints a picture I want to know more about.

This is really a gap filler. I like Susan Hills books but this short story does not have enough depth or length to it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Old Haunts is a nice short story which fills the gap before the next full length Simon Serrailler novel

Despite a few passages at the start that gave me pause, I ultimately found this story interesting and for someone who has not read any of the Simon Serrailler novels, this was a great introduction to his character. It tells the story of a young Simon as he is attempting to make his way in the police force by agreeing to an undercover assignment. The action of the story is well constructed and the prose is clean and concise, which I think worked very well with the plot. As I mentioned, some of the earlier passages felt a little 'male gaze'-y, which put me off a little and in fact, this section features only as a framing narrative to the main action. Having said that, the rest of the story was very good and I definitely found the character of Simon very interesting. Overall, I would read a full novel featuring Serrailler, and thought this short story was a great way into the world.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a single short story featuring Susan Hill's police officer at Lafferton HQ, Simon Serrailler. The story is too short for me, although the tale is okay, it is just not meaty enough for me. Simon receives a visit from an ex-girlfriend from the years he was a medical student. Dr Nina Cartwright broke off their love affair with compassion when they were considerably younger, and seeing her triggers off memories of a long ago hot summer in the early 1990s, where IRA threats and those from splinter groups were prevalent. As a PC, Simon finds himself experiencing a testing time undercover in the Delville area, crawling with drug dealers, petty criminals and more. If you feel in the mood to fill some time in between reads with a tiny morsel of a story, then you may well enjoy this! Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

As much as I love the Serrailler series, this is a disappointing short story that goes nowhere and which features a Simon who just doesn't seem to have the complicated richness that make him such a compelling character in the novels. Even Hill's writing lacks her trademark subtlety. Only really worth getting for the teaser from the next Serrailler novel.