Some people have a policy of never writing about a book they don’t like. Very nice of them but I think that if I’ve been sent a book to review, I should tell it as I see it. I finished this book feeling disappointed, cheated and outraged that there was no proper ending and too many loose ends. I actually could not believe the 100% which appeared at the bottom of the Kindle page, because who ends a book like that? I was really angry with the author. Although there is a crime at the centre of the novel and one with many ramifications, it’s not enough to fill a novel, at least, not as written here. The book is padded out with chapters about things we already know: Simon’s demons (fed up with them); Cat’s niceness (she’s as lovely as ever); their father’s appalling behaviour (same old, same old). Nothing is added to our understanding of any of the characters.

This is formulaic, lazy writing; the formula being that of all the other Serraillier books. In addition, Susan Hill seems to have wanted to include everything she’s heard on the news that’s frightening about modern Britain. For example, two completely gratuitous incidents: a machete attack at the police station and the fatal stabbing of a teenage boy on a London street. I felt it failed completely as a detective mystery; the few moments of tension ending too quickly, so that there is no pace at all. Would this book have been published if it were a debut novel?

This is the tenth Serraillier mystery, so I’ve missed one.
I read this thanks to NetGalley and it will be out on October 3rd.

I’m pleased to say that this series is back up to its usual excellent standard after the rather disappointing The Comforts of Home. There is a very solid crime story, with Susan Hill’s trademark explorations of other themes and other stories involving her main characters.

Simon is back at work and we finally get a look at the process of mental and emotional recovery from severe trauma, which is faintly echoed in the story of the emotional struggles of one of Cat’s new patients. Both are very well done, with Hill’s usual combination of forensic observation and compassion, as is the development of the family story. The title refers to the judgements professionals have to make with insufficient information and their consequences, which Hill also deals with extremely well. I won’t reveal more to avoid spoilers, but I think she is back in her stride here, which for followers of this excellent series is probably all that need be said.

Susan Hill is a very fine writer and the Serrailler books are novels investigating human emotions, relationships and motivations with crimes running through the narrative rather than just Crime Novels. This is a fine example and is very warmly recommended.

(My thanks to Random House for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I love this series of books particularly because you carry on with the same characters straight after the end of a previous book. I must admit that when I got to the end I couldn't quite believe it as nothing was really finished with any satisfaction apart from Simon and Cat's self centred, awkward father being looked after very kindly by his grandson and girlfriend. More than he deserved really. Both cases of burglary, the latter including murder, remained unsolved, and Simon's love life seemed to be on the back burner with two new females as possible girlfriends. Perhaps the story line will continue in the next book but probably not although Simon's enforced gardening leave might lead us to more insights about life in the Lafferton police force. I'm not sure about Cat now being married to the head honcho at the station, which can and does cause problems. But still a great follow on although I would have preferred a longer book with some satisfactory endings,, more please.

It is always a joy to settle down with a Simon Serrailler novel, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this one. Susan Hill is such a great writer that it is impossible not to get completely caught up in her characters, and intelligent plots. This book is so much better than the traditional police procedural, where the detective invariably solves an impossible crime. Instead, we are given a glimpse into people's lives, and the way in which crime affects many people, including Serrailler himself. Great characters, including the minor ones, and I'm afraid I now can't wait to read Susan Hill's next book!

Another excellent contribution to the Simon Serrailler series. Simon is back at work following the attack where he lost his arm but is increasingly suffering the after effects with some sort of PTSD. His sister Cat and her family also take centre stage, with her and Simon's father in a retirement home but nonetheless still up to his old tricks of manipulation and womanising.
The crime plot is gripping when there's a focus on it, but the real focus is on Simon, his family and their ongoing relationships. I don't think it would be wise to start with this, the tenth in the series, but it does the job well of making me feel I know these people well and wanting to know what happens next.

After a serious dip in the last book, I'm delighted that Susan Hill has pulled things back together in this episode of what is becoming the Serrailler Saga. Her usual multistory technique takes in a range of stories and emotions but I don't want to give any spoilers as there are some surprises here for long-time followers of this series. Cat, to my relief, is back to her empathetic self despite having left the NHS, and there's an interesting unifying theme about judgments in a professional capacity that links to the title. Once again, don't come to this expecting a conventional crime/police procedural: this is about people who happen to be police officers and doctors where character includes but is beyond profession. Excellent, subtle, elegant.