Innocent or guilty. It's a matter of which lines you cross.
Book blurb
It's mid-winter and a body is discovered in a flat just outside Lafferton. It's a drugs overdose but something doesn't feel right. The place is entirely empty. Damp walls, bare floorboards. Not even a bed.
And then there's the man known as Fats. Preying on young children to run errands for him. Burner phones with instructions messaged through. Bribes followed by threats.
Can Serrailler finally break the drugs network that's spreading through the area or is it just too powerful for him?
My thoughts
It was great to be back in Lafferton with DCI Simon Serrailler and his colleagues, family and friends. In this book we are taken into the murky world of drugs that seem to be everywhere and which can cause such suffering and devastating consequences. Lafferton and it's surrounds are no exception but it seems that the issue is getting worse. Indeed there is a an issue with drugs being cut with things that are making them more dangerous and even more lethal.
A young man's body is found in a flat above a Chinese medicine shop. He has died from an overdose. There is no information as to who he is. Whilst both the shop and flat have the same owner they are separately leased. Mr Wong who is the proprietor of the ground floor Chinese medicine shop has seen or heard nothing that can help with the police enquiries as he doesn't live on the premises. Simon gets a feeling that he is holding something back but he can't quite figure out what it is.
After seeing a newspaper article a woman comes forward to say that she is sure that the young man who died is her brother. This part of the story allows us to see Simon not just the police officer but also a caring person as he deals with this situation.
As those of us who have read previous books will expect there is the ongoing family storyline with Cat, Simon's sister, and her family and Simon's father. We also catch up with the ongoing or rather stalled relationship with Rachel. Simon is considering moving out of Cathedral Close and is reevaluating his lifestyle in the wake of the incident that left him with a serious injury.
There is also a thread which involves youngsters being recruited to run drugs by a nasty character called Fats. There is a heartbreaking loss for one mother and her estranged husband. Whilst a single father raising his sons alone realises that one of his boys is in danger and goes to the police with some interesting information.
There are several very sad things that happen in this story but it is not overly graphic. Nevertheless, it's a very difficult read at times.
Will Simon and the team find out what happened to the young man who was found dead in the flat? Where does Mr Wong fit into this or not? What will happen to the young drug runners?
Whilst we do get closure on several of the issues this feels like a story that is not fully resolved. Perhaps it's simply a reflection on how life is or maybe it's an indication that there is more to come in future books?
I like to think that there's an even better conclusion to come with regard to breaking the cycle of drug crimes in and around Lafferton (indeed it would be a wonderful thing if it were true in the real world too) but perhaps that's my wishful thinking.
I like that Simon is a character still maturing albeit a little later in some areas than many! He's aware of his shortcomings and it seems that he's ready to address them as best as he can. More importantly he's a really good, intelligent detective who is dedicated and determined to solve the crimes that happen on his patch.
This is a terrific addition to the Simon Serrailler series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Always realistic storylines and characters in the wonderful setting of Lafferton and I look forward to reading the next one.
Book: Purchased
A Change of Circumstance by Susan Hill is my 12th read for the #20Booksofsummer23 challenge.
Here's the list as it stands now:-
15. Murder at Montgomery Hall by Gina Kirkham - Reading
Information
Published: Vintage (4 Aug. 2022) | 348 pages
Buy: Publisher links | Bookshop.org (affiliate link) | your local library | your local bookshop
Author: SUSAN HILL has been a professional writer for over fifty years. Her books have won awards and prizes including the Whitbread, the John Llewellyn Rhys and a Somerset Maugham, and have been shortlisted for the Booker. Her novels include Strange Meeting, I'm the King of the Castle, In the Springtime of the Year and The Mist in the Mirror. She has also published autobiographical works and collections of short stories as well as the Simon Serrailler series of crime novels. The play of her ghost story The Woman in Black is one of the longest running in the history of London's West End. In 2020 she was awarded a damehood (DBE) for services to literature. She has two adult daughters and lives in North Norfolk.
Author page | @susanhillwriter
Books
Series
Simon Serrailler
1. The Various Haunts of Men (2004)
2. The Pure in Heart (2005)
3. The Risk of Darkness (2006)
4. The Vows of Silence (2008)
5. The Shadows in the Street (2010)
6. The Betrayal of Trust (2011)
7. A Question of Identity (2012)
8. The Soul of Discretion (2014)
8.5. A Breach of Security (2014)
8.6. Hero (2016)
Old Haunts (2018)
9. The Comforts of Home (2018)
Revenge (2019)
10. The Benefit of Hindsight (2019)
11. A Change of Circumstance (2021)
12. The Sound of Footsteps (2023)
Susan Hill's Ghost Stories
The Man in the Picture (2007)
The Small Hand (2010)
Dolly (2012)
Printer's Devil Court (2014)
Billy-William Bigheart
1. The Kindest Boy in the Universe (2015)
2. The Best Day's Outing in the Whole World, Ever! (2016)
Novels
The Enclosure (1961)
Do Me a Favour (1963)
Gentlemen and Ladies (1968)
A Change for the Better (1969)
I'm the King of the Castle (1970)
Strange Meeting (1971)
The Bird of Night (1972)
In the Springtime of the Year (1974)
The Woman in Black (1983)
Air and Angels (1991)
The Glass Angels (1991)
Friends Next Door (1992)
A Very Special Birthday (1992)
The Mist in the Mirror (1992)
Mrs De Winter (1993)
The Service of Clouds (1998)
The Battle for Gullywith (2008)
The Beacon (2008)
A Kind Man (2011)
Black Sheep (2013)
From the Heart (2017)
Collections
The Albatross (1971)
A Bit of Singing and Dancing (1973)
The Cold Country (1975)
Stories From Codling Village (1990)
The Christmas Collection (1994)
Listening to the Orchestra (1996)
The Boy Who Taught the Beekeeper to Read (2003)
Farthing House (2006)
Need / Moving Messages (2011)
Sand / Elizabeth (2011)
The Woman in Black and Other Ghost Stories (2015)
The Travelling Bag (2016)
Anthologies edited
New Stories (1980) (with Isabel Quigly)
People (1983)
Ghost Stories (1983)
The Parchment Moon (1990)
The Walker Book of Ghost Stories (1990)
The Penguin Book of Modern Women's Short Stories 1(1991)
The Random House Book of Ghost Stories (1991)
Contemporary Women's Short Stories (1995)
The Second Penguin Book of Modern Women's Short Stories (1997)
FantasticFiction - profile and full list of books
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