The Various Haunts of Men
Encyclopedia
The Various Haunts of Men (2004) is a novel by Susan Hill
. It is the first in a series of six "Simon Serrailler" crime novels by the author. It concerns the disappearance of people in English cathedral town of Lafferton and the resulting police investigations
's poem The Borough
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Susan Hill
Susan Hill is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I'm the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971....
. It is the first in a series of six "Simon Serrailler" crime novels by the author. It concerns the disappearance of people in English cathedral town of Lafferton and the resulting police investigations
Title
The title is taken from George CrabbeGeorge Crabbe
George Crabbe was an English poet and naturalist.-Biography:He was born in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, the son of a tax collector, and developed his love of poetry as a child. In 1768, he was apprenticed to a local doctor, who taught him little, and in 1771 he changed masters and moved to Woodbridge...
's poem The Borough
The Borough (George Crabbe poem)
The Borough is a collection of poems by George Crabbe published in 1810. Written in heroic couplets, the poems are arranged as a series of 24 letters, covering various aspects of borough life and detailing the stories of certain inhabitants’ lives....
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- The various haunts of men
- Require the pencil, they defy the pen
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Characters
- Angela Randall was a reclusive unmarried fifty-three year old woman who disappears one foggy morning whilst out jogging on 'The Hill' a local landmark. Her employer at a nursing home, Carol Ashton insists the police take her disappearance seriously.
- Dr Cat Deerbon, GP in Lafferton, married to Chris, also a doctor
- Debbie Parker, twenty years old she suffered from depression, acne and was overweight. But after visiting 'Dava', a spiritual healer she was beginning to feel better and had taken to early-morning walks on 'The Hill', from one of which she too disappears.
- Freya Graffham A Detective Sergeant new to Lafferton after transferring from The MetMetropolitan Police ServiceThe Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
is put in charge of the investigation. She discovers that Angela Randall has been buying expensive gifts for an unknown man. - Simon Serrailler, Detective Chief Inspector is her commanding officer and brother of Cat Deerbon
- Iris Chater a recently bereaved elderly lady seeking comfort in Spiritualist meetings is the next to disappear
Reception
Reviews have been mixed :- Anita BrooknerAnita BrooknerAnita Brookner CBE is an English language novelist and art historian who was born in Herne Hill, a suburb of London.-Early life and education:...
of The SpectatorThe SpectatorThe Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
is positive "there is plenty to enjoy. And the ending is terrific." - Robert EdricRobert EdricRobert Edric is the pseudonym of Gary Edric Armitage, a British novelist born in Sheffield.His trilogy of detective novels, Cradle Song, Siren Song, and Swan Song, also known as the "Song Cycle," are set in the city of Hull....
writing in the The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
found the novel disappointing "We neither know nor sympathise with the victims in this book; nor are we repelled or intrigued by the killer and his reason for committing these murders. His justification, when it is finally delivered, is both simplistic and unconvincing." - Andrew TaylorAndrew Taylor (author)Andrew Taylor is a British author best known for his crime novels, which include the Dougal series, the Lydmouth series, the Roth Trilogy and the historical novel The American Boy.-Biography:...
in the The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
writes "She has the priceless ability to construct a solidly-researched narrative that keeps the reader turning the pages." but then goes on to say "The identity of the murderer is allowed to drift into the story three-quarters of the way through. Neither the reader nor police have much to do with it. The killer's motivation is so perfunctorily sketched that it fails to convince. The ending is arbitrary, unsatisfying and suspiciously convenient."