Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1659 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
`A captivating read'
--Observer

Eurocrime.co.uk
`full marks to Susan Hill for her ability to face the unfaceable'

Reviewingtheevidence.com
`I devoured it in a couple of days - and I know I'll read the next one in the series'

Customer Reviews

Welcome return for Simon Serrailler
This book is every bit as gripping as its predecessors. A gunman is terrorising Lafferton, especially young women about to get married. Simon has to track down this serial killer before he can do any more damage. The press don't think he is doing enough and his colleagues are frustrated at the lack of meaningful leads. But Simon must also deal with the serious illness of his brother in law and the advent of a new woman into his widowed father's life.
What always grips me about these stories is that Simon is a far from perfect human being. He resents his father's new partner and cannot make up his mind about whether he wants someone in his own life permanently. He rows with his much loved sister Cat, and lets his own feelings colour his relationships with colleagues to the extent he almost misses his chance to unmask the gunman.
As ever, this is a complex story with many sub plots which keep you guessing right to the end. I had my suspicions about the identity of the gunman - which proved to be correct - but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the story. The clues are there but so are the red herrings and there are several possible candidates. Will Helen and Phil find happiness in spite of Helen's disapproving son? How will Cat cope when she has to be doctor and wife and still maintain a normal front for the children? What about the fate of the various young women about to be married and the Royal visitors to the society wedding? Jane Fitzroy also makes an appearance - how will Simon deal with seeing her again?
A well written and thought provoking psychological thriller about human beings with all their faults.

INSIGHT AND SENSITIVITY
Susan Hill has once again made her latest in the Simon Serrailler series an unstopable read. As a forensic psychotherapist I am amazed and delighted by her insight into the darker aspects of the human condition. So many crime writers depend on the sensational alone and lack awareness of the fact that murderous thinking and acts exist alongside the ordinary and mundane. 'The Vows of Silence' is a wonderful blend of life in the raw from so many rich perspectives of its characters. The depth and reality of each character provides a griping experience which continues long after the last page. I hope we dont need to wait too long before we enter into the lives of Simon and his family again.

The Vows Of Silence
It helps when writing an on-going series if the author creates and writes about likeable, interesting characters. Unfortunately four books in the readers are still having to cope with the Serraillers, specifically Simon and Cat.

We are still no nearer to getting to know Simon at all, his personality is non-existent beyond an almost adolescent obsession with brooding which I imagine is supposed to make him more appealing. Cat is her usual, smug, arrogant, holier than thou self. If she was my GP I'd be the healthiest man alive.

I'm fed up of reading about her kids, her husband, her father always from her point of view. Unfortunately as things turn out, this isn't going to change. Simon and Cat just don't work. Their relationship smacks more of husband and wife rather than brother and sister.

Otherwise the crime aspect is equally unsuccessful. Hill lays out all the clues far too early, meaning the reader has it all worked out long before the police get their act together. Hill though does have some magic moments. Page 290 contains a scene which works perfectly and carries much emotional weight.