The Risk of Darkness

Starred review from March 15, 2009
A gritty case of child abduction and serial murder and the obsessive grief of a widowed husband are at the heart of Hill's latest Simon Serailler mystery (after "Various Haunts of Men" and "Pure in Heart"). While preparing for a posh London exhibit of his drawings, Simon is called to join a team searching for a number of children who have been abducted near his village of Lafferton. A suspect is quickly detained, but the evidence is scant. As Simon mentors the team through the investigation, violence rattles the village further as a young widower, crazy with grief, takes the new Anglican priest hostage. The handsome and enigmatic detective is instantly attracted to this feisty lady cleric, who ruffles his reserve and just might break his heart. Hill blends just the right measures of darkness, tension, and human interest. Her consistently well-crafted plot and believable characters make this a welcome addition to the series. Highly recommended.Susan Clifford Braun, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 19, 2009
Blighted souls and the bleak lives they lead overwhelm the plot of Hill's diffuse and meandering third thriller to feature Chief Insp. Simon Serrailler (after The Pure in Heart
). The fast-paced opening chapters introduce the two main plot lines: a spate of child abductions that have been unnerving the residents of the British town of Lafferton is pinned on an emotionally disturbed young woman, and a man unhinged by grief over his wife's death goes on a psychotic rampage in pursuit of women who look like her. Though these events enmesh all the principal characters—Serrailler, the increasingly reluctant cop; his conscientious physician sister, who's struggling to juggle her home and work lives; and a conflicted female Anglican minister who catches the inspector's fancy—they never cohere or develop in any meaningful way. Instead, Hill expends her energies dwelling on Serrailler's emotional constipation and the behaviors of criminals who are so quirky they begin to parody themselves.