You have the right to remain silent (The Vows of Silence - Susan Hill)

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	The Vows of Silence - Susan Hill
Date:	31/03/09 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fascinating plot, both as detective story and soap opera, believable characters, easy to read

Disadvantages: Need to have read previous books, in danger of becoming over the top

A new Susan Hill Simon Serrailler book is always an event to look forward to, given the quality of the previous three books in the series. Thankfully, this latest continues the standard set by the earlier trilogy.

The Vows of Silence sees a gunman or gunmen killing people in Lafferton. As if that the pressure of trying to track down the killer(s) wasn't enough, the Serrailler family have mounting personal problems of their own to overcome.

What makes the Serrailler novels such a joy to read is that they are not purely murder-mystery crime novels. At times, they are as much soap opera as crime book; such is the concentration on the family life of the Serraillers. If that sounds pretty dull, don't be put off, because the balance between murder and family is very carefully and well handled. The plot gives you plenty of each and, whichever element you enjoy most, you never feel like you are being short-changed.

The Serailler novels are a breath of fresh air in terms of the standards of detective fiction and manage to steer clear of the usual cliché. Indeed, by the usual standards, they are a fairly normal bunch. They are not alcoholics, drug addicts or suffer from any of the other foibles that authors seem to feel the need to foist on their characters these days. They come across as normal, everyday people with normal every day problems. They are exactly the type of people that might live next door to us and suffer the same ups and downs as we do. They are very human characters which makes it easy for us to identify and sympathise with. For better or worse, their personalities have developed over the course of the three previous novels, and The Vows of Silence continues that trend. Starting to read the book is very comfortable if you have read the previous ones - the characters are immediately familiar and easy to get on with.

At times the concentration on the Serrailler's family life is such that the murder mystery plot seems to take a back seat. This is not a criticism, since it adds to the believability of the book. These are people with lives outside their jobs, not obsessives who spend 24 hours every day at their desk. You become so engrossed in the family life of these people that you almost become an honorary family member. There is real emotional engagement in the book and what fate holds for some of the characters is more engrossing than you might normally expect from a crime novel. They are so well developed and well defined that you suffer the same highs and lows as them and their family.

The murder-mystery aspect is just as compelling. As with most good crime story writers, Hill sets up the initial killing fairly early on, so there is immediately something for the reader to grab onto. She then spends the rest of the book scattering random clues and red herrings into the plot in equal measure, inviting the reader to try and work out who the guilty part is. There are any number of potential suspects and it's always interesting to try and pit your wits against the author and see how quickly you can guess the murderer's identity. True, it's not particularly difficult to guess (particularly if you have read Hill's previous novels and have an insight into how her mind works), but it's always interesting to see if you right.

There's a nice balance between the police investigation (which is not filled with police jargon or procedure) and the family drama (which is neither too tedious nor too over the top). Neither dominates the other and equal importance is given to both. From a reader's perspective, both contain elements of interest and whatever you are reading about, you find yourself hooked.

The Vows of Silence is a highly readable book. Chapters are relatively short which, along with the interesting story, encourages you to keep going. There were several times when I decided I would put the book down when I got to the end of the chapter, only to find myself still sitting there 30 minutes later. That's always the mark of a good book and The Vows of Silence is so compelling that you'll find yourself wanting to read it as quickly as possible to see how the events play out.

The pace is very well judged too. The basic plot points are set up quickly and efficiently. By the time I'd read the opening 15-20 pages I was already really enjoying it and anxious to read on to see how things developed. The book is not overly complex, which means that events can proceed at a fair pace, without ever feeling too lightweight or superficial. At around 330 pages, the book never feels over-stretched or slow paced, but at the same time, you never feel like important events or developments are being skated over too quickly. You feel an emotional attachment to the book and its characters and the whole style is well-judged.

On the downside, although the plot elements are well written and convincingly handled, there is a danger that the Serailler novels are turning a little into self-parody. Each time, bigger and bigger family events or more serious crimes are committed, as though Hill feels the need to top her last set of storylines. At some point, the reader may start to think that there's only so many major events can befall one family or so many crimes to be committed in one place before the book starts to cross over into Midsomer Murders territory. We've not reached that point yet (and that's credit to Hill's ability to spin a convincing yarn), I'm not sure there's much more mileage to be had from events in Lafferton.

Equally, new readers may find themselves feeling rather baffled. There are plenty of references to the previous three books in the trilogy without much by way of explanation. Old characters suddenly re-appear without introduction; previous plotlines are re-introduced and developed without any background preparation. The assumption is very much that anyone reading The Vows of Silence has already read the earlier books and this would be strongly recommended. The Vows of Silence is not the place to start with the adventures of the Serailler family - you need to go back to the first book and read them from the beginning. Even fans of the series may temporarily have trouble recalling certain characters if it's a while since they read the other titles. Whilst it's undoubtedly nice to see an author treating readers with intelligence, a few reminders for reintroduced plot points of characters wouldn't go amiss occasionally!

It's also not a particularly memorable book, long-term, certainly in terms of the police drama. It's a couple of months since I finished reading it and although I can remember personal incidents that happened to Serailler family, I can't honestly remember who either the murderer or the murdered were, nor even the motive for the crimes.

When I heard Hill had written a fourth Serrailler novel, part of me was eager to read it and part of me was nervous that it would prove to be a damp squib. Books and films are full of examples where popular characters have been given one outing too many, casting a shadow over them. Whilst Hill needs to treat her property carefully and not over-do it, The Vows of Silence proves there's still life left in Serrailler and Lafferton.

Basic Information
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The Vows of Silence
Susan Hill
Chatto & Windus, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-701-17999-1

© Copyright SWSt 2009

Summary: Number 4 and still going strong