In this first Simon Serrailler novel, Susan Hill starts off by letting us glimpse the mind of the murderer through letters he writes to his mother. We never learn whether or not his mother is alive, and until the final third of the book we are left to desperately guess his identity as his motives are revealed through his own word.

Hill does not rely on shock and gore to carry the narrative, but rather takes her time to lovingly develop each character. In other novels you would not be made to sympathise very much with the misfit victims beyond the fact that they met a terrible end. Not so with this book, where their pain is keenly felt. There is such a richness of plotlines and personalities in the story that it is very difficult to make any guesses as to what will happen next, much less about who the murderer is.

The somewhat slow pace may not suit more impatient readers, but for those who enjoy a well-woven story it will certainly deliver. The final twist is also unconventional, as the identity of the murderer is revealed earlier than in many thrillers, and the shock lies not in “who is he?” but in “what will he do?”.

The book stands comfortably alone, but it also makes you look forward to the next instalment. An intelligent and gripping read that will affect you long after you put it down.