Saturday, October 20, 2012

A Question of Identity:Susan Hill

A Question of Identity:


Susan Hill

Overlook, Nov 8 2012, $25.95

ISBN 9781468300505



In 2002 a Yorkshire jury found Alan Keyes not guilty of murdering three elderly women (Carrie Millicent Gage, Sara Pearce and Agnes Daphne Kavanagh) in 2001.in Yorkshire. The verdict angers many people who demand vigilante justice. To keep the mob from tearing his limbs apart, Keyes is given a new identity.



In 2012, someone murders octogenarian Elinor Sanders in her home on Lafferton. The evidence points to the return of Alan Keyes as the M.O. is similar to what happened to the three victims in 2002. Police detective Simon Serrailler leads the investigation as the psychopath kills two more elderly people.



The latest Simon Serrailler police procedural (see The Betrayal of Trust) is a fabulous whodunit that is incredible when following the investigation or centering on Keyes (circa 2002 and 2012). When the storyline focuses on Simon’s affair with married Rachel it adds depth to understanding the protagonist but detracts from an otherwise great mystery.



Harriet Klausner

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