The Comforts of Home

September 17, 2018
British author Hill’s uneven ninth mystery to feature Det. Chief Supt. Simon Serrailler (after 2015’s The Soul of Discretion) finds Simon recovering on the windswept island of Taransay after a harrowing case nearly killed him. The sea air and close-knit community has done wonders, but his idyll is shaken when well-regarded newcomer Sandy Murdoch is found dead. The shorthanded local police ask Simon to investigate, and he discovers that Sandy may have been hiding something that led to her death. Meanwhile, back home in Lafferton, Simon’s brother-in-law, Chief Constable Kieron Bright, has his hands full with a series of arsons and asks Simon to look into the case of 24-year-old Kimberley Still, missing for five years and thought to be a victim of jailed murderer Lee Russon, who denies involvement. Kimberley’s mother believes otherwise and demands justice. After returning to Lafferton, Simon digs into Kimberley’s disappearance. Credible characters and plenty of atmosphere make up only in part for short, choppy chapters and an underwhelming finale. Agent: Vivien Green, Sheil Land Assoc. (U.K.).

September 15, 2018
A long-serving procedural hero faces health challenges that make him question his future with the police.In a surprising and dark series turn, Hill opens with DCI Simon Serrailler (The Soul of Discretion, 2015, etc.) hospitalized from his latest case and trying desperately to recover. True to her emphasis on realistic consequences, Hill doesn't make Simon's convalescence easy: His world is forever changed. Unsure about his future with the Lafferton police department in spite of the passage of a significant period of time and the encouraging words of his supervisor, Chief Kieron Bright, Simon goes to mull and heal on the remote Scottish island of Taransay. While he's there, he agrees to do some cold-case work for Kieron, who's not just his chief, but now also his brother-in-law, having married Simon's sister, Dr. Cat Deerbon, during Simon's hospitalization and recovery. Kieron asks Simon to investigate the murder of Kimberley, the daughter of Marion Still, who was likely killed by a repeat offender imprisoned for life. Doing administrative work doesn't restore Simon to his old self but does help remind him of his unique skill set, which comes in handy when a member of the small island community suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances. Back in Lafferton, Cat and Kieron adjust to married life while Cat considers relieving the stress of her job by doing private health work, a tempting move her deceased first husband would certainly have objected to. The honeymoon ends with a crash when Cat and Simon's irascible father, Richard, shows up with a health scare of his own.Hill continues to split her focus between exploring procedural conventions and showing her hero as he builds a family, emphasizing his development over his caseload.

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November 1, 2018
DCS Simon Serrailler, gravely wounded in The Soul of Discretion (2015), retreats to the Scottish island of Taransay to recuperate and contemplate his future. The island's solitude proves restorative, and Simon instinctively begins investigating when the body of popular islander Sandy Murdoch washes ashore. Common sense indicates accidental death; Taransay is constantly pummeled by the sea and storms. But a hidden bullet wound shifts Simon's investigation into a murder inquiry. Meanwhile, back in Lafferton, Kieron Bright, Simon's chief (and new brother-in-law), seeks Simon's take on a cold case. Kimberley Still disappeared while taking her lunch break in a Lafferton park, and her grief-fueled mother has enlisted the media in decrying the department's investigation. After discovering the truth behind Murdoch's murder, Simon returns to Lafferton to tackle the cold case and becomes instantly immersed in the comforting, benign turmoil of his family's changing seasons. Hill's writing prowess is on full view here; both newcomers and the series' many established fans will find it difficult to leave the Serraillers' world at the close of this long-awaited entry. A good choice for Louise Penny fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)