''The Various Haunts of Men'' (2004) is a novel by

Susan Hill Dame Susan Hill, Lady Wells, (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include ''The Woman in Black'', '' The Mist in the Mirror'', and '' I'm the King of the Castle'', for which she received t ...

. It is the first in a series of seven "Simon Serrailler" crime novels by the author. It concerns the disappearance of people in the English cathedral town of Lafferton and the resulting police investigations.

Title

The title is taken from

George Crabbe George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people. In the 177 ...

's poem '' The Borough'' : :::''The various haunts of men'' :::''Require the pencil, they defy the pen''

Characters

*Angela Randall was a reclusive unmarried 53-year-old woman who disappears one foggy morning whilst out jogging on The Hill, a local landmark. Her employer at a nursing home, Carol Ashton, insists the police take her disappearance seriously. *Dr Cat Deerborn, GP in Lafferton, married to Chris, also a doctor *Debbie Parker, 20-years-old she suffered from depression, acne and was overweight. But after visiting Dava, a spiritual healer she was beginning to feel better and had taken to early-morning walks on The Hill, from one of which she too disappears. *Freya Graffham A

Detective Sergeant Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...

new to Lafferton after transferring from the Met is put in charge of the investigation. She discovers that Angela Randall has been buying expensive gifts for an unknown man. *Simon Serrailler, Detective Chief Inspector is her commanding officer and brother of Cat Deerborn *Iris Chater a recently bereaved elderly lady seeking comfort in spiritualist meetings is the next to disappear

Reception

Reviews have been mixed : *

Anita Brookner Anita Brookner (16 July 1928 – 10 March 2016) was an English novelist and art historian. She was Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge from 1967 to 1968 and was the first woman to hold this visiting professorship. She ...

of ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' is positive: "There is plenty to enjoy. And the ending is terrific." * Robert Edric writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' found the novel disappointing "We neither know nor sympathise with the victims in this book; nor are we repelled or intrigued by the killer and his reason for committing these murders. His justification, when it is finally delivered, is both simplistic and unconvincing." * Andrew Taylor in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' writes "She has the priceless ability to construct a solidly-researched narrative that keeps the reader turning the pages." but then goes on to say "The identity of the murderer is allowed to drift into the story three-quarters of the way through. Neither the reader nor police have much to do with it. The killer's motivation is so perfunctorily sketched that it fails to convince. The ending is arbitrary, unsatisfying and suspiciously convenient."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Various Haunts of Men Novels by Susan Hill 2004 British novels British crime novels Chatto & Windus books