Books
Simon Serrailler books in order
Looking for Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler books in order? Look no further!
Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler novels are in a league of their own – literate, detailed, and full of drama – standing head and shoulders above the majority of crime novels.
At their heart is a very English setting, the idyllic fictional cathedral town of Lafferton, and a very English Detective, Chief Superintendent Serrailler, in the pursuit of classic whodunits. But there’s nothing old-fashioned about the crimes and nothing cosy about the lives of the characters, including Serrailler’s.
With the series ongoing, it’s a perfect opportunity to delve into some brilliant crime fiction! Here are all Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler books in order.
Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler books in order:
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
1. The Various Haunts of Men (2004)
A woman vanishes in the fog up on the Hill in Lafferton. The police have one lead – a pair of expensive cuff-links found in her flat, with a mysterious note attached to them. Then a young girl, an old man and even a dog disappear in quick succession in exactly the same place.
Simon Serrailler and young policewoman Freya Graffham are given the task of unravelling the mystery. But can they find the Hill killer before he strikes again?
Read the first chapter of the book here.
The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill
2. The Pure in Heart (2005)
A little boy is snatched at the gate of his home while he waits for his lift to school.
An ex-con struggling to go straight finds himself drawn back into a criminal ring.
A young woman hovers between life and death.
Simon Serrailler is called in to investigate. But with dead-ends mounting up and time running out, has he taken on a case so complex it threatens to defeat him?
The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill
3. The Risk of Darkness (2006)
Children are vanishing. The village of Lafferton is shattered.
There are no witnesses and no leads – just a kidnapper at large.
Then Simon Serrailler receives a call: a child has been snatched in Yorkshire. Has the abductor struck again? And will they find this child alive?
The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill
4. The Vows of Silence (2008)
A gunman is terrorising young women. What links these seemingly random murders? Is the marksman with a rifle the same person as the killer with a handgun? Or do the police have two snipers on their hands?
Simon Serrailler is in charge of the case, but is struggling to cope with a tragedy at the heart of his family.
The pressure is mounting…
The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill
5. The Shadows in the Street (2010)
Two local prostitutes are found brutally strangled.
Simon Serrailler is called back urgently from his sabbatical but by the time he reaches Lafferton another girl has vanished.
Then the wife of the Dean at the Cathedral goes missing – has the killer widened their net or is there more than one murderer at large?
The Betrayal of Trust by Susan Hill
6. The Betrayal of Trust (2011)
Heavy rain falls on Lafferton. As the rainwater slowly drains away, a shallow grave – and a skeleton – are revealed.
It doesn’t take long to identify the remains as those of missing teenager, Harriet Lowther, who was last seen sixteen years ago.
But a cold case isn’t a priority: if Simon Serrailler is to solve the case, he will have to do it alone.
A Question of Identity by Susan Hill
7. A Question of Identity (2012)
One snowy night in the cathedral town of Lafferton, an old woman is dragged from her bed and strangled with a length of flex. Simon Serrailler and his team search desperately for clues to her murderer. All they know is that the killer will strike again, and will once more leave the same tell-tale signature.
Then they track down a name: Alan Keyes. But Alan Keyes has no birth certificate, no address, no job, no family, no passport, no dental records. Nothing.
Their killer does not exist.
The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill
8. The Soul of Discretion (2014)
Simon Serrailler faces his most dangerous challenge yet. Going undercover, he must leave town immediately, change his identity and sever all contact with friends and family.
And, more importantly, he must inhabit the mind of the worst kind of criminal. But can he do so without losing everything?
Read an extract from the book here.
The Comforts of Home by Susan Hill
9. The Comforts of Home (2018)
Simon Serrailler’s last, devastating case was nearly the death of him and left him confronting a new reality. Recovering on a remote Scottish island, his peace doesn’t last long. He is pulled in to a murder inquiry by the overstretched local police. A newcomer, popular with the islanders, has died in perplexing circumstances.
It’s good to be back on the job. And when Simon returns to Lafferton, an arsonist is on the rampage and a woman whose daughter disappeared some years before is haunting the police station seeking closure. She will not let it rest, and Simon is called in to do a cold-case review.
The Benefit of Hindsight by Susan Hill
10. The Benefit of Hindsight (2019)
On the face of it Simon Serrailler has had time to recuperate after the violent incident that cost him his arm, and nearly his life.
Lafferton is apparently going through a quiet patch, so far as crime is concerned, until one night two local men open their front door to a distressing scene.
In her new role as a private GP, Simon’s sister Cat’s medical and counselling skills are tested by terrible and unexpected events at the homes of two very different Lafferton women.
A Change of Circumstance by Susan Hill
11. A Change of Circumstance (2021)
DCS Simon Serrailler has long regarded drugs ops in the Lafferton area as a waste of time. Small-time dealers are picked up outside the local secondary school, they’re given a fine or a suspended and away they go. And rinse and repeat. But when the body of a young drug addict is found in neighbouring Starly, the case pulls Simon into a whole new way of running drugs. The foot soldiers? Vulnerable local kids like Brookie and Olivia, who will give Simon a bitter taste of this new landscape.
It is a harsh winter at home as well as work. Simon’s GP sister Cat and her husband Kieron are struggling with medical dramas big and small. A trip to Bevham General on her rounds sets off alarm bells for Dr Cat, and a visit from her son Sam as he tries to work out if his midwifery course is right for him coincides with a threat to their beloved family dog. Simon is working hard, but he’s restless, wondering what next. There’s nothing new going on for him in Lafferton, but sometimes the familiar holds surprises, too…
The Sound of Footsteps by Susan Hill
12. The Sound of Footsteps
The highly anticipated 12th instalment in the Simon Serrailler series will be hitting shelves soon!
There you have it – Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler books in order! How many have you read? Let us know in the comments below…
1 to 11 in 6 weeks, oops. I now have a lot of jobs to catch up with.
When is book 12 hitting the shelves?
Will be a completely new Simon, new cottage with Rachel his wife.
Waiting, somewhat impatiently, for the next. Loved this series!
I have just finished reading ‘A Change of Circumstance’ From the first to this last one, utterly enjoyable, enthralling, csn’t put ‘downable’!!! Like going to old friends and hearing the next stage of their story. Now I have to wait eagerally, impatiently for the next!! Gonna start again from begining and relax and enjoy.Thankyou
I have listened to the full series Susan Hills Simon Serrailler books really enjoyed them hope she does some more
I am new to the Simon Serrailler books but think that they are amazing and I am loving every page. Can’t wait to read them all. Susan Hill’s characterization is superb.