The Betrayal of Trust

A Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler Mystery, Book 6

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Simon Serrailler is faced with that most complicated of investigations - a cold case. Freak weather and flash floods have hit southern England. The small cathedral town of Lafferton is underwater, and a landslip on the moor has closed the roads. As the rain slowly drains away, a shallow grave - and a skeleton - is exposed; 20 years have passed, and the remains of missing teenager Joanne Lowther have finally been uncovered.

Joanne, an only child, had been on her way home from a friend's house that night. She was the daughter of a prominent local businessman, and her mother had killed herself two years after she disappeared, unable to cope.

Cold cases are always tough, and in this latest mystery in the acclaimed series from Susan Hill, Simon Serrailler is forced to confront his most grisly, dangerous, and complex case yet.

©2011 Susan Hill. All rights reserved. (P)2012 AudioGo

insightful and touching

I love Hill's Serrailler series and so am treating myself to a second (and occasional third) listen to the whole series. Betrayal is a typical example but the treatment of its central themes and the characters involved are both especially engaging. Responsibility for bad actions, the conundrum of lives compromised by mental impairment, the right to die - huge moral questions dealt with in very real-life situations. I truly appreciate her evocative and thoughtful writing. She has her characters take philosophical stances that allow the reader to fold in their own without impatience or negatively dismissive responses - a rare achievement.

Just love Susan Hill

Amazingly gifted story writer. Each one of the books in this series were so enjoyable and Steven Pacey should win an award for his narration. Hoping for another in this series.

Great Audible Plus Find

I was able to stumble across this gem, due to the availability of the Audible Plus catalog. Having searched extensively for a new listen, as soon as I heard the narrator and the writing style of the author I knew it was the one for me. The author has the ability to write as though reading one’s thoughts. Atmospheric and descriptive, the author writes about, murder, life, death, love, sickness, aging, ethics and a number of those compromising niggling things in between, which fall between the bookends of black and white.

Don't Let the Inaccurate Description Throw You

I have been enjoying this series of books. As I was reviewing the stories I had already listened to, I got confused. The description of the plot doesn't match the actual story line. Yes, two bodies were unearthed during a storm, but the names and amount of time the girls were missing is wrong. I know it is petty, but that really bugs me!

Serrailler as Juggler

When two skeletons are unearthed during a flood, Serrailler finds himself with two cold cases, a woman that wants to commit suicide and a love interest that's married. Throw in a violent woman with dementia and a sketchy doctor. Somehow, Hill ties everything together. There are a few loose strings at the end.

Had to stop myself to sleep - this is a good one

This is my favorite in the series so far. The mystery and the characters! Simon's story advances quite a bit here, and the way the characters intertwine kept me intrigued in such a way that I had to force myself to stop and sleep. Could have gone thru this one in one go!

Great story

This is one of the best in my opinion. Along with the mystery, as usual there is another story going on. It takes on a very serious,debated subject. Assisted suicide. The subject is covered well with one character being terminally ill and looking into it. We get a little of the “pro and con” sides. I am loving this series, only a couple more with the Plus Catalog, will wind up buying the rest!

story not bad ending attrocious

The overall story was not bad and the narrator was good. I found the ending offensive to police officers. A detective, allegedly great at his job who is in charge of the CID office gest a confession from a woman who witnessed 1 murder her life partner committed and assisted in committing a 2nd murder with her life partner 16 years prior, and the detective says he's not going to do anything about it and just walks away oh hell no. If you don't know about police procedure do not write about it

Not A Typical "Procedural"

This is a captivating story and a good mystery. Much time is spent on the stories of the non-recurring characters. I liked that very much. Their stories caught my interest and kept me listening. I wondered how they would all mesh together. The story of the Serrailler family is also continued and I enjoy that aspect of these books as well. The mystery is good. I wasn't able to guess the solution ahead of time.

This series deals less with the actual police work and more with the stories of the people. I like that aspect of the series very much. However, if you prefer stories that stay strictly within the bounds of a specific crime and it's solution, these books may not appeal to you.

Steven Pacey's narration is excellent.

Depressing

One of the main themes in The Betrayal of Trust is euthanasia. Had I known the story would center around that issue, I wouldn’t have read it. Even though I like this series, this book was depressing.