The Risk of Darkness

Simon Serrailler 3

By: Susan Hill

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Following on from the child abduction in her previous novel The Pure in Heart, Susan Hill explores the crazy grief of a widowed husband, a derangement that turns to obsession and threats, violence and terror.©2006 Susan Hill (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Continued...

I wasn't going to get the third (or fourth) but like a bad accident I kept watching. Sadder yet, there is literally NO fun or humor in this book, in these fictional lives and yet they are portrayed as having good lives.

Still, so well written, but i wish she would inject some real life folly into the characters.

her books are great

I found her books because of the narrator Steven pacey. great job. she has a unique style the author.

Nail biting story and brilliant narration

I found the first book in the series quite difficult to get into, but once I did I was hooked and am now in the middle of Book 4. I like the fact that the main character, Simon Serrailler is quite socially awkward and has many contradictions, and but most of all I think the narration is the one of the best I've heard. Steven Pacey is excellent and the story moves quickly through many twists and turns.

This is a great audio to run to and I've found this last week I've gone a km or more out of my way to keep listening. Would definitely recommend.

An Excess of Story Lines

I listened to the first three books in this series pretty quickly and enjoyed the writing and the characters. Simon Serrailler and his family are full of surprises and offer real depth to the works. In this book, the family dynamic changes considerably, setting up lots of possibilities for future revelations.

"The Risk of Darkness", I think, has at least one two many plotlines - one in particular could easily have been eliminated altogether without damaging the overall story. Hill is a very serious writer - the gloom factor is pretty high, even for readers who don't much care for a lot of humor in mysteries. In this listen, it's a bit of overkill.

This was satisfying in that some questions from earlier books are answered. So, despite being a bit less impressed by this addition to the series, I am willing to continue to the 4th book - but I need a little break before the plunge.

Steven Pacey is one of the main reasons for pursuing the Simon Serrailler series - his narration is fantastic.

A great sequel to Pure of Heart

amazing story and amazing performance by Steven Pacey. Can't wait for the next Susan Hill Nove.

5 Stars Minus 3

What made the experience of listening to The Risk of Darkness the most enjoyable?

This is my fourth book by Susan Hill and each time I finish one I vow to listen no more. But, like other readers I keep coming back hoping each time that this will be the one where she finally decides to finish a book with a logical ending! I end up trudging through hour after hour of details about the lives of the characters and get about 5% of the actual plot's story line. Then, after spending those hours I get to the end and nothing has been explained about the actual plot! Quite frustrating! So...great stories. Great narrator. Terrible endings!

Too much going on

What did you like best about The Risk of Darkness? What did you like least?

I loved the resolution of the previous story, i liked the way she ended the story and the other characters affected by the outcome. I did not like all the other stories, it started to feel too busy and not coherent...it felt too busy.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was ok. I am just tired of british authors not allowing their main characters to have success in their personal live.

What about Steven Pacey’s performance did you like?

He is the only reason I keep reading, he is excellent.

Do you think The Risk of Darkness needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, would like to find out what happened to Eileen and Ed.

Susan Hill a master

I immensely enjoyed The Risk of Darkness, not only because it is well written, but also because of the very interesting and surprising plot. Hill runs several story lines alongside each other and you get to know the characters very well. I've certainly become a fan.

Sticking with the series a little longer

Would you consider the audio edition of The Risk of Darkness to be better than the print version?

I only know the audio--I do love the way Steven Pacey narrates.

Any additional comments?

This book resolves much of the unfinished business that left me irritated by the previous one in the series. On the other hand, Simon's reputed horrible treatment of the women he dates is revealed in full detail. I know protagonists need to have flaws, but this one of his and the way both his sister and the author deal with it are frustrating to me.
This book seems to be about "this is just how some people are and they can't be understood or changed." Not my favorite, but at least facts get resolved and Simon finally gets to experience being dumped. On the other hand, he can't seem to have empathy for the women he dumps even then. He still seems to see himself as a blameless victim of all women--incredibly self-centered.
There are also almost too many story threads and it gets hard to keep track of them. But I do find myself wanting to keep listening/reading to find out what will happen.

Strong writing, interesting characters

With a large number of characters, it is sometimes hard to keep track of everyone, but overall this is very well written, with interesting characters and nice literate prose. Too creepy to be a cozy mystery, but subtle, not too dark for me. I will continue with this series.