A Change of Circumstance by Susan Hill. Unfortunately, I could not make myself read this book.
This series is just to dark and depressing for me. Also drug gangs are too grim a subject for me at this time. I used to like this series but I think my tastes have changed.

# A Change of Circumstance is number 11 in this series by #Susan Hill. It’s a mystery and also dark. Quite the pageturner….
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley and Abrams

In this latest of Hill’s series, the Simon Serailler story continues with his position at Lafferton Police keeping him more at his desk than in the past as he manages his team. And there are new problems to manage as drugs are finding there way into the smaller towns and villages now and the runners are involving local kids.

On a personal note, Simon is as lost as he has been for some time in trying to figure out his future, not with the police but romantically. As his sister Cat has pointed out, once he finds someone he likes, he generally pushes them away or runs away himself. Cat has a stressful time now in her new Concierge medical practice. While she has more control, there are still drawbacks and she has encountered poor care of a patient in hospital.

As always in this series, each novel is a combination of the domestic and the police story. Here we see the stresses of each bleeding through to the other, as they do in real life. I did feel that this book was a bit more episodic than others in the series, with shorter chapters and quicker changes of scene or character. As I continued, I came to see this as reflecting both the stresses on the characters and the specific type of crime that was attacking their area. By the end, that feeling had gone completely. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.


A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Good if you follow the series. Pretty dreary. Not too much happens with main characters. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Drugs have hit hard in many areas and is it seems Lafferton itself may have a problem. Simon has become involved in a new case when a young man dies of a drug overdose in a deserted apartment. Was it self administered or murder? So begins this story, 11th in series, and another I've read from the beginning. Have grown quite fond of these characters.

Simon, his sister Cat and her family, a good mix of personal happenings and police work. Cat, as a physician adds an interesting mix, and Simon trying to come to terms with his life outside of police work is another added note. Will await the next in series to see where it goes. Good stuff.

I am always pleased to come upon a new-to-me author, and Susan Hill was that. "A Change of Circumstance," although the eleventh in the series, is a fine place to start, and I have the lovely prospect of the preceding ten books awaiting me. I did not have any trouble with slotting in the characters, or picking up what I needed to of the backstory.

This is a multi-layered story of change and redemption, of work and families, and of the scourge of the drug trade. I don't like spoilers, so I am not going to give any. This is a good read; the book holds the reader's interest, and the plot moves right along.

I really enjoyed "A Change of Circumstance" and Simon Serrailler. This was less a crime story and more a slice-of-life recounting, but it was very interesting and worth reading. On to number 12, and while I am waiting I have a pile of mysteries to occupy me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

Fans everywhere anxiously await the arrival of a new book by Susan Hill. Despite it being a mystery novel with carefully laid out plots, there is also the family drama of DCS Serrailler and his sister’s family. And let’s not forget DCS Serrailler’s dysfunctional love life.

The Serrailler family truly seem like your own family. It is great to finally catch up with them again in each book. But it is important to start at the beginning of this series to get the full story of the family and background of Simon and his sister Cat.

The mystery itself is intriguing. DCS Serrailler has dismissed the issue of drugs in his patch before. But not now that criminals are using local children and teens to distribute illegal substances. You will have to read the book to find out what happens.

Susan Hill is a master in world-building in her novels. The fictional country town of Lafferton is a character in its own right. AND there is a map of the town and important local spots in each book – I do spend a lot of time going back to the map to see where things are located and the distance to other locations with their events.

My one complaint: the conclusion was rushed and abrupt. So now we must again wait for the next book.

I'd not read this series since the first book (how did I miss them all?) so this was pretty much a standalone for me and it was very very good. DCS Simon Serrailler has never sent much time on drugs cases but now villains are recruiting and using children to sell narcotics. HIs sister, Dr. Cat Dearborn, is married to his boss, Chief Constable Kieran Bright and she's got issues of her own. I'm certain fans of the series got more from the characters than I did but they stand out on the page. It's appropriately suspenseful and twisty- as well as atmospheric. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC, I'm definitely going back for the earlier books.

I would like to thank NetGalley and The Overlook Press for an advanced copy of A Change of Circumstance by Susan Hill for an honest review. This is the 11th installment of the Simon Serrailler series. I have read the whole series thus far and can honestly say that it is one of my favorite series that I look forward to reading. Susan Hill is a master of characterization and storytelling. The Serrailler Family characters seem like members of your own family. Simon, a son of two doctors, is a Detective Chief Superintendent of the Lafferton Police. Simon's sister, Cat Deerbon, has three children and is now married to Chief Constable Kieron Bright. She is a General Practitioner in the National Health Society. When a young man dies of a heroine overdose, Simon realizes that a drug network has infiltrated the local schools. Will Simon be able to crush this network and keep Lafferton save from the drugs? The plot is dark and gripping and the story keeps the pages turning until the very end. Simon's personal life is also a major part of the book as Rachel Wyatt, Simon's ex-lover, returns to Lafferton. Can't wait to read the next installment in order to see where this relationship is going. Susan Hill knows how to keep you invested in this series. If you like crime novels with family drama, then you will enjoy this series.

I have read this entire series and have loved every minute of doing so! This latest installment is just as good and as entertaining as the others have been. Simon gets involved in a very intriguing drug/possible murder case, and as usual he and the other main characters (especially his sister Cat and her son Sam) add to the drama along the way. Reading this latest is just like going home -- and checking to see how all of the characters are doing since I last encountered them. This is simply a wonderful series that provides delightful reads!

"In the newest installment of Susan Hill’s electrifying crime series, Simon Serrailler finds himself in devastating new territory as a sophisticated drug network sets its sights on Lafferton. In A Change of Circumstance, the eleventh book in Susan Hill’s acclaimed crime series featuring the enigmatic detective Simon Serrailler, Hill yet again raises the stakes.

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler has long regarded drug ops in Lafferton as a waste of time. The small-time dealers picked up outside the local high school can’t or won’t turn in any valuable names, so they’re merely given a fine and the trail runs cold.

But when the body of a twenty-two-year-old is found in neighboring Starley, the case pulls DCS Simon Serrailler into the underbelly of an elaborate drug operation that moves narcotics from the cities into the suburbs and right down to villages. The foot soldiers? Vulnerable local kids like Brookie and Olivia, whose involvement gives Simon a bitter taste of this new landscape. It’s a harsh winter in Lafferton, and with struggles both at home and on the job, DCS Serrailler soon learns that even the familiar can hold shocking surprises...

Dark, page-turning, and rich in mood and character, Susan Hill’s A Change of Circumstance lands brilliantly as another gripping entry to the Serrailler canon, sure to enthrall fans and newcomers alike."

I am ALWAYS up for a new Susan Hill!

This is very much written in today's world almost in every family! Sometimes we work with the law and some times we are the Law! But the world keeps turning !

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler of Lafferton CID is eager to shut down a criminal enterprise in Starly, a nearby English village. In exchange for bribes, felons convince children and young adults to deliver packets of illegal substances. One of the mules is eleven-year-old Brookie Roper, a timid boy who is used to being bullied. He is shocked when a stranger gives him a rucksack and cell phone; all the child has to do is drop off packages. Olivia Tonks is a fourteen-year-old girl who agrees to do the same in exchange for cash. Another reluctant participant is a Chinese herbal pharmacist, Wang Lin, who wants nothing to do with drug dealers. Unfortunately, he is terrified of telling the police what he knows. Serrailler, his brother-in-law and boss, Chief Constable Kieron Bright, and their team investigate the death of an addict who is found with a syringe in his arm, and they launch an inquiry that, they hope, will lead to those in charge.

Susan Hill delves into the personal stories of her characters in her police procedurals, and "A Change of Circumstance" is no exception. Although Simon has always been self-sufficient, he has regrets when he thinks about the woman who got away—Rachel Wyatt—whom he still loves. Simon is close to his sister, the compassionate and wise Dr. Cat Dearbon. Cat provides her brother with meals, comfort, and sound advice that he generally ignores. As he approaches middle age, Simon wonders what lies ahead for him.

This novel is a bit too plot-driven to be completely satisfying. There are scenes of hard-hitting violence that are realistic but disturbing. Hill repeatedly makes the point that drug distributors are everywhere—in large cities and tiny hamlets. Although fans of Simon and Cat always enjoy spending time with them, Hill jumps around from one topic to another too often. In addition, the rushed conclusion is not only abrupt but unrealistic . As a result, the novel does not have the depth and impact of Hill's best work. What a shame, since devotees of Serrallier have derived a great deal of pleasure from reading about this angst-ridden man's adventures and romantic entanglements over the years.

Here is another masterpiece by the author Susan Hill. The entire Simon Serrailler series is exceptional reading. This latest installment, and I fervently hope there will be others, was so, so good. Serrailler is a chief police inspector who resides in the small town of Lafferton, where he works. He is investigating the death of a young man whose heroin overdose is the latest in the growing drug problem in the area. When young children are being recruited to be drug mules, Serrrailler becomes even more determined to short circuit the activity. At the same time, we are treated to his relationship with his sister Cat, who is a doctor in the same town. as well as her personal story. This is an excellent book and while it is possible to read as a stand-alone novel, the whole series is truly "not to be missed" reading. I very strongly recommend this book as well as the previous ten books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, my favorite author Susan Hill and the publisher ABRAMS, The Overlook Press for granting my request to read this wonderful book.

Simon Serallier is a great character and this series flows. I love his family and his sister Cat. The present day issues the books feature are relatable as current problems. This one highlights care for the elderly and grooming kids as drug runners. The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad and Simon is a good guy. Complex in other ways, his character seeks love and connection that relates back to his heartbreak from the very first book in the series that wowed the reader. Best read as a series.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Mystery series authors must balance on the knife's edge of keeping the plot ticking while spending time elucidating the depth and intentions of the characters involved. I find Susan Hill to be one of the best in the business at managing this balance. You will get your intriguing plot, that's always guaranteed. You'll also get further insight into the Serrailer family's personal battles. Invested in the characters and interest in the plot kindled, you'll race to finish the book while being slightly sad that you have to step out of the Serrailer world as it ends.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy given in exchange for a fair review.

A Change of Circumstance reminds me of the repositioning sails cruise ships do, to move, free of passengers, to another location to begin ferrying people in a different area.

This is listed as a mystery, but it's more of a domestic slice of life book about Simon and his family, and Brookie and his family, and Cat and all the DCs, and poor Mr Lionel, and the Chinese herbalist, and the junkie found dead of an OD/contaminated batch of heroin and a couple of animals and Olivia and whether Simon is going to get with Rachel and ugh.

The crime is laid out, so there's no spoilers in place by saying if you've read Oliver Twist, you've read this story before, only better in that book, because this crime is an homage to that. There's even an Olivia to help get any non-literary heathens up to speed on where they could track down the OG version.

Seriously, though, I really didn't care about Simon at all. This is the first book in the series I've read,but if the writing is like this in all of them - sometimes ending a chapter very abruptly, almost as if there's something that's been left out, or hopping between two or three heads without any break to help us figure out whose head we're in now - I won't be going back to book one, as I do with many other series, and I definitely won't be picking up/requesting the next one. The latter I really, really do not like: head-hopping only works if it's done well. This was not. The story was fractured and quite unenjoyable for that reason alone. Put all the rest in between all the domestic stuff, and it's a sandwich not worth eating.

Two out of five stars.

Thanks to Abrams/Overlook Press and NetGalley for the reading copy.

Thank you Netgalley and ABRAMS, The Overlook Press for the eARC.
It was so good to be back in Laffington with DCS Simon Serrailler, his sister Cat and the rest of the gang! This time Simon is called to the body of a young man who overdosed. He probably died by accident, but Simon decides to look deeper into the case. He's very worried about the steep increase of drugs and the use of young children for pickups and deliveries in their area. Cat is extremely busy as well, visiting more patients than she can handle. She's also worried when Wookie, her little dog, goes missing as well as about her eldest son Sam's obvious problems. Her husband, who is also Simon's boss, is being a big baby about a torn ligament, Simon is, as usual, a commitment phobe, but all this adds to my enjoyment of the series. Susan Hill is a wonderful author, she reminds me of P.D. James and Ruth Rendell...she's that good. If only we didn't have to wait so long for no. 12 in the series!

Organized drug distribution has come to Lafferton and children are being recruited as messengers. Serrailer recognizes the severity of the problem when a tragedy occurs. At the same time he's dealing with personal issues. The case is interesting but way too much of the book is taken up with Serrailler's and his family member's issues that at times one wonders what the central focus is.

Susan Hill has written another excellent thriller in the series.Her style of writing brings the characters alive the mystery keeps me guessing.I enjoyed this book from beginning to end will be recommending.#netgalley #abramsbooks,