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 . . .

My Thoughts:

This is my second book by Susan Hill and I absolutely loved it. In this Simon Serrailler Case, when DCS Simon Serrailler is called into find out what happened to a young drug addict who has died but there is more than meets the eye in this story. He has to use all his powers and knowledge to research and find out about the local drug addicts and he finds it goes way deeper than just that. More to the point also about keeping himself safe. A gripping read that I felt as though once I had started reading I didn’t want to stop, it pulls you in and the pace is quick with interesting characters. It is not straight forward as you may think. I enjoyed this read and will definitely read the other books in this series.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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