Susan Hill Books In Order

Publication Order of Simon Serrailler Books

Publication Order of The Woman in Black Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Children's Books

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Susan Hill is an English author who has written mainly mystery and thriller novels and books related to fiction and literature genre. His works also include non-fiction and children-oriented books as well. Susan was born in the year 1942 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire and has been pursuing her writing career for the past five decades. She has received many awards for her contribution to literature. Her novel ‘I’m the King of the Castle’ has fetched her the Somerset Maugham Award in the year 1971. In 2012, Susan was appointed as the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to English literature. Susan attended the Scarborough Convent School and was interested in literature and theater since her childhood days. Later, she joined the Barr’s Hill school for girls in Coventry due to her fathers transfer, who worked in an aircraft factory. She studied English, Latin, History and French and graduated with a degree in English from the King’s College of London. Susan wrote her first novel before graduating, which got published through the Hutchinson when she was in the first year of university. Susan married Stanley Wells, a Shakespeare scholar in the year 1975 and has a couple of daughters, Jessica Ruston and Clemency who were born in 1977 and 1985. She has founded her own publishing house recently under the name of ‘Long Barn Books’, which publishes at least one fictional book per year. Susan has remained Anglican all through her life.

Due to her exclusive novels and literature works, Susan has received many awards and accolades throughout her career. She has won prestigious awards such as the Whitbread Novel Award in the year 1972 for her novel ‘The Bird of Night’. The same year, she received the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for ‘The Albatross’. She was also awarded the Nestle Smarties Book Prize in the year 1988 for the children’s category novels. Susan has a unique descriptive gothic style of writing. Her ghost stories have been turned into plays and have been running in the West End of London since 1987. ‘The Woman in Black’ was also made into a television series in the year 1989 and into a film by Hammer Film Productions in the year 2012, which has become a commercial success too. In 2004, Susan Hill began a series of crime novels based on the famous character ‘Simon Serrailler’. The series included seven novels and was based on the disappearance of people from the town of Lafferton and the police investigations taking place to find them. Susan introduced a set of strong characters through this crime series. Here is a list of the characters that were depicted in the series:

1. ANGELA RANDALL:
Angela was a 53 year old woman who is very reclusive. She disappears while jogging one foggy morning from a local landmark, The Hill. Her disappearance is taken too seriously and as a result, her employer Carol Ashton demands for a serious police investigation.

2. SIMON SERRILLER:
Simon Serrailler is the main protagonist of the series and is designated as a Detective Chief Inspector and the commanding officer of Sergeant Freya Graffham. He is also the brother of Dr. Cat Deerbon.

3. DR. CAT DEERBON:
Dr. Cat Deerbon is a G.P in Lafferton, who is married to Chris. Chris is also a doctor by profession.

4. FREYA GRAFFHAM:
Freya is a Detective Sergeant, who is newly appointed in the town of Lafferton after getting transferred from the Met. She is selected as the in-charge of the investigation of the missing people under the command of Detective Chief Inspector, Simon Serrailler. Freya discovers through her investigation that Angela had been buying expensive gift items for an unknown man, before getting disappeared.

5. DEBBIE PARKER:
Debbie is a 20 year old girl suffering from depression, overweight and acne. She began feeling better after visiting a spiritual leader named Dava and had started taking morning walks on The Hill. She also disappears from the same location one morning while jogging.

6. IRIS CHATER:
Iris is a bereaved elderly lady who is the next to disappear. She was seeking comfort in spiritual meetings before disappeared.

The first novel of the crime series was titled ‘The Various Haunts of Men’ and was published in the year 2004. It was a story full of suspense and thrill, which were very well depicted by Susan. The plot starts with a woman getting vanished on a foggy morning from a local peaceful area. But, police is not informed about this disappearance as people in the town of Lafferton have the habit of getting disappeared for their own reasons. When more people start disappearing one after another from the quiet surrounding of The Hill, people start believing that something is wrong with the place. A dog, an old woman and a young girl also disappear soon and a young police officer, Freya Graffham is assigned to do the investigation. Freya is a dedicated, compassionate and inquisitive in her job as a detective, As she is new to the place, she is ordered to work under the command of Detective Chief Inspector, Simon Serrailler. Simon is an enigmatic personality and the perfect person who has the power of unravelling the mystery by studying the chain of events. The novel shows interesting twists and turns before revealing the killer. The novel was very well mastered by Susan Hill and her crime debut was highly acclaimed by any reviewers. The title of the novel was taken from the poem ‘The Borough’ written by George Crabbe. Readers described it to be full of joy and a terrific ending. Others described it to be a well researched narration, which is capable enough to keep the readers engaged in reading.

The second novel of the series was titled a ‘The Pure in Heart’, which got published in the year 2006. The novel features the same town of Lafferton which is still a quiet English cathedral town and is experiencing the Spring season. It shows a small boy getting snatched when is waiting for his school bus at the gate of his house, with his satchel. In another instance, a handicapped young woman is seen hovering for help as she is stuck between life and death. The novel is even more haunting than the previous installment and full of gripping truth. It shows a fascinating crime scene and an interesting fight-back by the police department to bring back the lost peace of the Lafferton town. This novel too received good reviews from the readers for its exciting thriller content. It is definitely an excellent read as a crime novel.