46. The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

A popular series in the UK, this is the first time Hill’s mysteries have been published in the US. The small town of Lafferton is generally quiet and picturesque. Police Detective Freya Graffham is new to the area and is enjoying the quiet country side compared to the busy hustle and bustle of being a London cop. Under her supervisor, Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler, she starts investigating a series of missing women in the area. First missing is nurse Angela Randall while she goes out for her morning run and is never seen again. When a young girl who has been suffering from depression and seeking alternative medicine cures disappears while walking on the Hill, police soon realize that a serial killer is involved.

Full of excellently drawn female characters, a perfect English country side setting, and the police team of Freya and Simon, this is a great English mystery writer to watch. There is definite sexual tension between Freya and Simon, and although Simon is barely developed in this novel, I have a feeling he will become a larger character as the series develops. The mystery novel also has a pretty shocking ending, one readers won’t necessarily expect, where a major character is killed off. Hill follows this mystery with Pure in the Heart, which comes out in the US in early November.