My Review of The Benefit of Hindsight by Susan Hill

In this, the tenth Simon Serrailler crime novel, Simon must engage with his own demons as Lafferton struggles to cope with a series of crimes that threaten the sanctity of hearth and home. 

On the face of it DCI Simon Serrailler has had time to recuperate after the violent incident that cost him his arm, and nearly his life. He is back in harness at Lafferton CID, but is spending his spare time high up in the cathedral roof, making drawings of the medieval angels which are being restored. 

Lafferton is going through a quiet patch, so far as crime is concerned, until one rainy night two local men open their front door to a couple seeking shelter. A serious error of judgment in the investigation puts Simon’s reputation on the line and calls into question how full his recovery has really been. 

In her new role as a private GP, Simon’s sister Cat’s medical and counselling skills are tested by terrible and unexpected events at the homes of two very different Lafferton women. Simon and Cat’s unreliable father, Richard, has returned to live nearby, in a luxury apartment for the well-heeled over 60s. He’s soon up to his usual tricks. 

In this, the tenth Simon Serrailler crime novel, Simon must battle his own demons as Lafferton struggles to cope with a series of crimes that threaten the very sanctity of hearth and home.

My Review:

I'm a big fan of the Simon Serrailler series with its central protagonist a quiet, thoughtful, artistic and intelligent DCI. I've always loved the interweaved genres of detective thriller and modern day domestic fiction provided by Cat, Simon's sister but also so much more. Susan Hill has never used Cat just as a way to highlight Simon in a domestic setting, and as such she a fully realised character and a protagonist in her own right. In The Benefit of Hindsight Cat's investigative skills are used, as all good doctors must do, as both siblings deal with the endemic problems of the real world: Simon is forced to deal with police budget cuts and bitterly laments the lack of bobbies on the beat and the unsuprising increase in drug related crime, whilst Cat has been driven to the private sector in order to actually spend more time with her patients. Naturally this is not a universally popular decision but Hill handles the topic with a deft pair of hands and both sides of the argument are given a fair hearing.

Cat is a bit of a fictional hero of mine, she juggles a pressurised career, a second marriage, three children and an elderly, needy and unpleasant parent. She's a constant reminder that women still juggle so much more than men, and as a daughter the burden of an elderly parent falls firmly on their shoulders whether they want it or not.

No one is infallible and Simon as a flawed hero is very much a central tenet of The Benefit of Hindsight with even his subordinates querying his decisions at times. Hill subtly addresses the concept of the decisions we make and the repercussions they can have whilst undermining hindsight as being a futile exercise. There is no benefit to it because as humans we can only act on the information we have at the time even if  the consequences can be devestating fatal if you're a high ranking policce officer like Simon or a doctor like Cat. Hill highlights how impossible their jobs can be at times and also how little support they are given from their superiors. However, The Benefit of Hindsight did not leave me feeling despondent but rather it was life affirming as it exemplifies that there is an opportunity in every crisis.