A little boy is snatched as he stands with his satchel at the gate of his home, waiting for his lift to school. A severely handicapped young woman hovers between life and death. And an ex-con finds it impossible to go straight. And at the center of it all, the Chief Inspector Simon Serailler to whom readers were introduced in The Various Haunts of Men.

The Pure in Heart is a crime novel arising from character and circumstances, about the psychology of crime, something more enthralling than plain thrillers or whodunits. What results is a magnificent novel about the realities of police work and the sometimes desperate humanity of family. Haunting and truthful, gripping and convincing, it is a thrilling achievement.

Praise for The Pure in Heart:
This is realistic, gritty, and gut-wrenching crime fiction, but it s also a poignant and thoughtful character study An outstanding read that will stay with readers long afterward. Booklist (Starred Review)

A gripping and unusual procedural. . . A must-read. Kirkus (starred review)

"Susan Hill's second foray into the realm of crime fiction is a very British whodunit that unfolds in the cathedral town of Lafferton, with Simon Serrailler back in action. Like Ruth Rendell, the characters are as important as the circumstances, and the result is a psychological thriller, full of sharp details and finely crafted prose." -Seattle Post-Intelligencer

SUSAN HILL is the author of The Woman in Black, The Various Haunts of Men the first mystery starring Chief Inspector Simon Serailler and the ghost story, The Man in the Picture. She lives Britain, where she runs her own small publishing company, Long Barn Books.