In this follow-up to "The Various Haunts of Men," Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler is on vacation in Venice, trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of a young woman who had been in love with him. His trip is cut short after he is summoned home, where a little boy has been...

In this follow-up to "The Various Haunts of Men," Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler is on vacation in Venice, trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of a young woman who had been in love with him. His trip is cut short after he is summoned home, where a little boy has been snatched.

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. 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. In Lafferton, Serrailler's town, Susan Hill has brilliantly created a community with detail so sharp and true to life that readers feel that these people are their own neighbors and friends. But there is terror and evil in their very midst. There are no easy answers in The Pure of Heart, 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.