A Question of Identity by Susan Hill

A trial concludes. A jury gives a verdict. One person gets police protection, gets all help from police to get a new identity, gets help to retrain and start a new life. Another cowers in fear. Looks for help. Has nowhere to turn. Lives every moment of the life in mortal fear. The one who gets the police protection and help to start a new life is a killer who has killed at least three elderly women, who gets not guilty verdict as the defence convinces the witnesses that she cannot be sure about the identity of the person. The one who cowers in fear, is his wife that the prosecution convinces that she has no reason to fear and should speak out the truth, if necessary she would be given protection. Irony of justice!?

The story starts with the trial and then moves on to ten years after the event. The killer is retrained and leads a new life. When he sees an opportunity to let loose the inner demons he grabs it. A new settlement for elderly is ready for occupation, as the women move in our killer starts his rampage. 

The story was going fine and all of a sudden too many characters are introduced. Cat, Judith, Richard, Hannah, Sam, Simon and so on. It takes some time to understand the dynamics and relationship between the characters. Oh ya! Simon is the detective. I suppose these are regular characters with whom probably the readers of the series are already acquainted and need no introduction. Not reading any other book in the series it did take some time to understand who is who. While the new identity of the killer is not known, and Simon has to find out, we can guess who quite early. 

I read two horror novellas by Susan Hill and she creates quite an atmosphere, that is the reason I picked up this book, Susan Hill does create an atmosphere during the killing scenes. One of the elderly woman living alone in this settlement, contemplates in the night of starting a small library for the residents and thinks of authors to include the library P D James, Katie Fforde, Ruth Rendell, Denis Lehane, could be a bit raw for some, not Scandinavian Crime which is very violent and meets her end in a rather violent way. Thinking of crime books or reading crime fiction and then getting killed? We all love these thrills, don't we? 

The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill

Oliver's mentor Theo narrates the story of his possession of a Venetian painting. The said painting is of a Venetian Carnival which seems to have a disturbing effect on its surroundings and possessor. Theo's narration takes us into the narration of a very old lady giving the story, story within a story within a story effect sometimes like our nightmares. I didn't actually feel much for the old lady, until she reached the story of her son where the cruelty of the other lady was very evident.

The Story is not very scary, but then i didn't read it in the night. I am glad there is no oil painting in my house. I will definitely remember this story when I visit Venice. The ending is not unexpected but Hill plays a nice little trick.

This story of possession will stay with me for long. We all have heard or seen a beautiful painting, an image that stays with us forever. This is a haunting of the real kind. Interesting novella, Susan Hill creates quite an atmosphere and can be read in one setting.

Friday Memes

This week I am posting from The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill
Friday Book Beginnings is a weekly meme where we share the opening line of our current read. Book Beginnings is hosted by the Rose City Reader.

Rain, rain all day, all evening, all night, pouring autumn rain.

Friday 56 hosted @ Freda's Voice is a weekly Meme where we share an interesting snippet from page 56 of our current book.

The guard's whistle blew as the door slammed shut and I found myself alone with a striking-looking woman who was surrounded by suitcases, bags and hat-boxes and sitting with a very upright posture in the opposite seat.