Hill tackles Val McDermid territory with a bit more subtlety and a close look at love-how it begins, persists and ends-that may have readers turning to their significant others for a reassuring kiss.

The fact that The Vows of Silence is light on what traditionally constitutes a mystery plot hardly registers. It's the intelligence of this brooding series that rivets a reader's attention.

This top-notch, tautly plotted British mystery series just keeps getting better. Serrailler is a satisfyingly complex character with a challenging job aided by a supporting cast of strong and believable characters.

Susan Hill, a full-time writer since 1963, has written over forty novels, numerous nonfiction books, novellas, short stories, and several books for children. In addition to her writing, she edits short-story compilations, writes a monthly column for the Daily Telegraph, and runs a literary magazine, Books and Company. She has also formed a publishing company, Long Barn Books, inspired by her lifelong admiration for Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press. She was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and has won the Whitbread, Somerset Maugham, and John Llewellyn Rhys awards for her adult novels, as well as the Smarties Prize for a children's book.

Steven Pacey is an actor and Earphones Award-winning narrator. He is a highly decorated stage actor, performing often at the West End Theatre. He has appeared in numerous television roles, including Tarrant in Blake's 7, and has made over three hundred radio broadcasts.