A Change of Circumstance is a horrible portrayal of the manipulation and abuse of children but lacking in the narrative drive of earlier books. His relationships with women show him in a poor light and it is some question that he is inappropriately dealing with a female Detective Constable. This is listed as a mystery, but it's more of a domestic slice of life book about Simon and his family, and Brookie and his family, and Cat and all the DCs, and poor Mr Lionel, and the Chinese herbalist, and the junkie found dead of an OD/contaminated batch of heroin and a couple of animals and Olivia and whether Simon is going to get with Rachel and ugh.

Simon is unfailingly polite, courteous and sensitive when dealing with the great unwashed – but he is a little condescending too. What makes this novel a worthwhile read is Hill's portrayal of 14 year old Olivia and 11 year old Brooklyn 'Brookie' Roper, and his father, Vince, trying to do all that he can to protect his young son. The representation of the working classes and of non-white characters has always struck me as a little cliched and one-dimensional at best.And there are almost no LGBTQIA characters in this entire series save for the victims in The Benefit of Hindsightand their representation was not without problem. Susan Hill does a brilliant job of creating the ‘other’ characters in this novel – Olivia, her mother, Brookie and his father, all becoming embroiled in this horrible criminal world whether they want to or not. For more crime associated with a cathedral city, you might like to try The Distant Dead by Lesley Thomson. And maybe that was deliberate, encouraging us all to remain vigilant even if we do not fit the stereotype of victims of County Lines; or maybe it showed a lack of understanding on Hill’s behalf.

I wasn’t so sure about the veracity of some of the police procedure but the stories of Brookie and Olivia feel real enough, both children from fractured families pulled into crime by lies and bribes. As ever, she is the only competent, caring doctor in the book and is surprised when the overworked worn down nurses at the hospital don't appreciate her pointing out all the things they are doing wrong. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels". But when the body of a young drug addict is found in neighbouring Starly, the case pulls Simon into a whole new way of running drugs. D. James, this newest case is sure to enthrall new fans and surprise old ones in what is a captivating new addition to a highly acclaimed series.The small-time dealers picked up outside the local high school can��t or won’t turn in any valuable names, so they’re merely given a fine and the trail runs cold.