I hate it when . . .

. . . an author ends a book the way Susan Hill ended THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN.

**SPOILER ALERT** One of the main characters through whose POV we experience much of the story is murdered.

Here's the deal. Hill is SUCH a fabulous writer. The way she handles details of setting and character both is remarkable. My good friend Mystery Girl, who has muy excellent taste, recommended the book to me, and I can see why she did. Only I felt jerked around by the book's ending. I probably won't pick up another mystery by Hill because I kinda don't trust her now.

All of this has me thinking . . . as writers we want to surprise our readers. We want to be fresh and original. But I think it's important to play fair, too.