Rendell, Ruth

Average customer rating:

Rendell's Masterpiece
Short stories that don't feel like a compromise.
A collection of 11 stories
Ok collection, until the final story

Blood Lines: Long and Short Stories
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517703238
Release Date: 1996-06-03

Book Description

Hailed by Patricia Cornwell as "unequivocally the most brilliant mystery writer of our time, " Ruth Rendell now delivers an all-new collection of long- and short-story mysteries. As always with Rendell, these stories of mystery and wrongdoing shine their light into the dark places of the human psyche.

Customer Reviews:

Rendell's Masterpiece.......2006-08-03

The novelette included in this collection, "The Strawberry Tree," may well be Rendell's masterpiece, the single work that stands above all her other many fine novels and stories. It's a work of exquisite craftsmanship and deep psychological depth. I gasped at one point, laughed at another, and ended in tears. A British television adaptation (with the same title; you can find details at imbd.com) is also excellent.

Short stories that don't feel like a compromise. .......2005-07-20

Whether in a novel or a short story, Ruth Rendell's storytelling is just captivating. Her style is consistently haunting, there is depth to her characters, and there's the twist which will come at you out of nowhere. Whether you're a dedicated mystery fan or simply enjoy reading extremely skillfully put together prose, regardless of genre, Ruth Rendell is irresistible (and very addictive!).

A collection of 11 stories.......2002-10-06

The two longest stories in this collection are the first story, "Blood Lines," an Inspector Wexford tale of 40 pages, and the last story, "The Strawberry Tree," a somewhat strange tale which is 85 pages long. In between are 9 short stories, some of which are only 6 pages. As usual with collections, some stories are better than others. All the stories involve murder, attempted murder, or accidental death, with the exception of "Clothes," which is about a compulsive shopper. As in other English mysteries, guns do not come into play. Murders tend to be by poison or bludgeon. The author has an inventive mind when it comes to eliminating people (I would be afraid to get on her wrong side).

While some stories are very good, I had trouble getting interested in the long novelette, "The Strawberry Tree," which is written in a narrative form with only a little dialogue. The narrative starts on the island of Majorca with no real indication of why the narrator is there, then skips back 40 years to give an account of past events on Majorca, her life in between, and finally her arrival on Majorca where the story started. A mystery is introduced along the way, and a solution is finally presented. This story, like the others, was written in the 1990's, but the Spanish apparently didn't use DNA analysis.

Ok collection, until the final story.......2002-08-16

This is an ok collection of short stories, right up until the final novella, "The Strawberry Tree". Until then, most of the stories are enjoyable, all are well written, but some of them don't have much impact. "Clothes" is a bit puzzling, to name just one. However, there are some excellent ones. "In All Honesty", "Lizzie's Lover" and the wonderful "Unnacceptable Levels" which is very short, but the best short story in the collection apart from the final one.

The characters are all well drawn with accurate psychology, and many have rather disturbing and strange traits. The first story, a Wexford, which serves as the title for the collection, is well written and clever, but not quite as entertaining as some other Wexford short stories.

However, now we come to the final story. "The Strawberry Tree" is a short novella of about 90 pages, but it is the best story in the collection, and possibly the best novella i have ever read. It says many things about the human condition, as well as being incredibly touching, well evoked, interesting, clever, very well written, etc. It in itself is worth the price of the entire book. Set in part in Spain, she describes the foreign landscape beautifully, as she does the relationships between the four main children in the story. It is a beautiful story, full of psychological perception. It's intriguing, compelling, emotional, sometimes sad, and has a subtle twist to the tale that it is hard to pre-empt.

First class, but this book by the world's most talented writer. Of this generation or any previous.

The Water's Lovely
Average customer rating:

Old secrets

Truly chilling

The Water's Lovely
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Doubleday Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Rendell, Ruth | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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End in Tears (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

The Minotaur

ASIN: 0385662696
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Book Description

The award-winning author of The Babes in the Wood and The Rottweiler brings us another terrifically paced, richly drawn novel of suspense and psychological intrigue.

Weeks went by when Ismay never thought of it at all. Then something would bring it back or it would return in a dream. The dream always began in the same way.

She and her mother would be climbing the stairs, following Heather’s lead through the bedroom to what was on the other side, not a bathroom in the dream but a chamber floored and walled in marble. In the middle of it was a glassy lake. The white thing in the water floated towards her, its face submerged, and her mother said, absurdly, “Don’t look!”
The dead man was Ismay’s stepfather, Guy. Now, nine years on, she and her sister, Heather, still live in the same house in Clapham. But it has been divided into two self-contained flats. Their mother had lived upstairs with her sister, Pamela. And the bathroom, where Guy had drowned, had disappeared.

Ismay worked in public relations, and Heather in catering. They got on well. They always had. They never discussed the changes to the house, still less what had happened that August day. . .

But even lives as private as these, where secrets hang in the air like dust, intertwine with other worlds and other individuals. And, with painful inevitability, the truth will emerge.

Customer Reviews:

Old secrets.......2007-02-23

This book is more about the psychological effects of past, hidden secrets than any actual murder plot. Ismay and Heather are the two, very young teenaged daughters of Beatrix, an attractive older woman who married her toy boy, Guy. When Guy was discovered drowned in his bath, Beatrix and Ismay both knew that Heather had caused his death but covered up the crime which was never again mentioned. Now, many years later, Heather is on the point of marrying Edmund. Ismay is unsure whether or not to warn him that Heather may be mentally unstable as their mother, Beatrix, is now in just such a condition. Ismay is attracted to an absolute rat of a man who strongly resembles Guy and is also being blackmailed by Marion, a sneaky, conniving, self serving woman who is out to feather her nest at the expense of everyone else. It's not my favourite Ruth Rendell as it deals more with the mental state of the players,rather than with crime, but it's still a good read.

Truly chilling.......2007-01-07

As a die hard Ruth Rendell fan I am always very excited when a new novel by her is published. `The Water's Lovely' completely lived up to my hopes and is a great addition to Rendell's amazing back catalogue of work.

The two central characters are Ismay and Heather, sisters who share a murderous secret. The novel follows the two women as they both find love and struggle to keep it. The book is about as far from a romance novel as it is possible to get - Ismay's lover, for example, is overbearing and boorish and Heather's lover has a poisonous hypochondriac of a mother. As usual, Rendell turns the thumbscrews to create a novel where the tension builds and builds to a satisfying if quietly horrific climax.

The characters are believable and the plot is twisty and clever. Perhaps coincidence plays rather too big a part in the resolution of a certain plot point, but the book is so well-written and interesting that I couldn't force myself to care very much. Also, some of the dialogue doesn't ring true because ordinary 20-somethings simply do not talk in the way that Rendell writes, but I personally enjoy her use of language so I wouldn't want this to be changed although it is not realistic. The book has some very good subplots, such as the aunt of Ismay and Heather searching for romance and finding something much more terrifying instead and a woman who preys on old people for their money. There is also a real shock on the last page that is very thought-provoking.

Overall, I highly recommend this book and I'm sure dedicated Rendell fans will not be disappointed.

End in Tears (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Literary Comfort Food
Ruth Rendell does it again!
Clever and complex
My willing suspension of belief became unwilling
Finally After a Two Year Wait

End in Tears (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries)
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Seal Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0770429939
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Book Description

The award-winning author of Babes in the Woods and The Rottweiler brings us another gripping Inspector Wexford novel.

A lump of concrete dropped deliberately from a little stone bridge over a relatively unfrequented road kills the wrong person. The driver behind is spared. But only for a while...

One particular member of the local press is gunning for the Chief Inspector, distinctly unimpressed with what he regards as old-fashioned police methods. But Wexford, with his old friend and partner, Mike Burden, along with two new recruits to the Kingsmarkham team, pursue their inquiries with a diligence and humanity that make Ruth Rendell’s detective stories enthralling, exciting and very touching.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Literary Comfort Food.......2007-06-15

All through this latest of Ruth Rendell's brilliant Inspector Wexford series, I kept thinking what a comforting read it was. The literary equivalent of Mom's meatloaf or mac and cheese. (Or maybe meatlof AND mac and cheese.) For years Rendell has been spinning these cozy British mysteries, and the remarkable thing is how consistently and expertly she's done so. While Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone has gone from a simple San Francisco PI to a globe-trotting hostage negotiator (or something equally absurd) and Patricia Cornwell has taken Kay Scarpetta from smart and savvy US medical examiner to humorless and shrill international robocop, Rendell has stayed the course. True, she may have sacrificed sales, but she's maintained her integrity. And she's managed to do so without going stale like Sue Grafton, Martha Grimes and -- mea culpa -- P.D. James. A remarkable achievement...in this case up to the twisty final, lip-smacking paragraph.

Ruth Rendell does it again!.......2007-06-13

I love the Chief Inspector Wexford books and this one didn't disappoint me. I liked the way the story ended with the deaths not due to what was first expected. I read it during a rainy, dreary Saturday without any interruptions. Great way to spend the day as I hadn't read any of her books for a long time.

Clever and complex.......2006-11-25

There's a lot going on in this murder tale involving modern women, their menfolk, and their babies. The story encompasses three or four seemingly disparate plot lines, plus lots of trademark observation about modern manners, morals and attitudes. Two reckless young women get murdered, Wexford's daughter almost tears the family apart, a young policewoman embarks on a strange affair, and other females get themselves into all kinds of trouble, some serious, some not.

Wexford and Burden soldier through the drama as usual, trying to make sense of a world in which crime sometimes seems to be an extension of ordinary cruelty and lack of care. Also familiar to Rendell fans is the why-done-it nature of the mystery and the expert handling of suspense. I can understand why some reviewers think it's a difficult read, but I think it really repays the effort. I found the coincidences in the book to be acceptable as artistic license, as well as illuminating.

My willing suspension of belief became unwilling.......2006-11-16

I liked this novel at the beginning. The cast of characters was good. As comic relief I thought Hannah Goldsmith was great -- and, speaking euphemistically, the tension about progress, or lack thereof, in her love life was of considerable interest.

What killed the story for me was the coincidences: too many, too unlikely, too intrusive. We are supposed to believe that Chief Inspector Detective Wexford has a very similar situation in his home to the murders he is investigating. We have about every character and suspect in the novel being related to each other in one way or another. By about page 250 of a 320 page novel I had had enough. The author had blown her believability.

Ruth Rendell is, of course, one of the best known of English detective novelists and has many loyal fans. Perhaps she's written better books. I hope so. But don't choose this one to read unless you are really, really a fan.

Smallchief

Finally After a Two Year Wait.......2006-10-31

There's just something different about British murder mysteries. They have a tone, a complexity that's just different from American stories. And Ms. Rendell's stories fit this mold perfectly.

The hero in this book is Chief Inspector Wexford, who if memory serves became Chief Inspector some time before 1964 when the first book in the series was written. But even after 42 years on the job, he's still not having to use a walker to get around. There does seem to be just a bit more emphasis on younger players such as Inspector Mike Burden and Detective Sergeant Hannah Goldsmith, but the heavy lifting is still done by Wexford.

The theme (how could it be otherwise) of the book is murder most foul. But it's murder in a modern situation with surrogate mothers, drugs, baby-smuggling, todays problems for the Chief Inspector to solve.

Is this book one of her best? Some reviewers didn't like the last half of the book. I did. After all we've been waiting for two years to get another Wexford. And I suspect it'll be two years until the next one.

Average customer rating:

The Best of the Best
she's good.
Good Read
Remarkable psychological insight...
I would give MORE stars if it were possible.

A Judgement in Stone
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375704965
Release Date: 2000-01-04

Book Description

"A classic."--The London Times

What on earth could have provoked a modern day St. Valentine's Day massacre?

On Valentine's Day, four members of the Coverdale family--George, Jacqueline, Melinda and Giles--were murdered in the space of 15 minutes. Their housekeeper, Eunice Parchman, shot them, one by one, in the blue light of a televised performance of Don Giovanni. When Detective Chief Superintendent William Vetch arrests Miss Parchman two weeks later, he discovers a second tragedy: the key to the Valentine's Day massacre hidden within a private humiliation Eunice Parchman has guarded all her life. A brilliant rendering of character, motive, and the heady discovery of truth, A Judgement in Stone is among Ruth Rendell's finest psychological thrillers.

"It will be an amazing achievement if [Rendell] ever writes a better book."--London Daily Express

"Ruth Rendell is the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world."--Time

Customer Reviews:

The Best of the Best.......2006-10-29

A lot of mystery writers will name A JUDGMENT IN STONE as one of the crime novels they most admire, and Ruth Rendell herself has mentioned it as a personal favorite. It is included in virtually every "Top 100 Mysteries of All Time" list I've ever seen. It has also been filmed twice (as 1987's THE HOUSEKEEPER and 1995's LA CEREMONIE). Why all the fuss? Read it for yourself and find out.

There's a picture-perfect, upper-middle-class British family, their mysterious servant, and a very odd woman who is the local postmistress. When the lives of these people intersect, watch out! This clear-eyed portrait of madness and its consequences (loosely based on a notorious actual incident in coastal France in the early 1900s) is relentless in its sense of claustrophobia and ever-mounting horror. And Rendell absolutely nails the various, complex reasons behind the bloody deed. Not a mystery per se (the perp, victims, and motive are plainly stated in the celebrated opening sentence), this is crime writing at its most effective.

I would recommend just about every Rendell title to any mystery lover who's interested in the darker aspects of human nature (aren't we all?), but this small masterpiece is at the top of the list. Don't miss it.

she's good........2006-10-21

i generally do not read, and hardly ever am impressed with genre fiction of any ilk, but i've heard so much about ruth rendell that i thought i'd give this a try, and low and behold it was very very good. top drawer entertainment with credible and creepy characterization. i will absolutely be buying and reading more from this prolific author. great crime writing!

Good Read.......2006-08-28

Interesting spin on this book. You know in the beginning who died and who did it. The intrigue is determining why they killed and how they were caught. Excellent storytelling. Very well written. I have since, ordered 3 more of Ruth Rendells, and I am enjoying them all.

Remarkable psychological insight..........2005-10-12

Suspense rather than mystery--as Hitchock defined it (mystery is when you don't know what will happen, suspense is when you do but don't know how). The first page gives away the destination-- murder. But the journey into the main characters mind shows how and why someone can start out an isolated illiterate lower-middle class servant and end-up not only committing a crime, but feeling justified in doing so. A short, brilliant, creepy portrait.

I would give MORE stars if it were possible........2005-08-31

There's something so compelling, so enthalling about this book. I picked it up to read it and did not put it down until it finished it--perhaps real life intruded but if it did, it wasn't as though I noticed it.

This is Rendell at her VERY best, I doubt she can, or anyone else can for that matter write so succinctly and engagingly about the mind and character of a woman who stopped developing when she was a certain age, or rather never really moved beyond the a self-awareness that we all possess, but is tempered in most of society with an awareness of other people around us.

The book is superb, might seem dark upon first reading the book jacket but keep on reading and you'll see why this is an absolutely masterful tale. It's not so much a mystery, as a study of murder from the murderer's point of view.

Sins of the Fathers: An Inspector Wexford Mystery (Formerly Titled : a New Lease of Death)

Average customer rating:

As Usual, a Rendell Ending with a Twist
Rendell's "Sins" finds you out!
Did He or Didn't He?

Sins of the Fathers: An Inspector Wexford Mystery (Formerly Titled : a New Lease of Death)
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345342534
Release Date: 1986-12-12

Book Description

It was a brutal, vicious crime -- sixteen years old. A helpless old woman battered to death with an axe. Harry Painter hung for it, and Chief Inspector Wexford is certain they executed the right man. But Reverend Archery has doubts . . . because his son wants to marry the murderer's beautiful, brilliant daughter. He begins unravelling the past, only to discover that murder breeds murder -- and often conceals even deeper secrets . . .

Customer Reviews:

As Usual, a Rendell Ending with a Twist.......2001-09-24

This is a much older Rendell, an Inspector Wexford from 1967. It probably seems a bit dated and therefore poorly reviewed. I see another example of Rendell's beautifully written and convoluted plots. The book that you think you are reading as you go along turns abruptly in the midst of the story, several times.

Having developed a relationship with Wexford, his family, and side-kick Michael Burden, I enjoyed the return to their antecedents. And in its totality, I enjoyed the book very much.

Rendell's "Sins" finds you out!.......2001-02-03

It happened over sixteen years ago--but now, like the troll under the bridge, it raises its ugly head! This was no ordinary crime--it was an axe murder, the death of an old woman. Justice was summarily served, with Harry Painter hanging for the crime. In Ruth Rendell's "Sins of the Fathers," we find Chief Inspector Wexford and assistant Mike Burden painstakingly--and painfully--reinvestigating. It's unusual, of course, in that the Reverend Archery has raised doubts about the crime--fittingly so, as his son plans to marry the daughter of Harry Painter (and, of course, "daughter of a murderer" doesn't look so good on the bridal registry at Marks and Spencers!). Rendell's very successful Wexforfd series continues with this episode, which carries its own weight. Rendell's pacing, her attention to detail, her "execution" of the police procedural is right on target here, complete with deeply held--and dangerously held--secrets and brilliant crime solving by

Wexford and Burden. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Did He or Didn't He?.......2000-12-10

A young girl who wants to marry a Reverend's son insists that her father wasn't a murderer. But Wexford is sure that the right man had hanged for the crime, and he should know because it had been his first murder case...

Book Description

Martin Urban is a quiet bachelor with a comfortable life, free of worry and distractions. When he unexpectedly comes into a small fortune, he decides to use his newfound wealth to help out those in need. Finn also leads a quiet life, and comes into a little money of his own. Normally, their paths would never have crossed. But Martin’s ideas about who should benefit from his charitable impulses yield some unexpected results, and soon the good intentions of the one become fatally entangled with the mercenary nature of the other. In the Lake of Darkness, Ruth Rendell takes the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished to a startling, haunting conclusion.

Customer Reviews:

Short and Near Perfect.......2007-03-25

For those interested, this book is available as part of a two book package, ISBN # 0 09 187009 7, which combines the present novel with "The Veiled One" at a bargain price.

This is not a long novel, but it is compelling and hard to put down. There are no major flaws in the novel: it is well balanced, it has good characters, it has a a good plot, and it has mystery. It is what one expects from the author. She delivers a near perfect tale. The book came out in 1980.

There are no extraneous diversions or literary trips made. All the writing is directed around the plot of what happens to an accountant after he wins an English football pool, and a prize of over £100,000.

Highly recommend: 5 stars.

Unputdownable.......2006-07-25

Like most books by Ruth Rendall, this is a masterly study of the minds deviating from what we would call the normal.

It keeps the reader excitedly hoping for a happy ending --that never comes. Or maybe it does, after all. This goes beyond a common crime novel. Absolutely recommendable.

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY..........2003-07-27

Ruth Rendell is a fabulous British author who has churned out mystery after mystery filled with dark, demented twists. This is another tautly plotted, well crafted mystery with characters that, though seemingly normal, are just a tad off the beaten path.

This book features Martin Urban, a staid and somewhat stuffy young man who would have felt at home in Victorian England. Martin wins a very large sum of money in a football pool with a little help from Tim Sage, an old friend of his. Altruistic and given to some rather god-like pronouncements, Martin wishes to give the money away to the deserving poor, in order to enable them to buy a home. Poor Martin, there are none so blind, as those who will not see.

Beset by subliminal homo-erotic thoughts regarding Tim Sage, he meets a mysterious young woman named Francesca, who is as demure and submissive as a Victorian maiden and captures his heart. Unfortunately, she is bound to another. All, however, is not as Martin thinks that it is.

Enter Finn, the twisted son of Lena, former cleaning lady to Martin's mother. When Finn's path crosses that of Martin's, during one of Martin's fumbling attempts to give some of his winnings away, a very clever dialogue ensues between these two with some unexpected, deadly results.

Fans of Ms. Rendell will not be disappointed by this book. It is filled with the slightly off-beat characters for which she is known, some of whom harbor dark twisted thoughts, while others are entirely socio-pathic. Well-written is spare, clear prose and filled with enough twists and turns to satisfy the most discerning of readers, this is another gem in Ms. Rendell's treasure trove of mysteries.

Delightful.......2002-11-16

I went to my library to check out "A Sight for Sore Eyes" as I was trying to describe it to a friend and wanted to re-read it for some details. Discovered "The Lake of Darkness" on the Ruth Rendell shelf.

What a great book! I could hardly put it down. I loved the ending where the bad guy forgets one very important detail and can't do anything about it. We assume that he will be caught, but don't know for sure.

What I like about this book was that the characters seem to be normal, but they are anything but. It makes one wonder what ones neighbors might really be doing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a great story.

Rendell is amazing.......2002-10-03

The woman never ceases to amaze me. I have read so many Rendell/Vine books and just can't stop. So few authors can look into the warped, secret side of someone the world perceives as normal in the acutely fascinating way she does. No skipping words or pages in her books.
'Darkness' ranks as one of the most perfectly crafted mysteries ever written. When all the pieces fit so beautifully--without stretching and reaching, without the reader thinking he's on a fictional ride--so perfectly, it is physically satisfying. The reader feels like one of the gods on Olympus looking down on these characters who stumble inexorably into what is to be their fate.
At the end of this book, I sat back and sighed with satisfaction. Yes, brilliant, Ruth. How do you do it?

Average customer rating:

"The years civilize or at least inhibit."
Psychological Thriller--4 1/2 star quality
The mind of a psychopath
Disturbing, eye opening, suspenseful page turner
A breathtaking novel

A Demon in My View
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375704914
Release Date: 2000-01-04

Book Description

She waits for him in the dark, her mind and body perfect, passive, until one day, when he goes to the cellar, and she is gone . . .

In A Demon in My View, Ruth Rendell creates a character as frightening as he is fascinating. Mild-mannered Arthur Johnson has never known how to talk to women. And his loneliness has perverted his desire for love and respect into a carefully controlled penchant for violence. One floor below him, a scholar finishing his thesis on psychopathic personalities is about to stumble—quite literally—upon one of Arthur's many secrets. Haunting and intelligent, A Demon in My View shows the startling results of this chilling alchemy of two very disparate minds—one pathological and the other obsessed with pathology.

Customer Reviews:

"The years civilize or at least inhibit.".......2006-04-04

Arthur Johnson, now in his 50s, has lived at number 142 Trinity Road for 20 years. He occupies Flat 2--the entire second floor of the house. The rest of the house is divided up into uncomfortable rooms, "little anthills of discomfort", that are occupied by various tenants who come and go. To the other tenants, Arthur seems to be a tightly controlled, fussy bachelor. In reality, Arthur is a deeply disturbed serial killer who harbours a fear and resentment of women.

Over the years, Arthur has learned to 'control' his urges by diverting them. But one day a new tenant, Anthony Johnson, moves into the house and disrupts Arthur's long-standing habits. Anthony is trying to complete his thesis on psychopathic personalities, and ironically, Arthur is a psychopathic killer, living right under his nose. While Arthur fits Anthony's research profile perfectly, Anthony misses all the clues--he's too wound up in his love affair with a married woman.

"A Demon in My View" is definitely one of Ruth Rendell's best psychological novels. Rendell portrays Arthur Johnson as a man who curbs his murderous appetites, not because he feels 'bad' about killing innocent women, but because he fears incarceration. In Arthur, Rendell creates a man who would seem to be the quiet, fussy neighbour or the fastidious workmate, who leads the sort of violent double life seen in the headlines. While Arthur operates like a machine in some aspects of his life (cleaning, laundry, work habits, etc), it is in social situations that Arthur finds himself completely adrift. He relies on memories of his childhood, and the emotional responses of others as a guide to behaviour. In Arthur Johnson, Rendell creates a mind that is devoid of normal emotional reactions, and the result is a gripping novel that is both chillingly effective and realistic--displacedhuman

Psychological Thriller--4 1/2 star quality.......2006-03-23

This small book starts out slowly but soon picks up speed such that you can hardly wait to see what will happen. It has some dark but subtle comedic elements too--especially with the two characters named A. Johnson. It seems more thriller than mystery--certainly not a whodoneit. The psychological elements are very interesting if you are into psychology--especially the method of coping with the central pathology. It does have a number of problematic coincidences--especially two related ones at the very end. I could almost guess the final one. Still, it was a satisfying book, my first Rendell too. I shall read more.

The mind of a psychopath.......2005-02-28

In this thriller, Mrs Rendell portrays a 50 year old psychopath called Arthur Johnson. He fits exactly the definition of a psychopathic person. He is asocial, self centred, impulsive and suffers from an acute anxiety nurosis. He has a strong need to preserve an immaculate ego, he is paranoiac, fears retribution and has an urgent need to be thought well by all people. And men like him cannot be reassured because their belief in their own worthlessness is so intense. Self-confidence cannot be implanted in Arthur anymore at the age of 50. That's why he fears other people - they represent a menace to his own integrity - and so he lives in private isolation.
Characteristically for a psychotic mind, Arthur is unable to form emotional relationships and he has no social ways of coping with his frustrations. This is certainly why Arthur keeps a plastic shop window model in his cellar. This model is dressed in his Auntie Gracie's clothes - for him she is the image of a mother, wife, counsellor, housekeeper and sole friend - which Arthur delights in "strangulating" regularly at night.
A very good thriller which shows that Mrs Rendell understands how a psychopathic mind works and how it can go awry.

Disturbing, eye opening, suspenseful page turner.......2002-11-04

This book won Rendell the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award for 1976 (the most important crime fiction awards in Great Britain.) And I can see why. Extremely well crafted, this book stays with you long after reading it. And you'll read it pretty quickly, because this is a tough one to put down. As a longtime Hercule Poirot/Miss Marple/Agatha Christie fan, I was so happy to discover the Inspector Wexford mysteries, and have read most of these. But this is no Wexford mystery. I was so disturbed by the subject matter, that after I read it, I put it out of sight for a while, but it never went out of mind, so be prepared. This is Rendell, one of the best mystery writers out there today, at her best.

A breathtaking novel.......2002-09-24

Ruth Rendell is unquestionably the best novelist in this, or any generation. Her stories of psychological suspense and downright sheer chillingness will, and deserve to, go down in history as some of the most artful novels ever written. And this, is one of her very very best.

The atmosphere is chilly and hostile, the plot and characters are disturbing and strange. She mixes the normal everyday tpicalities of life with the quirks in the mind of the mentally...different, brilliantly, so that the consequences are amazingly cathartic.

Book Description

It was better than a hotel, this anonymous room on a secluded side street of a small country town. No register to sign, no questions asked, and for five bucks a man could have three hours of undisturbed, illicit lovemaking.

Then one evening a man with a knife turned the love nest into a death chamber. The carpet was soaked with blood -- but where was the corpse?

Meanwhile, a beautiful, promiscuous woman is missing -- along with the bundle of cash she'd had in her pocket. The truth behind it all will keep even veteran mystery fans guessing through the very last page.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Early Wexford Book.......2006-08-08

I'm a huge fan of Ruth Rendell no matter what she writes, so I am catching up with some Chief Inspector Wexford books that I have missed. This is an early one in the sereies, but it's a good one. No one does studies in human psychology like Ms. Rendell, and this book delves into the mind of a young and up and coming police officer, and the demons he fights when love interferes with an investigation. A girl has disappeared and Wexford, Burden and Drayton are trying to determine whether or not a murder has been committed even though there's no body. What they do uncover is a household full of some secrets and we know these secrets inexorably will affect young Drayton before the case is solved. Excellent story as well as a mystery.

"The dead have no regrets.".......2005-02-20

When eccentric local artist Rupert Margolis wanders into the Kingsmarkham police station and asks Sergeant Camb "how one goes about finding a charwoman" he also casually announces that his beautiful sister Ann has gone missing. Ann, famous for expertly juggling several men at once, was scheduled to attend a boring dinner party some days earlier at the home of Mr. And Mrs. Cawthorne. When Chief Inspector Wexford receives an anonymous note saying that a girl named Ann has been murdered, he discovers that Ann Margolis is not only missing, but also that she never attended the party as planned.

Wexford traces the anonymous letter to a peculiar character known as Ruby Branch. Ruby rents out a room in her house for secret liaisons, and when detectives discover that Ruby scrubbed bloodstains from the carpet, it seems that they've discovered the location of the crime ...

As a fan of Ruth Rendall mystery films, I was drawn to the novel "Wolf to the Slaughter", and I must say that I was terribly impressed with both the intricate plot and the fascinating characters. The story is the tale of a beautiful, wealthy woman who has no shortage of lovers--and this list includes married men. Ann Margolis is a flighty creature who leaves broken hearts behind in her pursuit of new victims, and her love life is both active and secret. This makes some of the detective work a bit more difficult for Inspector Wexford and his men, and solid detective work is emphasized in these pages. The characters created by Rendall make this book a fascinating read, and as the investigation intensifies, assorted characters come out of the woodwork. There's Mr. Kirkpatrick, Ann's married lover who's terrified of his wife. Kirkpatrick is a rather sad and pathetic creature who can't grasp the idea that Ann is way out of his league, and he's desperate to hang onto her. There's Linda Grover--her father owns the disreputable grubby newsagent shop, and Detective Drayton is helplessly attracted to her beauty while "he despised her for her origins, her poverty of conversation, the pitiful smallness of her world." There's Knobby Clark, the ingratiating, shady fence who would "sell his grandmother for cat's meat," and the delightful jeweler Mr. Scratcherd who resembles "a very old and amiable parrot." Fans of detective novels should find "Wolf to the Slaughter" a riveting, consuming, and satisfying read--displacedhuman

Absolutely stunning.......2003-08-07

Anita Margolis, young, beautiful, carefree, has vanished into thin air. She left her home to attend a party one wet evening, but has not been seen since. She is reported missing soon after by her brother, whom she shared a flat with, the acclaimed but eccentric artist Rupert Margolis. Inspector Burden quickly forms an impression of a wanton young girl simply gone off somewhere with a boyfriend having neglected to let anyone know. After all, she was that sort of woman, in Burden's opinion. However, Wexford has his doubts, and those doubts will soon be confirmed, and they will soon find themselves enmeshed in a case that will throw every assumption they make into doubt.

This is an early Wexford book, and it is brilliant. A simple notion, but true. One of the best of the entire series, actually, the fact of its quality equally matches that of the novels she is still producing and marks her out clearly as possibly the most reliable and captivating novelist of her generation, such is her constant unfailing ability. She writes absolutely brilliantly, with an emotional detachedness that makes it so much more powerful when she decides that now is the time to probe in the darkness of a particular characters mind and motivations. And those characters are unendingly fascinating, completely human yet with a shadowy darkness to them, and flawlessly depicted.

But it is not just her characters that mark her books out as special. Setting and story meld in equally with character in the most successful books to create a compelling whole, and Rendell accomplishes this with ease. The fictional Kingsmarkham is almost as tangible and atmospheric as the London she uses as the setting for some of her other non-Wexford novels. The reader feels they could easily be supplanted into the story, onto the streets of this fictional town, and yet already know its environs intimately.

And then, of course, the story too is near-perfect. It is dark, it is clever, it is affecting, it is psychologically acute, it is realistic (despite the false idea that these kind of traditional procedural novels tend not to be), it is engrossing, as well as being a plethora of other laudable adjectives as well. It shifts and moves and surprises and has excellent pace, carrying the reader through on a breathless ride - secured in by the mesmeric hand-at-your-throat grip of the prose - until a tension-filled conclusion, which leaves more than one character irredeemably altered for life.

Wolf to the Slaughter is simply yet another excellent novel from the woman who is, in my mind, the best writer in the world today. And that is all there is to it.

Affecting and tautly-plotted mystery.......2001-01-12

Ruth Rendell is a talented writer, but I often have problems with elements of her plots being a little bit predictable-- this is definitely not the case with _Wolf to the Slaughter_. The book constantly suprises and manages to do so without any deus ex machina tricks that might make it unconvincing.

A mysterious note that claims someone was murdered, a stain on a carpet that may or may not be blood, and a gold lighter with a leading inscription-- these are the only clues that Wexford and his crew have to what might not even be a crime. Mix in a slightly mad painter, three women who gave their hearts unwisely, and a young policeman in love for the first time and you've got a compelling mystery novel which is one of the best Rendells I've read to date.

Rendell cements her reputation with this one!.......2001-01-04

Ruth Rendell's Chief Inspector Wexford mysteries are important entries to the police procedural genre. This, the second of the series, is probably the book that cemented Rendell's decision to continue. The daughter of local artist Rupert Margolis hasn't been home in a few days, but her father isn't reporting her disappearance. No, instead, he is filling out inquirings for someone to help him manage his household in his daughter's stead! And then Wexford receives a note that says daughter Ann has been murdered, and the suspects name given. With his ever-present second in command Mike Burden, Wexford begins his investigation, characterized by methodical thinking and well-paced moving! The plot becomes ever so convoluted--but don't give up. Rendell is in complete charge (it's one of her longer Wexfords) and by the conclusion her logial thinking, clever plot execution, and expert character development have won the day.

"Wolf to the Slaughter" is also perhaps one of Rendell's most suspense-filled books (of the Wexford series). A local hotel has been letting one of its rooms as a love nest, but when a man with a knife one evening gets through with it, it is a room of blood, violence, and death. But whose? There's no corpse to be found! Wexford and Burden take over and the pages turn automatically after this, as Rendell's heros leave no stone unturned--nor sheet unfurled! Rendell has published many other books that are not in the series (she also writes under the name of Barbara Vine) and, with each, she clearly knows what she's writing about--she's a master here. And the surprise ending is handled masterly, too! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Tree of Hands
Average customer rating:

The Mother From Hell

Very Good Book

"I'd do anything in the world for you."

Like mother, like daughter

more first-class fiction

Tree of Hands
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345312007
Release Date: 1986-02-12

Book Description

Mopsa, driven by a past scarred by madness and violence. Benet, stricken by the most grievous loss any woman can bear. Carol, trapped in a life of crushing drabness no lover can change. Three mothers joined by a single thread of terror, whirled into a spiral of kidnapping, murder, and a final, reckless affirmation of love.

Customer Reviews:

The Mother From Hell.......2006-10-29

Eek! This novel is dark and intense--even by the standards of Ruth Rendell, the Queen of Darkness and Intensity. When a troubled young woman loses her child, her none-too-tightly-wrapped mother comes up with a horrible remedy (kidnapping) for her daughter's anguish. This shocking deed causes a large cross-section of dysfunctional Brits to intersect and interact all over London, with even more horrifying results. Imagine a novel by Charles Dickens--with a really high body count.

Nobody does this sort of thing better than Ruth Rendell. That's why we love her. And this novel is one of her best. Enjoy (if that's the right word).

Very Good Book.......2006-06-07

In the opening pages I honestly was not sure that I was going to like this book, it was slow and dull and I wanted to shake Benet for not standing up to her mother in some way. Then, I realized that the writing was making me actually feel real emotions, so I kept on reading. I was actually teary-eyed when Benet chose Jason over Ian. I became intertwined with the characters and enjoyed every minute of it.

By the end, I was blown away. I would absolutely reccommend this book to my friends. I really enjoyed it and had a difficult time not finding time to read it. Enjoy!

"I'd do anything in the world for you.".......2005-05-26

Powerful, stunning, and emotionally devastating--these are all terms that describe mystery writer Ruth Rendell's novel, "The Tree of Hands". As a Rendell fan, I was directed towards this novel as one of Rendell's best. When the novel begins, one-hit wonder novelist Benet Archdale, a single parent, has just moved in a beautiful new home with her toddler, James. Benet's mother, Mopsa arrives from Spain for some scheduled medical tests, and Benet dreads the disruption of the visit. Benet remembers her difficult childhood due to her mother's mental illness, and although Mopsa seems to have left the more explosive episodes in her past, nonetheless, Benet quickly learns that "the real Mopsa, emerging at last from shed layers of psychotic personae" is still a very difficult, selfish person.

Once labeled as psychotic, over time, Mopsa "had come to lay the blame not on psychosis but on a defect in her body's chemistry." It's rather obvious from the minute that Benet collects Mopsa from the airport that their relationship is irreparably damaged and strained. Mopsa milks her helplessness until Benet feels forced to decide between the needs of James and her mother. But when James becomes ill, all of Benet's attention is focused on her child...

"The Tree of Hands" is superbly structured, and Rendell masters the narrative as she moves back and forth between several interconnected sets of characters--there's Benet and her troubled relationship with Mopsa. There's also the earthy barmaid and housecleaner Carol, a widow and mother of three. Carol's relationship with her children is also problematic. While Benet is an excellent mother, Carol possesses no mothering instinct whatsoever. Two of Carol's children are allowed home only on weekends, and Carol's youngest child, toddler, Jason, is carelessly passed around between disaffected babysitters like a bag of unwanted, tiresome baggage. Carol lives with the much younger and utterly besotted lover and house-boy, Barry. Barry dreams of marrying Carol, having a child of their own, and keeping Carol in the luxury she'd like to experience. Poor Barry is willing to shoulder all burdens to win Carol's love, and soon that love is tested to extremes beyond his imagination. Finally there's Terence Wand, an unemployed man who makes a living by sponging off of older, wealthy women. He dreams of a comfortable future without strings, but according to Carol, he has "a well-know stomach complaint. No guts."

"The Tree of Hands" is the best novel I've read by Rendell so far. I can't praise it enough. This extremely satisfying story explores every complex angle of the parent-child relationship--the memories of an unhappy childhood, the love, the loss and the unbreakable bond. Rendell fans, do yourself a huge favour, and read this book. If you're new to Rendell, start here--displacedhuman

Like mother, like daughter.......2004-02-29

Wow, what a book!I laughed, cried, got angry and was totally shocked at this book!The characters are so believable.Here you have this sweet, lonely woman who is trying to balance a writing carrer and raising a child on her own.Her mother: Bitter, confused and lonely herself believes that if you lose something....that's okay..."I'll get you another one."The story takes off like a roller coaster ride and ends leaving the reader totally shocked.This book would make a great motion picture!Gary

more first-class fiction.......2003-12-21

Benet Archdale's selfish mother Margaret ("Mopsa") was mad. She once tried to stab her 14 year old daughter with a carving knife as they travelled in a train together. Now, after many years Mopsa is supposedly recovered, living with her husband in Spain, while Benet, now a writer, remains alone in England with her young son James.

But now Mopsa has to return to England, to undergo some final assessments at the hospital where she was treated, and she is going to stay with her daughter, who constantly has to remind herself not to hate her mother who was, after all, mentally ill. This, then, is the set-up for Rendell's CWA Dagger-winning novel. And it is a set-up that leads to a violent chain of assault, deception, the kidnap of a child, and, finally, murder.

I normally end up saying mostly the same things about Rendell's brilliant books. Brilliant character, deadly psychology, complex, skilful plotting, fearful atmosphere, etc etc etc. This, I suppose, may give the impression that Rendell's books are all rather similar, but that is not so at all. They are all, every one of them, different and original and exquisite pieces of fiction. However, it is those factors (darkness, psychological brilliance, piercing character and social insight, seamless plotting) which unite her works undoubtedly. Each novel brings a different twist to the "formula" (I use quotation marks because there is actually no real formula for anything Rendell does), though, and each one sparkles.

The Tree of Hands is another excellent book from Rendell. It seems often that she can do no wrong, and I get sick of saying "another brilliant book by Rendell", but there is little else one CAN say when all an author's books are uniformly excellent. This book is unpredictable, shocking, horrifyingly compelling. The chain of events (Rendell has always been a first-class examiner of notions of cause-and-effect) unfolds with dreadful reality, horrific certainty and strength. It is rather saddening how Rendell shows us the numerous chances people may have to escape their fate, but don't take it. The course of destruction moves relentless on in Rendell's work. It is not cheerful fiction, not for those who like an up-lifting story. Instead, it is a dark work of dreadful consequence of the most innocent of actions, where normal people's lives become at risk through the influence of those who exist on some kind of edge of normalcy. The Tree of Hands is a brilliant, intelligent, shocking, haunting and eerie work that deserves fully its accolades.

A Sleeping Life
Average customer rating:

Marvellous Ruth Rendell!

A mediocre imitation

"The lives of the naturally dead may be buried with them."

Well Organized, Intriguing, and Stylishly Written

A Humerous Wexford Mystery

A Sleeping Life
Ruth Rendell
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375704930
Release Date: 2000-07-11

Book Description

Rhoda Comfrey's death seemed unremarkable; the real mystery was her life.

In A Sleeping Life, master mystery writer Ruth Rendell unveils an elaborate web of lies and deception painstakingly maintained by a troubled soul. A wallet found in Comfrey's handbag leads Inspector Wexford to Mr. Grenville West, a writer whose plots revel in the blood, thunder, and passion of dramas of old; whose current whereabouts are unclear; and whose curious secretary--the plain Polly Flinders--provides the Inspector with more questions than answers. And when a second Grenville West comes to light, Wexford faces a dizzying array of possible scenarios--and suspects--behind the Comfrey murder.

Brilliantly entertaining, exceptionally crafted, A Sleeping Life evokes the dark realities, half-truths, and flights of fancy that constitute a life.

Customer Reviews:

Marvellous Ruth Rendell!.......2006-10-29

Although I figured out the curious twist of the book early on, I still read it, fascinated by Ms. Rendell's skill. I am catching up with some older Inspector Wexford mysteries that I have missed over the years, and so came to "A Sleeping Life". Ms. Rendell is a master in creating a world where nothing is what it seems, and this book does this marvelously. It is different too because Wexford has an unidentified corpse for over half the book, and he is getting more and more frustrated as he goes up one blind alley after another. But a word and its meaning turn it around for him, and he manages to untangle the web, and discover the killer. If you are a mystery lover, than you cannot miss any one of Ms. Rendell's books. (And she has a lot of them).

A mediocre imitation.......2005-12-16

Inspector Wexford is an English police detective, who investigates the murder of a middle-aged woman. What makes this difficult is that, while the woman's identity is quickly established, the police cannot find out anything else about her, going back over twenty years. Where did she live? Where did she work? Who are her friends? Without this information, they are stymied in their investigation of her murder. They keep running into blind alleys and red herrings, until they finally fill in the gaps.

Why did I title my review "a mediocre imitation"? I felt like I was reading a Sherlock Holmes mystery, stretched into a full novel, but with very little of the flair and charm of a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle work of art. I found Wexford, his cohorts, and his family uninteresting. The story was okay, including the twist at the end, although I had it figured out a little bit ahead of Wexford.

Conclusion: Read a Sherlock Holmes collection instead, or one of George Chesebro's "Mongo" novels. They're written better and are more interesting.

"The lives of the naturally dead may be buried with them.".......2005-03-14

When an unattractive, middle-aged woman is found stabbed to death in the sleepy town of Kingsmarkham, Chief Inspector Wexford is called in to investigate. At first, the murder of Rhoda Comfrey seems simple. Rhoda lives in London, but was in Kingsmarkham to visit her hospitalized father. After getting off the bus, she took a short cut along a footpath, and there, she met her death ...

"Death by murder is in a way not an end but a beginning," and this statement is particularly true in the case of Rhoda's murder. Stumped by a lack of witnesses, and a lack of clues, Wexford turns to the life of the victim, and suddenly a difficult case becomes almost impossible to solve. Rhoda proves impossible to trace--even a front page spread fails to unearth anyone who knew Rhoda outside of Kingsmarkham--the town she left behind decades earlier.

Wexford's tireless detective work--which is always coloured by literary allusions--finally leads to a famous novelist, and how Grenville West falls into this puzzle is just part of this intense, delectable detective story. The relationship between Wexford and his sidekick, Inspector Burden is another delightful element of the novel. Wexford once again muses about their opposing world visions, and once again, Burden's view--more prudish and judgmental than Wexford's--helps Wexford's vision of the crime. Wexford must also juggle work demands with a growing crisis at home.

"A Sleeping Life" is loaded with interesting--rather unpleasant characters, and none of them are quite what they seem. There's the glorious Miss Patel whose simpering coquettishness causes her "to remember the personality she wished to present and to grab it just in time." As a contrast to Miss Patel's glittering beauty, there's poor, colourless, bland and timid Polly Flinders--the girl who types manuscripts for Grenville West. Rhoda's Aunt, Lilian Crown can hardly be described as distraught over her niece's death, and the news doesn't cause Lilian to take a break from her pub crawls. There is a distinct lack of suspects, but that said, the motive behind the crime remains quite hidden until the final pages. Rendall fans will devour "A Sleeping Life"--displacedhuman

Well Organized, Intriguing, and Stylishly Written.......2004-11-17

Many critics praise Ruth Rendall for her psychological insight into the characters she presents. I have never understood this; from my own point of view, her psychological insight usually consists of inconsistencies and uncertain motivations--the latter of which most often arise from a vaguely drawn plot that seldom has any "mystery" to it at all.

Clearly, I am not among Rendell's fans. Still, if I were hard pressed to recommend a Rendell novel, I would most likely recommend A SLEEPING LIFE--for although very typical of her work in terms of character, it is indeed a reasonably well structured mystery with a double-folded solution that few will completely anticipate.

The story concerns Rhoda Comfrey, an unattractive woman of fifty years whose body is found twice-stabbed along a path. But when Inspector Wexford attempts to trace Comfrey's movements, he is unexpectedly stymied: although her bed-ridden father resides in the area, she herself does not--and although it is generally understood that she lives in London, no one has any idea where, nor does an appeal through the press bring forth her address, her occupation, or even any one in all of England who has seen her, much less actually knows her.

As the days pass in mounting frustration, Inspector Wexford gradually finds himself also drawn into the somewhat suspicious absence of noted novelist Grenville West, who may or may not know Comfrey and who may or may not have suddenly disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Is there any connection--or is it just another wild goose chase so typical of this particular case?

In spite of my general dislike of Rendell's work, I found myself quite caught up in this particular title, which shows Rendell at her stylistic best and working with intriguing characters and a well-organized story. If you must read a Ruth Rendell novel, this would be a good choice.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

A Humerous Wexford Mystery.......2003-12-20

Although first published in 1964 this book is still completely readable today. A Sleeping Life is an Inspector Wexford mystery which deals with the investigation into the stabbing of a middle-aged woman whilst visiting her ill relative in Kingsmarkham. Although he knows her name, the womans life away from Kingsmarkham remains a mystery which haunts Wexford. There are many twists and turns as Wexford comes nearer to discovering what drove the woman to hide the truth about herself. The conclusion, while perhaps not as shocking today as it was then, is nicely done.

As usual Rendell has created a diverse range of interesting, and in some cases psychologically-flawed, characters. The scenes I enjoyed most were those with Sylvia, Wexford's daughter. She has left her husband after becoming interested in Woman's Lib, and has moved back in with her parents, Wexford and Dora. I was particularly amused by a piece of dialogue where Sylvia cries:
"By God, my life is more his than it is mine!"
(Referring to her husband, Neil). It really does point out how gender roles in the past have stiffled women - thank goodness that times have changed! However, I liked the way that Rendell also gave Neil's point of view about his wife's views so it wasn't one sided.

Overall A Sleeping Life is great. There are plenty of opportunities for Wexford to use his dry, clever wit. The plot is solid and there is a good twist at the end. The sub-plot is entertaining and the characters are unusual.

JoAnne

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