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lorkay's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
em_beddedinbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I usually love the dark mysteries of Ruth Rendell which reveal the varying faces of perverted human nature. But this one was a bit too slow for my taste. This is an Inspector Wexford mystery where the ageing detective Wexford is confronted with the death of a 50 year old lady who was stabbed to death in a narrow lane while she was visiting her ailing father in rural England (I forgot the name of the village). There is no clue as to the killer. After many false starts, finally the inspector is able to solve the mystery, which was a surprise to me as well. It was a good book, but somewhere in the middle there were a monotonous few pages.
schopflin's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one and, unlike the previous clever commenters, didn't come anywhere near guessing the answer. My only quibble would be that, while the setting feels like the late 1980s in some ways, there are other aspects that feel almost twenty years earlier.
yi_shun_lai's review against another edition
Somewhat dated, but not if you put yourself in Wexford's shoes.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
3.0
It's always nice to visit with Wexford though I found the mystery somewhat easy to figure out. Still an enjoyable quick read.
djwardell's review
5.0
Despite what people tell you about the deliberate pacing, this is an exceedingly clever story and among Rendell's best books.
lnatal's review
3.0
From cold, rock-strewn moors to comfortable suburban estates, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell explores the dark fissures between friends and family members that motivate murder.
Stars: George Baker, Christopher Ravenscroft, Louie Ramsay
A TV series was made based on this book and it is available at YouTube.
4* Going Wrong
4* The Keys to the Street
3* The Fever Tree and Other Stories
4* A Judgement in Stone
3* Fall of the Coin
4* People Don't Do Such Things
3* The Girl Next Door
2* To Fear a Painted Devil
3* Dark Corners
3* Live Flesh
Inspector Wexford series:
3* Some Lie and Some Die (Inspector Wexford, #8)
3* Shake Hands Forever (Inspector Wexford, #9)
3* A Sleeping Life (Inspector Wexford, #10)
3* The Veiled One (Inspector Wexford, #14)
4* Kissing the Gunner's Daughter (Inspector Wexford, #15)
3* Harm Done (Inspector Wexford, #18)
3* The Babes in the Wood (Inspector Wexford, #19)
TR From Doon With Death (Inspector Wexford, #1)
TR A New Lease of Death (Inspector Wexford, #2)
TR Wolf to the Slaughter (Inspector Wexford, #3)
TR The Best Man to Die (Inspector Wexford, #4)
TR A Guilty Thing Surprised (Inspector Wexford, #5)
TR No More Dying Then (Inspector Wexford, #6)
TR Murder Being Once Done (Inspector Wexford, #7)
TR Death Notes (Inspector Wexford, #11)
TR Speaker of Mandarin (Inspector Wexford, #12)
TR An Unkindness of Ravens (Inspector Wexford, #13)
TR Simisola (Inspector Wexford, #16)
TR Road Rage (Inspector Wexford, #17)
TR End in Tears (Inspector Wexford, #20)
TR Not in the Flesh (Inspector Wexford, #21)
TR The Monster in the Box (Inspector Wexford, #22)
TR The Vault (Inspector Wexford, #23)
TR No Man's Nightingale (Inspector Wexford #24)
Stars: George Baker, Christopher Ravenscroft, Louie Ramsay
A TV series was made based on this book and it is available at YouTube.
4* Going Wrong
4* The Keys to the Street
3* The Fever Tree and Other Stories
4* A Judgement in Stone
3* Fall of the Coin
4* People Don't Do Such Things
3* The Girl Next Door
2* To Fear a Painted Devil
3* Dark Corners
3* Live Flesh
Inspector Wexford series:
3* Some Lie and Some Die (Inspector Wexford, #8)
3* Shake Hands Forever (Inspector Wexford, #9)
3* A Sleeping Life (Inspector Wexford, #10)
3* The Veiled One (Inspector Wexford, #14)
4* Kissing the Gunner's Daughter (Inspector Wexford, #15)
3* Harm Done (Inspector Wexford, #18)
3* The Babes in the Wood (Inspector Wexford, #19)
TR From Doon With Death (Inspector Wexford, #1)
TR A New Lease of Death (Inspector Wexford, #2)
TR Wolf to the Slaughter (Inspector Wexford, #3)
TR The Best Man to Die (Inspector Wexford, #4)
TR A Guilty Thing Surprised (Inspector Wexford, #5)
TR No More Dying Then (Inspector Wexford, #6)
TR Murder Being Once Done (Inspector Wexford, #7)
TR Death Notes (Inspector Wexford, #11)
TR Speaker of Mandarin (Inspector Wexford, #12)
TR An Unkindness of Ravens (Inspector Wexford, #13)
TR Simisola (Inspector Wexford, #16)
TR Road Rage (Inspector Wexford, #17)
TR End in Tears (Inspector Wexford, #20)
TR Not in the Flesh (Inspector Wexford, #21)
TR The Monster in the Box (Inspector Wexford, #22)
TR The Vault (Inspector Wexford, #23)
TR No Man's Nightingale (Inspector Wexford #24)
nancyallen's review
3.0
Wasn't sure about this one ... only two stars part/much of the way through, then three, but Wexford redeemed himself, and Rendell likewise, by the end. So, a four-star conclusion, to an occasionally iffy story. Now that I know the conclusion, I value the earlier bits more than I did as I was reading them.
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