Search results for ""author ruth rendell""

Fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will devour this enthralling mystery of deception, doubt and death from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell ...'Probably the greatest crime writer in the world' -- Ian Rankin'[Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age' -- Herald'Pacy and surprising right to the last page' -- ***** Reader review'You cannot go wrong with a Ruth Rendell' -- ***** Reader review'Extremely thrilling and entertaining' -- ***** Reader review'Full of twists and turns' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************************Sir Manuel Camargue, Kingsmarkham's very own celebrity flautist, dies tragically on a snowy night. His death is met with a ruling of misadventure and appears to be an open-and-shut-case. However Wexford, as the investigating officer, has a few niggling doubts.Nineteen years later, Camargue's entrancing daughter, Natalie, now a considerable heiress, suddenly reappears in Kingsmarkham. When her fiancé appeals to Wexford for help, believing that Natalie is using a false identity, the case of the Camargues is once more under investigation.Events soon take a gruesome twist and the pressure is on for Wexford to discover Natalie's true identity and to solve the mystery of the Camargue family, once and for all.

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What is the real price of greed? A spine-tingling and breathtakingly taut thriller full of twists and turns from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. Perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon.'Rendell's psychological insights are so absorbing, it's easy to forget what a superb plotter she was' -- The Times'Marvellous stuff' -- ***** Reader review'Simply the best!' -- ***** Reader review'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'A masterpiece!' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************************There are only two things in life that interest Stanley: solving crossword puzzles, and getting his hands on his mother-in-law's money.For twenty years, nearly all his adult life, the puzzles have been his only pleasure; his mother-in-law's money his only dream. And in all those years it has never once occurred to Stanley that she would try to outsmart him and the money might never be his. Until now.It is only now that Stanley, so clever at misleading double-meanings and devious clues, decides to construct a puzzle of his own - and so give death a helping hand.

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Readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will love this gripping crime thriller full of twists and turns from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. This edition has an introduction from Ian Rankin and an afterword by the author.'If crime fiction is currently in rude good health, its practitioners striving to better the craft and keep it fresh, vibrant and relevant, this is in no small part thanks to Ruth Rendell.' -- IAN RANKIN'A classic mystery, as true to life now as it was half a century ago' - MAIL ONLINE'Ruth Rendell's mesmerising capacity to shock, chill and disturb is unmatched' - THE TIMES'This is not just a crime novel, it is a wonderfully written novel with crime in it.' -- ***** Reader review'A real page turner.' -- ***** Reader review************************************************************AN ORDINARY LIFE. AN EXTRAORDINARY DEATH. The trampled grass led to the body of Margaret Parsons. With no useful clues and a victim known only for her mundane life, Chief Inspector Wexford is baffled until he discovers Margaret's dark secret - a collection of rare books, each inscribed from a secret lover and signed only as 'Doon'. Who is Doon? And could the answer hold the key to Wexford solving his first case?

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Another magnificently gripping and compelling thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell full of twists and turns and the odd red herring! An absolute must for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon.'The mistress of Mystery' -- Daily Mirror'The Wexford books clearly display Rendell's great mastery of storytelling at its best' -- Sunday Telegraph'Rendell never fails to come up trumps' - The Irish Times'Consistently readable with a nice twist at the end' -- Daily Mail'Had me gripped from the start' -- ***** Reader review'There is simply no such thing as a bad Ruth Rendell book. She is a phenomenon. A brilliant read as always.' -- ***** Reader review'Great Read! Rendell never disappoints.' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************NOTHING IS EVER QUITE WHAT IT SEEMS...A man and his daughter lie dead after a car accident. Strangely, no other car was involved and no cause has been found. Wexford's only option is to wait and hope that the one surviving victim - the mother, Mrs Fanshawe - regains consciousness.But when she finally awakens six weeks later, Wexford's attention has already been distracted by a new and very violent case. Walking by the canal that same morning, Wexford discovered the bloody body of Charlie Hatton.The two cases are obviously unrelated, although something is bothering Wexford and he can't work out why or what.But just as he begins to wonder whether there could in fact be a connection, the unexpected occurs: the Fanshawe daughter, believed to be killed in the accident, appears at her mother's beside very much alive...

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Death is always solitary. For some, so is life . . . Fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will devour this enthralling mystery of deception, doubt and death from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell ...'Probably the greatest crime writer in the world' -- Ian Rankin'[Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age' -- Herald'A cracking good tale' -- ***** Reader review'Rendell at her complex best' -- ***** Reader review'Unputdownable' -- ***** Reader review'A treat from start to finish' -- ***** Reader review'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review******************************************************************************************************On a sultry August evening, the bloody body of a middle-aged woman is discovered beneath a hedge by a small boy.There are only two things that surprise Wexford about the murder scene. One, that the only contents of the woman's handbag are some keys and a wallet containing nothing but some money. And two, how even in death, her deathly grey eyes possess a scornful glare.The woman turns out to be Rhoda Comfrey, but there's no murder weapon, no apparent motive, and no one who actually cares that she died.Wexford's only hunch is that the clues to her murder must lie in her solitary London life. But her existence there becomes frustratingly impossible to trace.

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Completely captivating, this is a spine-tingling page-turner of a mystery from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. Perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon. 'The most brilliant mystery novelist' -- Patricia Cornwell'Psychologically acute and extremely disturbing, Ruth Rendell's work is outstanding' -- The Times'Stark, edgy and punchy' -- ***** Reader review'This book kept me awake for nights on end!' -- ***** Reader review'I just could not put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Smashing' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************************************************The thirteenth of May is famously the unluckiest day of the year. Sergeant Caleb Martin of Kingsmarkham CID had no idea just how terminally unlucky it would prove, as he embarked upon his last day on earth...Ten months later, Wexford is confronted with a murder scene of horrific brutality. At first the bloodbath at Tancred House looks like the desperate work of a burglar panicked into murder. The sole survivor of the massacre, seventeen-year-old Daisy Flory, remembers the events imperfectly, and her confused account of the fatal night seems to confirm this theory.But more and more, Chief Inspector Wexford is convinced that the crime lies closer to home, and that it has sinister links to the murder of Sergeant Martin...

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Readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will love this mesmerising and bone-chilling thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. You'll be hooked from page one!'If crime fiction is currently in rude good health, its practitioners striving to better the craft and keep it fresh, vibrant and relevant, this is in no small part thanks to Ruth Rendell.' -- Ian Rankin'One of the best novelists writing today' - PD James'[Ruth Rendell has a] peerless skill in blending the mundane, commonplace aspects of life with the potent murky impulses of desire and greed, obsession and fear' - Sunday Times'As usual, brilliant, yes murder but also a lot more, guilt, jealousy and a surprise at the end!!' -- ***** Reader review'The writing is masterful and the plot excellent' -- ***** Reader review'Relished every page' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************SOME CASES ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO BURY.It's impossible to forget the violent bludgeoning to death of an elderly lady in her home. Even more so when it's your first murder case.Wexford believed he'd solved Mrs Primero's murder fifteen years ago. It was no real mystery. Everyone knew Painter, her odd-job man, had done it. There had never been any doubt in anyone's mind. Until now...Henry Archery's son is engaged to Painter's daughter. Only Archery can't let the past remain buried. He wants to prove Wexford wrong...When he starts probing the lives of the witnesses questioned all those years ago, he stirs up more than old ghosts.Wexford's first case was From Doon with Death. Have you read it? His work continues in Wolf to the Slaughter.

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In all her novels, multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell digs deep beneath the surface to investigate the secrets of the human psyche and The Girl Next Door is no exception. This compelling and captivating mystery, with its taut plotting and spine-tingling twists and turns is perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon.'This novel reminded me of the singularity of Ruth Rendell's talent, her effortless mastery of language and her uncanny genius for mapping a criminal mind.' -- The Times'Rendell is as masterful as ever; her writing tense, brittle, and brilliant.' -- SundayMirror'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Fantastic book' -- ***** Reader review'Fabulous read' -- ***** Reader review'Love the way Ruth Rendell weaves the plot - she never disappoints me' -- ***** Reader review'Brilliant storyline, couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review************************************************************************************Beneath the green meadows of Loughton, Essex, a dark network of tunnels has been dug. A group of children discover them. They play there. It becomes their place.Seventy years on, the world has changed. Developers have altered the rural landscape. Friends from a half-remembered world have married, died, grown sick, moved - or disappeared.Work on a new house called Warlock uncovers a long buried grisly secret: the bones of two severed hands are discovered in a box, and an investigation into a long-buried crime of passion begins.The friends, who played together as children, begin to question their past. And a weary detective, more concerned with current crimes, must investigate a case of murder.

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____________________________________Featured in The Times Top 10 Crime Books of the DecadeThe twenty-fourth book in the bestselling Detective Chief Inspector Wexford series, from the author of classic detective fiction and gripping psychological thrillers including End in Tears and Thirteen Steps Down.The impossible has happened. Chief Inspector Reg Wexford has retired from the crime force. He and his wife, Dora, now divide their time between Kingsmarkham and a coachhouse in Hampstead, belonging to their actress daughter, Sheila.Wexford takes great pleasure in his books, but, for all the benefits of a more relaxed lifestyle, he misses being the hand of the law.But a chance meeting in a London street, with someone he had known briefly as a very young police constable, changes everything. Tom Ede is now a Detective Superintendent, and is very keen to recruit Wexford as an adviser on a mysterious murder case.The bodies of two women and a man have been discovered in the old coal hole of an attractive house in St John's Wood. None of the corpses carry identification. But the man's jacket pockets contain a string of pearls, a diamond and a sapphire necklace as well as other jewellery valued in the region of £40,000.To Wexford, this is definitely a case worth coming out of retirement for. He is intrigued and excited by the challenge, but unaware that this new investigative role will bring him into extreme physical danger...

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A tragic accident. A blackmail plot. A house of cards.And murder.In his late father's house, Carl finds a hoard of pills, 'wonder drugs' and herbal remedies. He sells a box of slimming pills to his close friend Stacey.She dies.And Carl's new tenant is now scheming to blackmail him, imposing more and more demands on an increasingly unstable Carl, pushing him to the point of no return..._________________________Ruth Rendell's final novel is a dark and atmospheric tale of psychological suspense, full of mistaken identity, kidnap, blackmail, and a cast of normal people driven to do abnormal things. Infused with her distinctive blend of wry humour, acute observation and deep humanity, this is Rendell at her most memorable and best.

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The first book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford. An ordinary life. An extraordinary death. The trampled grass led to the body of Margaret Parsons. With no useful clues and a victim known only for her mundane life, Chief Inspector Wexford is baffled until he discovers Margaret's dark secret - a collection of rare books, each inscribed from a secret lover and signed only as 'Doon'. Who is Doon? And could the answer hold the key to Wexford solving his first case?'If crime fiction is currently in rude good health, its practitioners striving to better the craft and keep it fresh, vibrant and relevant, this is in no small part thanks to Ruth Rendell.' Ian Rankin

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A gripping tragedy of crime and class, widely regarded as one of multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell's seminal masterworks and a crime fiction classic. Fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will not be disappointed. 'One of her masterpieces' -- Telegraph'A classic' - The Times'Quite possibly the best crime book I have ever read' -- ***** Reader review'One hell of a book' -- ***** Reader review'An altogether engrossing book' -- ***** Reader review'A compelling and addictive read' -- ***** Reader review'An absolute classic - can only be described in superlatives' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************************************'Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.' Eunice, the Coverdales' housekeeper, guns down four of her employers in the space of fifteen minutes one Valentine's Day. None of them suspected anything. Her motive remained hidden. As the police investigate, Eunice schemes to escape the blame - desperate to preserve the terrible secret of her illiteracy. But Eunice's blindness to a crucial aspect of the world throws her plans into jeopardy...

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New and uncollected tales of murder, mischief, magic and madness. Ruth Rendell was an acknowledged master of psychological suspense: these are ten (and a quarter) of her most chillingly compelling short stories, collected here together for the first time. In these tales, a businessman boasts about cheating on his wife, only to find the tables turned. A beautiful country rectory reverberates to the echo of a historical murder. A compulsive liar acts on impulse, only to be lead inexorably to disaster. And a wealthy man finds there is more to his wife's kidnapping than meets the eye. Atmospheric, gripping and never predictable, this is Ruth Rendell at her inimitable best. The stories are: Never Sleep in a Bed Facing a Mirror; A Spot of Folly; The Price of Joy; The Irony of Hate; Digby's Wives; The Haunting of Shawley Rectory; A Drop Too Much; The Thief; The Long Corridor of Time; In the Time of his Prosperity; and Trebuchet. Introduction from Sophie Hannah.

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Paul was the most influential figure in the early Christian church. In this epistle, written to the founders of the church in Rome, he sets out some of his ideas on the importance of faith in overcoming mankind's innate sinfulness and in obtaining redemption. With an introduction by Ruth Rendell.

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Malignant forces and supernatural visitors haunt this selection of superbly spooky tales selected and introduced by Ruth Rendell. M. R. James wrote his ghost stories to entertain friends on Christmas Eve, and they went on to both transform and modernise a genre. James harnesses the power of suggestion to move from a recognisable world to one that is indefinably strange, and then unforgettably terrifying. Sheets, pictures, carvings, a dolls house, a lonely beach, a branch tapping on a window - ordinary things take on more than a tinge of dread in the hands of the original master of suspense.

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Son of a bankrupt landowner, Frank Gresham is intent on marrying his beloved Mary Thorne, despite her illegitimacy and apparent poverty. Frank's ambitious mother and haughty aunt are set against the match, however, and push him to save the family's mortgaged estate by making a good marriage to a wealthy heiress. Only Mary's loving uncle, Dr Thorne, knows the secret of her birth and the fortune she is to inherit that will make her socially acceptable in the eyes of Frank's family - but the high-principled doctor believes she should be accepted on her own terms. A telling examination of the relationship between society, money and morality, Dr Thorne (1858) is enduringly popular for Trollope's affectionate depiction of rural English life and his deceptively simple portrayal of human nature.

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With this rich range of unabridged stories we celebrate the very best of contemporary writers and writing.Among others the collections features thriller writer Ruth Rendell, witty William Boyd, the Japanese literary sensation Haruki Murakami, ever-inventive Helen Simpson, and Patrick O'Brien, world-famous for his nautical series.Readers include top British actors Martin Jarvis, Rosalind Ayres and Janet McTeer.

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A rock pool with a deadly secret. A bank holiday heatwave dominated by the murder of an unknown man. A sun-drenched picnic that ends in a sinister locked-room mystery. And an Adriatic holiday interrupted by a beautiful couple ... who aren't quite who they seem to be. All these, and many more, can be found in these classic stories of summertime murder and mayhem, featuring masters of the genre from Dorothy L. Sayers to Arthur Conan Doyle. From St Mark's Square in Venice to the English seaside, their tales will puzzle, entertain and prove that - no matter how far you travel - there's no rest for the wicked. Selected by Cecily Gayford

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