Wexford – serie

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.

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...

Readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will love this deliciously tense and suspenseful thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. An absolute page-turner you won't be able to stop reading...'The Wexford books clearly display Rendell's great mastery of storytelling at its best' -- Sunday Telegraph'Rendell's detective fiction stands almost alone as a chronicle of the dark side of modern life...' -- Independent'Unputdownable' -- ***** Reader review'Another cracker from Rendell!' -- ***** Reader review'A masterpiece' -- ***** Reader review'When does Ruth Rendell ever write anything other than excellent?' -- ***** Reader review'Thought provoking and absorbing' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************A young girl disappears, then another.A notorious paedophile is released back into the community. The residents of the Muriel Campden Estate are up in arms, and even prepared to take the law into their own hands...As a policeman, Chief Inspector Wexford is faced with the effects of violence and prejudice every day. His daughter, Sylvia, has come to work nearby in a refuge for battered women. Her marriage is not a happy one, although her husband has never raised a hand to her. They are merely incompatible. Other women in Kingsmarkham are not so lucky...Wexford is soon called upon to investigate two extremely serious crimes which will affect the lives and attitudes of police and innocent villagers alike...

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. 'The most brilliant mystery writer' -- Patricia Cornwell'Probably the greatest crime writer in the world' -- Ian Rankin'Totally gripping with superb twist at the end!' -- ***** Reader review'Fascinating' -- ***** Reader review'Superb on all counts' -- ***** Reader review'Keeps the reader rooted to the spot and in the dark till the very end' -- ***** Reader review************************************************************************************************Wherever Reggie Wexford goes, death and intrigue are close on his heels. Having just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime holiday in China, Wexford finds himself haunted by memories of the old woman with bound feet who mysteriously followed him from one city to the next and the man who tragically drowned.Now, back in England, he finds himself investigating the murder of a fellow tourist. Knowing that the clue to these three mysteries lies in the East, Wexford turns his investigative skills to that place of unfathomable and sinister depths...

This fast-paced, pulse-pounding thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell is perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon. With its climax of stunning unexpectedness, you'll be gripped to the very last page...'The Wexford books clearly display Rendell's great mastery of storytelling at its best' -- Sunday Telegraph'Rendell's detective fiction stands almost alone as a chronicle of the dark side of modern life...' -- Independent'Marvellous. Kept me guessing to the end' -- ***** Reader review'Gripping from start to end' -- ***** Reader review'What a wonderful whodunnit!' -- ***** Reader review'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review************************************************************************When a young, black woman goes missing in Kingsmarkham, Wexford must respond to a test not only of his powers of deduction, but of his basic beliefs and prejudices.Only eighteen black people live in Kingsmarkham. One of them is Wexford's new doctor, Raymond Akande. When the doctor's daughter, Melanie, goes missing, the Chief Inspector takes more than just a professional interest in the case.Melanie, just down from university but unable to find a job, disappeared somewhere between the Benefit Office and the bus stop. Or at least no one saw her get on the bus when it came...When the body of a young black woman is discovered, Wexford must overcome his underlying prejudices to allow his investigative skills to succeed.

Fatalities and feminism combine in this captivating mystery from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. Perfect for readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon. 'A brilliant reshuffling of a pack of clues . . . Rendell at her richest' -- Sunday Times'Well-plotted . . . baffling . . . Still the tops' -- Sunday Telegraph'A climax as chilling and unexpected as any she's perpetrated before' -- The Times'Another great novel from this author; she never disappoints' -- ***** Reader review'Another Rendell worth staying up late reading...' -- ***** Reader review'Rendell rules!' -- ***** Reader review'Very hard to put down once you start' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************************************The raven: not a particularly predatory bird, but far from soft and submissive, adopted as the symbol of a militant feminist group...Detective Chief Inspector Wexford thought he was merely doing a neighbourly good deed when he agreed to talk to Joy Williams about her missing husband. He certainly didn't expect to be investigating a most unusual homicide.Rodney Williams was neither handsome nor wealthy - but he had an unerring eye for a pretty girl and when he disappeared and two other men were later attacked by a young woman, Wexford couldn't help wondering if there was a connection. If there wasn't, where was Rodney Williams and why had he vanished? He had committed no crime - apart from telling his wife the occasional lie...

Readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will love this utterly compelling and captivating thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. Full of suspense, this will have you hooked from page one...'With immaculate control, Ruth Rendell builds a menacing crescendo of tension and horror that keeps you guessing right up to the brilliantly paced finale' -- Good Housekeeping'Another cracking tale to keep you guessing right until the end' -- ***** Reader review'Lost sleep with this one as I really wanted to finish it and find out what went on' -- ***** Reader review'Maybe the best Wexford mystery...' -- ***** Reader review'Could not put it down' -- ***** Reader review************************************************************************A by-pass is planned in the sleepy village of Kingsmarkham, a move that would destroy its peace and natural habitat forever. Wexford's wife Dora joins the protest movement, but Wexford must be more circumspect. Trouble is expected.Before the protesters even have a chance to make their presence felt, the badly decomposed body of a young woman is discovered. Burden believes he knows the identity of the murderer, but Wexford is not convinced.Just as Wexford is about to investigate the murder, a number of people disappear - including Dora Wexford. The Chief Inspector must battle with his powerful emotions and solve the case immediately, before his wife is placed in any mortal danger...

The twentieth book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford.A lump of concrete dropped deliberately from a little stone bridge over a relatively unfrequented road kills the wrong person. The young woman in the car behind is spared. But only for a while... A few weeks later, George Marshalson lives every father's worst nightmare: he discovers the murdered body of his eighteen-year-old daughter on the side of the road. As a man with a strained father-daughter relationship himself, Wexford must struggle to keep his professional life as a detective separate from his personal life as husband and father. Particularly when a second teenage girl is murdered - a victim unquestionably linked to the first - and another family is shattered...

The twenty-first book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford.Searching for truffles in a wood, a man and his dog unearth something slightly less savoury - a human hand. The corpse, as Chief Inspector Wexford is informed later, has lain buried for ten years or so, wrapped in a purple cotton sheet. The post mortem can not reveal the precise cause of death. The only clue to solving this mysterious murder is a crack in one of the dead man's ribs.Wexford knows it will be a difficult job to identify the dead body. Although it covers a relatively short period of time, the police computer stores a long list of missing persons. People disappear at an alarming rate - hundreds each day. And then, only about twenty yards away from the woodland burial site, in the cellar of a disused cottage, another body is found.The detection skills of Wexford, Burden and the other investigating officers of the Kingsmarkham Police Force are tested to the utmost to discover whether the murders are connected and to track down whoever is responsible.

Readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will love this deliciously tense and suspenseful thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. An absolute page-turner you won't be able to stop reading...'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'The best mystery writer anywhere in the English-speaking world' - Boston Globe'A remarkable talent' -- The Times Literary Supplement'First rate thriller' -- Boston Globe'A steadily engrossing tale' -- Publisher's Weekly'As usual Ruth Rendell has penned a masterpiece. It was full of suspense and surprise. I really enjoyed reading it' -- ***** Reader review'Very good book had me gripped right until the last' -- ***** Reader review'Superb in every way' -- ***** Reader review'Read it in a single go' -- ***** Reader review***********************************************************************************Anita Margolis has vanished. Dark and exquisite, Anita's character is as mysterious as her disappearance. There was no body, no crime - nothing more concrete than an anonymous letter and the intriguing name of Smith.According to headquarters, it wasn't to be considered a murder enquiry at all.With the letter providing them with only one questionable lead to follow, Wexford and his sidekick Inspector Burden are compelled to make enquiries. They soon discover Anita is wealthy, flighty, and thoroughly passionate and immoral. The straight-laced Burden has a very clear idea of what happened to her. But Wexford has his own suspicions...He knows that passion can be lethal.Wolf to the Slaughter is the third book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford. You can continue to read about him in The Best Man to Die.

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...

In A Guilty Thing Surprised, multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell has created a thriller so taut and tense and full of twists and turns, you'll be gripped from page one. An absolute must for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon.'Ruth Rendell is England's premier detective-thriller writer' -- Spectator'The best mystery writer in the English-speaking world' -- The Times'Ruth Rendell has a sharp and perceptive eye for everyday detail, an uncanny understanding of human behaviour and, above all, the ability to colour innocence with evil' -- The Sunday Telegraph'I could not put the book down!' -- ***** Reader review'You'll love it!' -- ***** Reader review'A real page-turner' -- ***** Reader review'Wexford at his compelling best' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************EVEN THE DEAD HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE...The discovery of Elizabeth Nightingale's broken body in the woods near her home could not have come as a bigger shock.Called in to investigate, Chief Inspector Wexford quickly determines that the Nightingales were considered the perfect couple - wealthy, attractive and without an enemy in the world.However, someone must have been alone with Elizabeth that night in the woods. Someone who hated - or perhaps loved - her enough to beat her to death.The case seems straightforward. But Wexford soon learns that beneath the placid surface of the Nightingales' lives lie undercurrents and secrets no one ever suspected...

Fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will love this compelling and captivating mystery from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. Full of twists, turns and tension, it will get right under the skin and keep you hooked from page one...!'The most brilliant mystery novelist of our time' -- Patricia Cornwell'Probably the greatest...crime writer in the world' -- Ian Rankin'[Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age' -- Herald'Fabulous book that keeps you gripped until the very last page!' -- ***** Reader review'Had my gripped from the start' -- ***** Reader review'A brilliant book' -- ***** Reader review'Quirky and fascinating' -- ***** Reader review'A must read' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************************************************It seems fitting that the final resting place of a girl's body should be in a graveyard. But this is no peaceful burial. This is a brutal murder scene.Under strict orders from his doctor to indulge in no criminal investigation, Wexford is sent to London for a break away from the pressures of the Kingsmarkham police force. But then he discovers that his nephew Howard is heading the investigation into the macabre murder of Loveday Morgan, whose body was found abandoned in Kenbourne Cemetery.Despite opposition from Howard and his team, Wexford is drawn to the case.And when he unearths Loveday's connection to a religious cult whose leader was imprisoned for sexual absue, he relentlessly pursues this sinister new lead...

Fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will devour this captivating and compelling thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. Mesmerically gripping, it highlights that fame can come at a price - and that that price can be lethal.'The most brilliant mystery novelist of our time' -- Patricia Cornwell'[Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age' -- Herald'Had me gripped from the start' -- ***** Reader review'Brilliant' -- ***** Reader review'Rendell is a master of psychological suspense' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************************When the body of a brutally beaten girl is found in a quarry during a hedonistic hippy festival near Kingsmarkham, Wexford is first on the scene. The victim's face has been pulped by the back-end of a bottle, but who, in this atmosphere of peace and love, could be capable of such violence?The body is that of local girl turned stripper Dawn Stonor, but it is the unlikely link between this ill-fated girl and the mysterious folk-singer Zeno Vedast that piques Wexford's interest.Through an intricate web of lies and deceit, Wexford uncovers a history of love and hate that began years earlier. In all his years of police work, he has never been faced with a crime of such desperate passion...

From multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell, Shake Hands For Ever is a taut and tense story of obsession, love and greed. Perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon, this is a page-turner you won't be able to put down...'The most brilliant mystery novelist of our time' -- Patricia Cornwell'[Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age' -- Herald'A real who dunnit. Real people and real situations and a REAL twist at the end' -- ***** Reader review'Brilliant' -- ***** Reader review'Kept me guessing right to the end' -- ***** Reader review'First class writing' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************************Angela Hathall is found strangled in her bed but, shockingly, the murder of this meek and solitary woman sparks little emotion from her husband. Called in to investigate, Wexford's curiosity only deepens when he discovers that the Hathall household has been meticulously cleaned but for a single distinctive palm print.As the case develops Wexford is increasingly frustrated by the seemingly pointless nature of the murder. There is no motive, no weapon and no suspect. Nothing except the unidentified print.But despite the sparse evidence, Wexford is convinced Hathall is hiding something. So when Wexford is taken off the case he decides to take matters into his own hands...

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.

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.

The twenty-second book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford.Wexford had almost made up his mind that he would never again set eyes on Eric Targo's short, muscular figure. And yet there he was, back in Kingsmarkham, still with that cocky, strutting walk.Years earlier, when Wexford was a young police officer, a woman called Elsie Carroll had been found strangled in her bedroom. Although many still had their suspicions that her husband was guilty of her violent murder, no one was convicted.Another woman was strangled shortly afterwards, and every personal and professional instinct told Wexford that the killer was still at large. And that it was Eric Targo. A psychopathic murderer who would kill again...As the Chief Inspector investigates a new case, Ruth Rendell looks back to the beginning of Wexford's career as a detective, even to his courtship of the woman who would become his wife. The villainous Targo is not the only ghost from Wexford's past who has re-emerged to haunt him in the here and now...

____________________________________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...

No Man's Nightingale: the eagerly anticipated twenty-fourth title in Ruth Rendell's bestselling Detective Chief Inspector Wexford series.The woman vicar of St Peter's Church may not be popular among the community of Kingsmarkham. But it still comes as a profound shock when she is found strangled in her vicarage.Inspector Wexford is retired, but he retains a relish for solving mysteries especially when they are as close to home as this one is.So when he's asked whether he will assist on the case, he readily agrees.But why did the vicar die? And is anyone else in Kingsmarkham in danger?What Wexford doesn't know is that the killer is far closer than he, or anyone else, thinks.

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!'As sharp, observant and intelligent as ever' -- Sunday Express'A dark, gripping novel permeated with unease and psychological twists . . . Certain to send a shiver down your spine' -- Today'I LOVED IT' -- ***** Reader review'Keeps you guessing' -- ***** Reader review'I couldn't put it down!!' -- ***** Reader review'Rendell at her best' -- ***** Reader review'Intricate jewel of a puzzle' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************************************Concealed by a shroud of dirty brown velvet, looking like a heap of rags, the woman's dead body lay between a silver Escort and a dark-blue Lancia.In the desolate shopping centre car park, Wexford has been too preoccupied to notice anything out of the ordinary - only the teenage girl in the red car, driving past him rather too fast. It was Burden who called him at home with the grim news later that evening: the woman had been attacked from behind, perhaps with a thin length of wire.But before Wexford can delve any deeper into this curious murder, he, too, faces death... Can Burden solve this mysterious crime without the help of his worldly Chief Inspector?

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.

The twenty-first book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford.Searching for truffles in a wood, a man and his dog unearth something slightly less savoury - a human hand. The corpse, as Chief Inspector Wexford is informed later, has lain buried for ten years or so, wrapped in a purple cotton sheet. The post mortem can not reveal the precise cause of death. The only clue to solving this mysterious murder is a crack in one of the dead man's ribs.Wexford knows it will be a difficult job to identify the dead body. Although it covers a relatively short period of time, the police computer stores a long list of missing persons. People disappear at an alarming rate - hundreds each day. And then, only about twenty yards away from the woodland burial site, in the cellar of a disused cottage, another body is found.The detection skills of Wexford, Burden and the other investigating officers of the Kingsmarkham Police Force are tested to the utmost to discover whether the murders are connected and to track down whoever is responsible.

This fast-paced, pulse-pounding thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell is perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon. With its climax of stunning unexpectedness, you'll be gripped to the very last page...'The Wexford books clearly display Rendell's great mastery of storytelling at its best' -- Sunday Telegraph'Rendell's detective fiction stands almost alone as a chronicle of the dark side of modern life...' -- Independent'Marvellous. Kept me guessing to the end' -- ***** Reader review'Gripping from start to end' -- ***** Reader review'What a wonderful whodunnit!' -- ***** Reader review'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review************************************************************************When a young, black woman goes missing in Kingsmarkham, Wexford must respond to a test not only of his powers of deduction, but of his basic beliefs and prejudices.Only eighteen black people live in Kingsmarkham. One of them is Wexford's new doctor, Raymond Akande. When the doctor's daughter, Melanie, goes missing, the Chief Inspector takes more than just a professional interest in the case.Melanie, just down from university but unable to find a job, disappeared somewhere between the Benefit Office and the bus stop. Or at least no one saw her get on the bus when it came...When the body of a young black woman is discovered, Wexford must overcome his underlying prejudices to allow his investigative skills to succeed.

____________________________________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...

The twenty-second book to feature the classic crime-solving detective, Chief Inspector Wexford.Wexford had almost made up his mind that he would never again set eyes on Eric Targo's short, muscular figure. And yet there he was, back in Kingsmarkham, still with that cocky, strutting walk.Years earlier, when Wexford was a young police officer, a woman called Elsie Carroll had been found strangled in her bedroom. Although many still had their suspicions that her husband was guilty of her violent murder, no one was convicted.Another woman was strangled shortly afterwards, and every personal and professional instinct told Wexford that the killer was still at large. And that it was Eric Targo. A psychopathic murderer who would kill again...As the Chief Inspector investigates a new case, Ruth Rendell looks back to the beginning of Wexford's career as a detective, even to his courtship of the woman who would become his wife. The villainous Targo is not the only ghost from Wexford's past who has re-emerged to haunt him in the here and now...

In A Guilty Thing Surprised, multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell has created a thriller so taut and tense and full of twists and turns, you'll be gripped from page one. An absolute must for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon.'Ruth Rendell is England's premier detective-thriller writer' -- Spectator'The best mystery writer in the English-speaking world' -- The Times'Ruth Rendell has a sharp and perceptive eye for everyday detail, an uncanny understanding of human behaviour and, above all, the ability to colour innocence with evil' -- The Sunday Telegraph'I could not put the book down!' -- ***** Reader review'You'll love it!' -- ***** Reader review'A real page-turner' -- ***** Reader review'Wexford at his compelling best' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************EVEN THE DEAD HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE...The discovery of Elizabeth Nightingale's broken body in the woods near her home could not have come as a bigger shock.Called in to investigate, Chief Inspector Wexford quickly determines that the Nightingales were considered the perfect couple - wealthy, attractive and without an enemy in the world.However, someone must have been alone with Elizabeth that night in the woods. Someone who hated - or perhaps loved - her enough to beat her to death.The case seems straightforward. But Wexford soon learns that beneath the placid surface of the Nightingales' lives lie undercurrents and secrets no one ever suspected...

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.

Fatalities and feminism combine in this captivating mystery from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. Perfect for readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon. 'A brilliant reshuffling of a pack of clues . . . Rendell at her richest' -- Sunday Times'Well-plotted . . . baffling . . . Still the tops' -- Sunday Telegraph'A climax as chilling and unexpected as any she's perpetrated before' -- The Times'Another great novel from this author; she never disappoints' -- ***** Reader review'Another Rendell worth staying up late reading...' -- ***** Reader review'Rendell rules!' -- ***** Reader review'Very hard to put down once you start' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************************************The raven: not a particularly predatory bird, but far from soft and submissive, adopted as the symbol of a militant feminist group...Detective Chief Inspector Wexford thought he was merely doing a neighbourly good deed when he agreed to talk to Joy Williams about her missing husband. He certainly didn't expect to be investigating a most unusual homicide.Rodney Williams was neither handsome nor wealthy - but he had an unerring eye for a pretty girl and when he disappeared and two other men were later attacked by a young woman, Wexford couldn't help wondering if there was a connection. If there wasn't, where was Rodney Williams and why had he vanished? He had committed no crime - apart from telling his wife the occasional lie...