Ruth Rendell has been writing detective novels featuring Inspector Wexford for many years now. I’d be lying if I said I had read them all, but I have read several, and they are typically enjoyable books. Wexford is the Chief Inspector in Kingsmarkham and has a memorable retinue to accompany him on his many cases.
In this book, Rendell incorporates cases from Wexford’s distant past with present day events. We learn quite a bit about Wexford’s history: an early murder case, his past love, and how the two intersect. The story is that of Eric Targo, a mysterious man who Wexford believes to be a murderer. Even though he has not previously discussed his suspicions with others, Targo’s reappearance inspires Wexford to confide in his coworker Burden and revisit the events of the past.
Rendell’s fascination with the British immigrant population is interesting to me. Most of her recent books include a storyline that involves special problems of the African, Middle Eastern or Asian communities in England, specifically problems that deal with issues of women’s rights. Monster in the Box discusses the problem of arranged or forced marriages, and other topics have included female circumcision and abuse. Rendell usually looks at these issues in a feminist light, but it does seem sometimes that she focuses a bit too much on these topics. (Not that it isn’t enjoyable, it just seems like these problems are coming up unusually frequently).
On the whole, this book was interesting, but I thought it was slightly less compelling than some of the other Ruth Rendell books that I’ve read. I’m sure there are those who have read all of the Inspector Wexford novels in the correct order, and for those people, this book is certainly required reading.
In this book, Rendell incorporates cases from Wexford’s distant past with present day events. We learn quite a bit about Wexford’s history: an early murder case, his past love, and how the two intersect. The story is that of Eric Targo, a mysterious man who Wexford believes to be a murderer. Even though he has not previously discussed his suspicions with others, Targo’s reappearance inspires Wexford to confide in his coworker Burden and revisit the events of the past.
Rendell’s fascination with the British immigrant population is interesting to me. Most of her recent books include a storyline that involves special problems of the African, Middle Eastern or Asian communities in England, specifically problems that deal with issues of women’s rights. Monster in the Box discusses the problem of arranged or forced marriages, and other topics have included female circumcision and abuse. Rendell usually looks at these issues in a feminist light, but it does seem sometimes that she focuses a bit too much on these topics. (Not that it isn’t enjoyable, it just seems like these problems are coming up unusually frequently).
On the whole, this book was interesting, but I thought it was slightly less compelling than some of the other Ruth Rendell books that I’ve read. I’m sure there are those who have read all of the Inspector Wexford novels in the correct order, and for those people, this book is certainly required reading.
