Synopses & Reviews
INCLUDES AN EXCERPT OF RENDELL’S FINAL NOVEL,
DARK CORNERS
From crime legend Ruth Rendell, the gripping new novel in her “beloved” (USA Today) Inspector Wexford series, which will soon mark its fiftieth anniversary.
A female vicar named Sarah Hussain is discovered strangled in her Kingsmarkham vicarage. Maxine, the gossipy cleaning woman who finds the body, happens to also be in the employ of former Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford and his wife. When called on by his old deputy, Wexford, who has taken to reading The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as a retirement project, leaps at the chance to tag along with the investigators. Wexford is intrigued by the unusual circumstances of the murder, but he’s also desperate to escape the chatty Maxine.
A single mother to a teenage girl, Hussain was a woman working in a male-dominated profession. Of mixed race and an outspoken church reformer, she had turned some in her congregation against her, including the conservative vicar’s warden. Could one of her enemies in the church have gone so far as to kill her? Or could it have been the elderly next-door gardener with a muddled alibi?
As Wexford searches the vicar’s house alongside the police, he sees a book, Newman’s Apologia Pro Vita Sua, lying on Hussain’s bedside table. Inside it is a letter serving as a bookmark. Without thinking much, Wexford puts it into his pocket. Wexford soon realizes he has made a grave error—he’s removed a piece of evidence from the crime scene. Yet what he finds inside begins to illuminate the murky past of Sarah Hussain. Is there more to her than meets the eye?
No Man’s Nightingale is Ruth Rendell’s masterful twenty-fourth installment in one of the great crime series of all time.
Review
"No one surpasses Ruth Rendell when it comes to stories of obsession, istability, and malignant coincidence."
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“Unequivocally the most brilliant mystery writer of our time.
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“Ruth Rendell is my dream writer. Her prose style...has the disquieting intimacy of an alien touch in the dark.”
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“It's a pleasure to report that Ruth Rendell, at the age of 82 and after publishing more than 60 books, has given us yet another gem. A pleasure but not a surprise, since Rendell has for years, along with her friend P.D. James, been bringing new sophistication and psychological depth to the traditional English mystery.”
Review
“The characters jump off the page. The page-to-page surprises are so clever that the reader is left agape at each twist and turn. The pieces fit together brilliantly.
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"No one surpasses Ruth Rendell when it comes to stories of obsession, istability, and malignant coincidence." Stephen King
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“Unequivocally the most brilliant mystery writer of our time. Patricia Cornwell
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“Ruth Rendell is my dream writer. Her prose style...has the disquieting intimacy of an alien touch in the dark.” Marilyn Stasio
Review
“It's a pleasure to report that Ruth Rendell, at the age of 82 and after publishing more than 60 books, has given us yet another gem. A pleasure but not a surprise, since Rendell has for years, along with her friend P.D. James, been bringing new sophistication and psychological depth to the traditional English mystery.” The New York Times Book Review
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“The characters jump off the page. The page-to-page surprises are so clever that the reader is left agape at each twist and turn. The pieces fit together brilliantly. < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Washington Post - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
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“If you’re unfamiliar with Ruth Rendell, if you’ve somehow managed to miss her sixty or so books … then, congratulations: Your reading life is about to get infinitely richer."
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"'Subtle' is an inadequate word for Ruth Rendell. So are 'crafty,' 'cunning,' 'clever' and 'sly.'"
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“Rendell has for years, along with her friend P.D. James, been bringing new sophistication and psychological depth to the traditional English mystery.”
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"A novel by Ruth Rendell is like none other..... The results are seldom what we expect them to be, and that is part of this author's special genius."
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"Rendell unspools anentertaining cast of characters… Lovely touches of detail… Best of all forWexford fans, the book affords some terrific moments between the retired sleuthand [Detective Superintendent Mike] Burden."
Review
"Inspector Wexford [is] the hardest-working retired policeman in show biz…. Ruth Rendell explores bigotry in its various forms, from overt racism to unconscious assumptions in otherwise open-minded people."
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"Ror readers who have loved this series over the decades, it’s still nice to spend time with the Wexfords."
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"I’m happy to report that RuthRendell’s “No Man’sNightingale” is as absorbingand rewarding as her other Inspector Wexford novels… Supporting charactersstand out. So does Rendell’s typically clear-eyed examination of a vexingsocial issue: In this case it’s racism."
Review
“Ruth Rendell outdoes herself in NO MAN'S NIGHTINGALE, her 24th Inspector Wexford novel. In this tangled and labyrinthine book, she tackles social problems as well as solves the murder of a prominent woman in the community…Rendell doesn't let her fans down.”
Review
“[Rendell’s] new Inspector Wexford novel, the 24th in the series, is as refined, probing,and intelligent as prior installments… She integrates her themes of religious belief, class in England, and womanhood so effortlessly that the book is never less than a pleasure.”
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Praise for Elizabeth George and her Novels
"Elizabeth George is a superstar of the crime-fiction world, British Inspector Division. Deservedly so: Her tails always provide nuanced character studies and insights into social issues along with their intricate mysteries."
—The Seattle Times on Believing the Lie
“Definitely a literary force to be reckoned with.”
—Suspense Magazine
“Its tough to resist Georges storytelling, once hooked.”
—USA Today
"Riveting tale of love, passion, and betrayal...series fans will enjoy following Lynley and Havers on their first investigation outside the U.K., while newcomers will be just as enthralled."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Just One Evil Act
"Just One Evil Act [is] among the most demanding and satisfying of the many detective novels by Elizabeth George."
—The Wall Street Journal
"A serious, suspenseful, thought-provoking and heart-rending novel."
—Richmond Times Dispatch on Just One Evil Act
“George is a master of the wily plot and the timely tossed out red herring… Georges fans will be glad to see Havers back in action, even though, as ever, shes quick to land in trouble. And as for Lynley—well, hes as cool as ever, in more than one sense of the word.”
—Kirkus Reviews on Just One Evil Act
"This is a must for fans of this series. Twists and turns are vintage George and do not disappoint."
—Library Journal on Just One Evil Act
"A multiplicity of subplots and a richness of physical detail...The terrain and the weather are objective correlatives to the characters' stormy patches. Meanwhile, the story strands are untied and retied in satisfying and often moving ways."
—The Wall Street Journal on Believing the Lie
"Devilishly complicated."
—Entertainment Weekly on Believing the Lie
"A dense, twisty plot with characters who reveal the sad spectrum of human dereliction."
—People on Believing the Lie
"George's...ability to continually enhance the portraits of Lynley, Havers, and other recurring characters while generating fully fleshed new ones for each novel is nothing less than superlative, and her atmospheric prose, complete with lovely and detailed descriptions of her setting, combines to add literary gravitas to her work....A worthy addition to her portfolio and one that simultaneously disturbs and satisfies."
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“This is one of her best.”
—Daily American on Believing the Lie
“Georges many fans…will be thrilled with this new episode in the lives of her lovable cast of characters.”
—Library Journal on Believing the Lie
“George's strengths--character development, plot twists and shocking tragedy--continue to shine.”
—Shelf Awareness on Believing the Lie
“A book of twists, turns and, to be blunt, fantastic writing…A complete A+ for the mystery realm.”
—Suspense Magazine on Believing the Lie
“[Lynley is] one of the great character portraits in contemporary crime fiction.”
—The Boston Globe
Synopsis
The enthralling new novel in Rendell's masterful Inspector Wexford series, which will soon mark its fiftieth anniversary. A female vicar named Sarah Hussein is discovered strangled in her Kingsmarkham vicarage. Maxine, the gossipy cleaning woman who discovers her body, happens to also be in the employ of retired Chief Inspector Wexford and his wife.
Synopsis
The enthralling new novel in Rendell's masterful Inspector Wexford series, which will soon mark its fiftieth anniversary. A female vicar named Sarah Hussein is discovered strangled in her Kingsmarkham vicarage. Maxine, the gossipy cleaning woman who discovers her body, happens to also be in the employ of retired Chief Inspector Wexford and his wife.
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times bestselling authors award-winning Inspector Lynley series returns with another character-driven crime drama featuring beloved Scotland Yard members Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley. Elizabeth George first claimed a spot on the New York Times bestseller list in 1994. Two decades later her Lynley novels are still at the top of national bestseller lists, proving how vast and loyal her audience is. Critics and fans alike cherish Inspector Lynley, eighth Earl of Asherton, and Sergeant Havers, his working-class partner, for their believably irascible relationship as much as for their uncanny ability to solve the most challenging cases. And in her twentieth Inspector Lynley novel, A Banquet of Consequences, George delivers another winner as Lynley and Havers are drawn from Cambridge to London to the windswept town of Shaftesbury during one of their most complex cases yet.
Synopsis
A brand new addition to the captivating Inspector Sejer series from Norway’s finest crime writer
About the Author
Ruth Rendell (1930–2015) won three Edgar Awards, the highest accolade from Mystery Writers of America, as well as four Gold Daggers and a Diamond Dagger for outstanding contribution to the genre from England’s prestigious Crime Writers’ Association. Her remarkable career spanned a half century, with more than sixty books published. A member of the House of Lords, she was one of the great literary figures of our time.