There hadn t been anything like this kind of rain in living memory. The River Brede had burst its banks, and not a single house in the valley had escaped flooding. Even where Wexford lived, higher up in Kingsmarkham, the waters had nearly reached the mulberry tree in his once immaculate garden. The Subaqua Task Force could find no trace of Giles and Sophie Dade, let alone the woman who was keeping them company, Joanna Troy. But Mrs. Dade was still convinced her children were dead. This was an investigation which would call into question many of Wexford s assumptions about the way people behaved, including his own family. "
There hadn t been anything like this kind of rain in living memory. The River Brede had burst its banks, and not a single house in the valley had escaped flooding. Even where Wexford lived, higher up in Kingsmarkham, the waters had nearly reached the mulberry tree in his once immaculate garden. The Subaqua Task Force could find no trace of Giles and Sophie Dade, let alone the woman who was keeping them company, Joanna Troy. But Mrs. Dade was still convinced her children were dead. This was an investigation which would call into question many of Wexford s assumptions about the way people behaved, including his own family. "
Ruth Rendell (1930-2015) wrote more than sixty novels in a career
spanning fifty years. She won numerous awards for her writing,
including three Edgars--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 Writer's Association. She was also the winner of the MWA
Grand Master Award. A longtime member of the House of Lords, she
lived in London.
Nigel Anthony is best known for his extensive broadcasts for BBC
radio as a leading actor and for his Earphones Award-winning audio
narrations. He has also appeared many times on television in series
such as Casualty and Coronation Street, while on the stage he has
appeared in Sick Dictators and Ghosts and has worked with Alan
Ayckbourn and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
"The best mystery writer anywhere in the English-speaking world."
Wexford fans may be disappointed by the shortage of memorable characters in Rendell's latest mystery to feature the chief inspector, a solid, if not spectacular, entry in the series. As in her previous Wexford, Harm Done (1999), the author explores issues of spousal abuse and focuses on a troubled married couple. The children of Katrina and Roger Dale disappear just as the city of Kingsmarkham is inundated with a flood of quasi-Biblical proportions. Both parents' reactions are somewhat bizarre, with Roger curiously antsy to be done with police questioning to get back to his job and Katrina quite certain her children have already drowned. When the children's babysitter, Joanna Troy, is found dead in a car dumped into a quarry, suspicion points to some icy fundamentalists. These people, from the Church of the Good Gospel, worship at the secluded country estate of Peter Buxton, a media tycoon. Buxton and his high-maintenance wife, the fashion model Sharonne, are among the most interesting fish in this rather bland school. The story becomes progressively more interesting after a slow start, and, as always, Chief Inspector Wexford remains a comfortable companion, with taut, thoughtful and imaginative observations about small-city England and the wider world. (Oct. 28) FYI: Rendell has won three Edgars, as well as three Gold Daggers and a Diamond Dagger from Britain's Crime Writers' Association. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
"The best mystery writer anywhere in the English-speaking world."
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