The Crocodile Bird

by Ruth Rendell

Liza is not your average teenager. Sixteen years old, she lives with her mother, Eve, in a secluded gatehouse, which she has never been allowed to leave. There was only enough room for two in their cocoon; intruders entered at their peril, only to mysteriously disappear...

Liza is not the only one to discover the truth behind her mother's pathological violence, or the dead bodies. When the police arrive on their doorstep, Eve throws her daughter into the real world, to protect her from the consequences of her own chilling crimes.

As Liza runs into the arms of her secret lover, she begins to see the logic behind her mother's gruesomes crimes, and must accept the possibility that she has inherited Eve's lust for murder...

• ISBN10: 0517158981
• ISBN13: 9780517158982
• Publish Date: 27 November 1995 (first published 2 September 1993)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Imprint: Random House Value Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cameron Trost]

A fascinating tale about a mother and daughter. In this novel, more so than in most of Rendell's, we follow the life of these two characters in their isolated environment. We grow with Liza, a girl who knows almost nothing of the world beyond what her mother has allowed her to glimpse. She is both held back and nurtured by her mother's profound anxieties and grand principles. This tale is heavier on psychology and drama than suspense, and the description of the characters, their internal dialogue, and the beautiful environment of Shrove House and the gatehouse are impressive. The only reason I didn't give The Crocodile Bird five stars is the absence of surprises. The story is wonderfully told but we know just what will happen and where it will end. Rendell knows how to throw wicked twists into her plots and it would have been good to have at least one here.