Blood Lines by Ruth Rendell

Blood Lines

by Ruth Rendell

'I think you know who killed your stepfather', said Wexford, and so begins this scintillating collection of long and short stories by the world's best living crime writer, Ruth Rendell.

It was clear both to Wexford and Burden that Tom Peterlee was not killed for GBP360, but various people would have liked them to believe the lie. It is a case which reminds the Chief Inspector that there is only a thin line dividing the policeman from the criminal. The criminal impulse may be present in the most routine or intimate situation.

The book ends with The Strawberry Tree, a disturbingly evocative novella-length tale of lost innocence, set on the island of Majorca. It is a triumphant conclusion to a collection of horror stories that linger in the mind.

Reviewed by Cameron Trost on

4 of 5 stars

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Blood Lines is not Ruth Rendell's strongest collection overall (I would recommend starting with The Fallen Curtain, The Fever Tree, and Piranha to Scurfy) but it includes a number of excellent works of short fiction. Shreds and Slivers, Burning End, and In All Honesty demonstrate Rendell's incredible ability to create characters that are quirky but mundane at the same time. The neurotic lady in the latter is a prime example. What makes her writing more remarkable though - and this can be seen in many of the stories in this collection - is how she plays with criminal intent and uncontrollable circumstance in a way that leaves you wondering whether you have just witnessed a cleverly planned murder or a freak accident.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2016: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2016: Reviewed