A Ruth Rendell mystery, first published in 1980. Martin Urban wins the pools and decides to help those less fortunate. Finn also comes into money and wants to help people - but only if the price is right. The good intentions of the one become fatally entangled with the macabre madness of the other.
Yet another astounding novel from Ruth Rendell. The characters followed (or perhaps "stalked" is a more appropriate word) in this tale are so very different from each other and yet their worlds become so fatefully entangled. Without giving anything away, what is bound to happen doesn't come as a surprise - at least, the general direction of the plot seemed quite obvious to me. What really makes this tale one of her best is the chilling way in which the inescapable chain of events is presented to us and the finer details that make it all seem so tragically plausible. Furthermore, and as always with Ruth Rendell, there is more than just a clever and gripping storyline and intriguing cast of characters. We also have a study of good and evil intentions, and of greed and generosity, and Rendell shows us how unfortunate it all is when they get mixed up together.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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25 April, 2013:
Finished reading
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25 April, 2013:
Reviewed