| Posted by Perry Gretton on 19 February, 2008 - 17:24 |
If you're a Ruth Rendell (or Baroness Rendell of Babergh) fan you'll know this is the latest in the Inspector Wexford series. I have read everything that Rendell and her alter ego, Barbara Vine, have written, so I count myself as a fan, too.
The remains of two bodies are discovered in quick succession. The deaths took place more than ten years earlier and foul play is more than suspected. Wexford and his sidekick, Detective Mike Burden, working on supposition and few facts, try to understand why the murders took place, ultimately leading them to the killers.
Rendell often interpolates social issues in these stories and here she's chosen female genital mutilation. The problem is that this time it has no relation to the plot and thus seems an excuse for commentary on a disturbing practice.
This isn't a bad novel but it's not up the standard she exhibited in her early days. In my opinion she plateaued about 15 years ago and there's been a gradual decline ever since. Even so, it's an interesting read.
