A new Chief Inspector Wexford mystery from the author who Time magazine has called “the best mystery writer in the English-speaking wo...
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Jan 04, 2009
This book was dire. The main problem is not the basic plot, although I found that a bit confused, it's the "issues" the book goes on about in a stupid and sometimes offensive way.
"His taste ran to the colours which suited black skin, those which perhaps only a black man could successfully wear: red, orange, yellow, bright green. Black was a no-no." Funny, I'm sure I've seen more black people wearing black clothes than bright green. I've also seen plenty of non-bl More...
"His taste ran to the colours which suited black skin, those which perhaps only a black man could successfully wear: red, orange, yellow, bright green. Black was a no-no." Funny, I'm sure I've seen more black people wearing black clothes than bright green. I've also seen plenty of non-bl More...
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Jun 29, 2008
It was a little jarring to go right from Dickens to Ruth Rendell, because her mysteries are kind of the opposite of a Victorian picaresque, but I did enjoy this one once I acclimated to the velocity of it and got focused on keeping track of the details, e.g.: Which one is Vivian and which one is Vera? What’s the inscription in Hexham’s ring again? There really is no one better than Rendell when it comes to casting out and then tying up a million loose ends. Speaking of velocity, however, this bo
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Jan 10, 2011
Tony
rated it: 
Rendell, Ruth. NOT IN THE FLESH. (2007). ****. Ruth Rendell is certainly not a slacker when it comes to writing intelligent police procedurals. This is another in her series featuring Chief Inspector Wexford. One day, a long-time resident of Kingsmarkham – obviously one of the most criminous towns in England – was working with his dog hunting for truffles. The trained dog had found quite a few when he was suddenly working on a spot under a tree and turned up what turned out to be a skelet
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Aug 24, 2010
Edward
rated it:
It’s difficult to review a mystery without giving too much away. In this case, all I need to say is that Ruth Rendell has written her typically good Chief Inspector Wexford mystery. The characters are familiar, they’re older, but they act as they always have.
A relatively new character, Detective Sergeant Hannah Goldsmith, makes an interesting foil for Wexford’s reflections on age and a changing society.
A familiar character, Inspector Mike Burden, “...had at last, r More...
Sep 14, 2009
Anne Hawn
rated it:
This was one of the better Inspector Wexford novels. The story centers around an old house left to fall to ruins when the owner, the son of the original owner, is not allowed by the planning commission to tear the house down and build 4 houses on the lot. He had a friend dig a trench for the water mains before he received the permission and has to fill it back in. In the few days it is unfilled, someone puts a body in it which is then buried by the backfiller. Eleven years pass before a truf
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Jan 01, 2009
Judy
rated it:
Reading a book starring Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford (this is the 21st in the series) is like a long visit with an old friend. Like the rest of us, Wexford is aging and the process has turned him into a grumpy older man. He is forever frustrating his adult daughter and his wife, he hates anything to do with computers and the internet, and thinks that the world has become overfamiliar. In this latest adventure, a truffle sniffing dog (who is trespassing with his master) finds a dead body i
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Aug 06, 2011
Jayne
rated it: 
It's a long time since my last rendezvous with Wexford and his chums, and I have missed some of his more recent outings. It's interesting to note the way he reacts to changes in the world around him over the years. Now he's forced to drink wine the poor love, and all his staff have taken to calling him 'Guv' because that's what happens on 'The Bill'. Rather less blood and gore than your average murder mystery, though the (slightly incongruous) subplot involving the Somali family is calculated to
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Feb 15, 2011
Jodi
rated it: 
Was not very patient with the Inspector in this book. Since I was listening to it on my commute, I must cover length in time rather than pages--about 3 ½ hours left, I had it figured out. Have never read this author before so not sure if it is one where you are supposed to figure it out well before him and then ‘enjoy’ him trying to figure it out—was a bit frustrating. Yet, did enjoy the use of the double mystery plot line—pulled that together well.
The side story about female genital mu More...
The side story about female genital mu More...
Sep 21, 2011
Sophie
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Ruth Rendell is a very good writer. She creates three-dimensional characters, brings her settings and scenarios to life, and pulls the reader into her stories. Unfortunately, though, Not in the Flesh is not a very intriguing mystery. There were too many disparate story lines, too many giant coincidences, too much time between the murder and the discovery of the body (eleven years) for witness recollections to be believable. (Who remembers seeing a stranger wearing a particular T-shirt after elev
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Aug 10, 2008
Kate
rated it:
Another solid effort from Ruth Rendell in her Wexford series. The story line about Somali women and female genital mutilation, while interesting, seemed a bit "tacked on" to the story and had nothing to do with the actual case. Other than that, I enjoyed this book very much.
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Aug 19, 2009
Scilla
rated it:
In this Inspector Wexford book, two bodies are found which have been dead for eleven and eight years. Missing persons lists are not kept for that long, so it takes awhile to determine who the dead are, and then the connection between the two men and their deaths. Wexford and his crew interview the neighbors several times and then Barry Vine reads a story in the newspaper by a woman whose father disappeared eleven years before. Gradually, Wexford squeezes out the whole story, almost being kill
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Sep 06, 2009
Diane
rated it:
This is the first mystery that I've read by Ruth Rendell. This is somewhat surprising considering all the accolades she's received. I thought this particular book was ok. I warmed up to Wexford, but had a harder time with his team. Maybe I'm getting old, but I tend to value those who have more life experience and have less tolerance for know-it-all 20-something year olds. :-)
In any event, there were plenty of twists and turns in this mystery to keep me interested and the sub-plot More...
In any event, there were plenty of twists and turns in this mystery to keep me interested and the sub-plot More...
Nov 29, 2008
Felicity
rated it:
This book probably deserves more than two stars but less than three, maybe two and a half. I did like it, but it did not have the compelling quality of Kate Atkinson's mysteries. About halfway through the book, the reader still didn't know anything (nor did the characters for that matter). It was frustrating--I think clues in a murder mystery are better scattered throughout the book to keep the reader interested rather than just bewildered or slightly bored. And the tangential storyline abou
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Sep 09, 2010
Anne
rated it:
It's been a long time since I spent time with Wexford and Burden et al, and "Not in the Flesh" did not disappoint, although the sub-plot involving illegal female circumcision did seem a bit of a stretch to the story. This is more of a who-is-it than a whodunnit, as at least half of the book is devoted to identifying the two (connected) corpses. Ruth Rendell has still got "it", and I particularly like the way that she has moved Kingsmarkham into the 21st century, although Chie
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Jan 07, 2011
Bettie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 13, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I have read every Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine (her darker alias) novel. I may be prejudiced.
I enjoy her Wexford novels. Not in the Flesh is one of the best for a long time. Some of Ms Vine's dark thoughts have crept into this book and it works well. It gives one of my favourite old school detectives the edge he needs to fight another few books.
Rendell excels in uncovering our darkest fears and she is the mistress of turning the mundane into the monstrous. A Sight for Sore Eyes still More...
I enjoy her Wexford novels. Not in the Flesh is one of the best for a long time. Some of Ms Vine's dark thoughts have crept into this book and it works well. It gives one of my favourite old school detectives the edge he needs to fight another few books.
Rendell excels in uncovering our darkest fears and she is the mistress of turning the mundane into the monstrous. A Sight for Sore Eyes still More...
Nov 18, 2008
J.
rated it:
The policier is a realistic accounting of crime and investigation, also known as a 'police procedural'. At it's most literal and direct it can be a satisfying and powerful narrative that sets out it's conflict early and then slowly but inevitably winds around to the resolution.
At a more evolved level, as in this Ruth Rendell title, it's a symphonic exploration of the way the world balances; a haphazard universe relentlessly realigning iself as the case unfolds, with events, charact More...
At a more evolved level, as in this Ruth Rendell title, it's a symphonic exploration of the way the world balances; a haphazard universe relentlessly realigning iself as the case unfolds, with events, charact More...
Jul 08, 2008
Heather
rated it:
This is a strange one. The central mystery seems like a plot Rendell drafted back in 1975 and stuck in a drawer because it wasn't working out convincingly...then pulled out last year and tried to update the details and graft on a modern subplot.
The resolution of the mystery turns on at least one COMPLETELY implausible coincidence.
The depiction of the village and its residents seems very very dated.
Even the best-selling novel that's at the heart of the mystery see More...
The resolution of the mystery turns on at least one COMPLETELY implausible coincidence.
The depiction of the village and its residents seems very very dated.
Even the best-selling novel that's at the heart of the mystery see More...
Dec 27, 2008
Robert
rated it:
This is an interesting story and the plot moves along well. Like other Rendell/Vine novels, the plot is complex and the characters are interesting. Even though the writing is excellent overall, however, I have noticed that either the author's writing is becoming somewhat sloppy or my judgments are becoming harsher. It is obvious that publishers don't spend money on editors these days and that is most apparent in the writing of masters such as Rendell. The lapses in construction and style sta
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Aug 29, 2011
Pam
rated it:
I enjoy Inspector Wexford Mysteries. I will say I don't think this was as interesting as some, it sort of got confusing with two deaths years apart. There's always another story going on besides the mystery, and in this book it is the mutilation/circumcision of young girls from Somalia. A practice we find inhuman, and they feel is the very best for their daughters future. Quote: Le Metier d'homme es difficile/ The job of being a human being was indeed difficult.
Sep 21, 2010
Toocutedobs
rated it:
A good mystery book but a light read. Unfortunately, the most memorable characters are not the good guys. This matters because this book is "A Wexford Novel" meaning if you like this one you could read more in a series. The Chief Inspector character is pretty boring and does not inspire me to line up for the series. As for the strength of the mystery, I had an idea of "who dun it" pretty quick and was right but there was a bit of a twist to keep you going until the end.
Jul 29, 2011
Catherine
rated it:
I usually love Ruth Rendell and Inspector Wexford, but while this one had a typically interconnected and somewhat convoluted plot that eventually camer together, I didn't think it was as nicely written as some of her books are. There are a number of things that take him a beat too long to figure out their importance (tho' of course he does in time), and it is just not as slickly written as I remember the last book being. A good read, none-the-less.
Aug 29, 2009
Debs
rated it:
If you like Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford series, you will like this. Its up to par with her other books and very enjoyable. I have been reading her for years and now that she is getting older, I can now guess at the "bad guys" and figure where the story is headed. This was not the case in the past. If you have not read many British mysteries, she is a great author to read. Good character development, good pacing, etc.
Dec 21, 2008
Patricia
rated it:
I was somewhat disappointed in this one. I like Rendell a lot, especially her Chief Inspector Wexford mysteries. However this time I guessed the perpetrator of the crime and the motive about half way through the book and felt that Rendell was concentrating more on her sub-plot involving trying to stop a possible case of female circumcision among Wexford's Somali neighbors than the murder case he was investigating. While this was done well, it did feel a little like the author was on her soapb
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Jul 08, 2011
Margie
rated it:
Rather funnier in odd ways than some of her other books.
The storyline was a bit messy. I found one of the subplots a bit of a forced distraction. The main story depended upon so many coincidences as to be completely improbable. And I kept wondering why Inspector Wexford wasn't doing some things that seemed very obviously called for.
But some fascinating (if unlikeable) characters, and Rendell's usual fine writing.
The storyline was a bit messy. I found one of the subplots a bit of a forced distraction. The main story depended upon so many coincidences as to be completely improbable. And I kept wondering why Inspector Wexford wasn't doing some things that seemed very obviously called for.
But some fascinating (if unlikeable) characters, and Rendell's usual fine writing.
Oct 08, 2008
Bea
rated it:
Another of Ruth Rendell's tours de force - a magnificent murder mystery with a complicated plot, driven by sinister psychological motivations, told in a day to day narrative that puzzles the reader while seeming to bring it all down to earth.
However, it's the the sub-theme of female genital mutilation that makes this Rendell mystery particularly important. The Queen has honored Ruth Rendell for her lifetime of fine writing, making her a Life Peer and member of the House of Lords, w More...
However, it's the the sub-theme of female genital mutilation that makes this Rendell mystery particularly important. The Queen has honored Ruth Rendell for her lifetime of fine writing, making her a Life Peer and member of the House of Lords, w More...
Feb 15, 2009
Eva
rated it:
I've never met a Wexford mystery I didn't like, so of course I read this one with much enjoyment. My only quibbles are that there were far more coincidences than were plausible and that Rendell didn't delve as far into the psyches of her regular characters as she usually does. My, Wexford has become quite the incorrigible curmudgeon... but somehow on him it's almost endearing.
Jan 29, 2009
Pam
rated it:
I enjoyed this one. It's not my favorite Wexford mystery, but it was compelling and had me quickly turning the pages at the end. I've read a lot of complaints about the subplot regarding female circumcision, but I found that interesting as well, though terribly sad and troubling, since it's a very real issue. As always, Ruth Rendell's prose is a pleasure to read.
Jul 15, 2009
Stven
rated it:
A good book but not, I think, quite as good as End in Tears, the previous novel in the Chief Inspector Wexford series.
Nevertheless I find it remarkable how believable Rendell makes her despicable characters... not just the prime villains but all the subsidiary low-life witnesses Wexford has to cope with.
Nevertheless I find it remarkable how believable Rendell makes her despicable characters... not just the prime villains but all the subsidiary low-life witnesses Wexford has to cope with.
Jan 13, 2009
Barbara
rated it:
Sometimes Ruth Rendell is pretty far out, but her Inspector Wexford novels are always enjoyable. This one is no exception. Since I have read a lot of them, it is like coming home. If you like English police procedurals, this is a book for you. Good characterizations, good plot, not too many susrprises so you can guess the outcome.
