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Thirteen Steps Down

3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 · rating details · 1,437 ratings · 136 reviews

From the multi-award-winning author of The Babes in the Wood and The Rottweiler, a chilling new novel about obsession, superstition, and violence, set in Rendell’s darkly atmospheric London.

Mix Cellini (which he pronounces with an ‘S’ rather than a ‘C’) is superstitious about the number 13. In musty old St. Blaise House, where he is the lodger, there are thirteen steps dow...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published September 27th 2005 by Crown (first published 2004)

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Best Novels Set in 20th-century Britain

55th out of 235 books — 92 voters

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22nd out of 158 books — 26 voters

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Jan 16, 2011 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

The major character in this book is Mix Cellini, a young man whose life is ruled by obsession, superstition and self-interest. He is intensely preoccupied by the life and literature of an early twentieth century serial murderer. This so dominates Mix's life, that he has read every available piece of literature and visited all of the crime scenes. He decided to take up residence in the only available property near where the murderer had lived. This is the decaying mansion of an elderly spinster,...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: psychological mystery fans

This is not my favorite Ruth Rendell, but it is sufficiently creepy. For me it asks the question: are we all truly crazy when we think we are normal? Or,is my normal someone else's crazy? Clearly the main characters have one mental defect or another, but do I? If you want to read a better Ruth Rendell book that deals with the psychological effects of murdering someone, check out One Across, Two Down.

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Feb 27, 2009 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am somewhat of a mystery fiend. I have slowed down a bit from my youth, in which I would land on a series, and then spend the next few weeks devouring everything the author had ever written, but I still love a good mystery, and there is no question that Rendell is one of the best mystery writers out there today. I first came to her work through her nom-de-plume, Barbara Vine. Under that name she writes books that are more suspense novels than traditional mysteries. They usually involve the gra...more I am somewhat of a mystery fiend. I have slowed down a bit from my youth, in which I would land on a series, and then spend the next few weeks devouring everything the author had ever written, but I still love a good mystery, and there is no question that Rendell is one of the best mystery writers out there today. I first came to her work through her nom-de-plume, Barbara Vine. Under that name she writes books that are more suspense novels than traditional mysteries. They usually involve the gradual unraveling of a story from a character's past, often with a historical element. I particularly enjoyed (and would strongly recommend) Anna's Book*, A Dark-Adapted Eye, and The Chimney's Sweeper’s Boy. All three are great books - her other stuff is good too, but I have read and re-read each of these, and thoroughly enjoyed them. Most of her writing is done under the name Ruth Rendell, and these are more traditional mysteries. She has written a series about the police work of Inspector Wexford, and a number of stand alone crime novels. 13 Steps Down is one of the latter.

The book interweaves a number of stories and characters - the main two being Gwendolyn Chawcer, an elderly lady who lives in a crumbling mansion in Notting Hill and her tenant, Mix Cellini. Gwendolyn has lived her whole life in the house, with few life experiences, beyond a brief flirtation with a doctor when she was a young woman (which came to naught). She is fabulously crotchety Miss Havisham type character, who does nothing but lounge around her house, re-reading Victorian novels. Cellini is a type that Rendell has written about before in a number of her novels - a single minded criminal, with a fixation on a few things. To my mind, it’s a sociopathic type, and every time I read one of her books with this creepy kind of character, I am let down. It's not that Rendell doesn't creepily convince me that that is the way that creepy psychopaths think, its just that I find it dull to read about a character with no inner life, beyond their narrow area of fixation. In Mix's case, it's a famous serial killer from the 1950's, and a supermodel named Nerissa. Over the course of the novel, we chart Mix's life spiraling out of control and how it affects others, leading, ultimately, to murder. It is a clever novel, for sure, as all the threads come together to the inevitable end. There is no question Rendell can write, and I read that thing from cover to cover (though granted, I was on an airplane, so I was a captive audience). It's not my favorite of hers, since as I said, I am not so interested in her sociopaths**, and its one of those mysteries where you spend more time worrying about what will happen (and hoping that certain characters make it out ok) than who dunnit. I prefer whodunits, but, that being said, I will certainly be reading more Rendell. She is a great writer who crafts clever but still emotionally resonant mysteries - especially the ones that don't concern psychopaths. So, I guess what I am saying is run out and read some Rendell - but read different Rendell - or even better, read Vine!

* FYI, Amazon refers to it as Asta's Book, so if you are looking to read it - which you totally should - be aware.

** Seriously, it is like the same character, over and over again. I like Rendell a lot, but I am bored of this character. I am even too bored to write out all the books that these boring psychopaths can be found in!(less)

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Jan 04, 2009 Pris robichaud rated it 4 of 5 stars

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places, 29 Dec 2005

4.99 stars
"In Rendell's view, we seldom understand how life works and how little control we have over it; criminals are the biggest dolts of all for risking so much on schemes that are bound to go awry. What's more, murderers also lack sympathetic imagination (as opposed to the narcissistic imagination of fantasy)." So says, Ruth Rendell, and as we read this novel, we say "I Believe, I Believe!"
Mix Cellini is a work-out equipment specialis...more

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places, 29 Dec 2005

4.99 stars
"In Rendell's view, we seldom understand how life works and how little control we have over it; criminals are the biggest dolts of all for risking so much on schemes that are bound to go awry. What's more, murderers also lack sympathetic imagination (as opposed to the narcissistic imagination of fantasy)." So says, Ruth Rendell, and as we read this novel, we say "I Believe, I Believe!"
Mix Cellini is a work-out equipment specialist. He repairs the "things". He also obsesses about John Christie, the English serial killer, and he knows everything about him. This gives us the first clue. There are many serial killers in many mysteries, but Ruth Rendell's is the best. Mix keeps us on the edge of our seat. He is funny at times; he eats junk food and drinks strange concoctions of booze. He is in fact a very strange man, but likeable in some sense. He rents rooms at St Blaise House in the Notting Hill area which he keeps spic and span, from Gwendolen Chawcer. Gwendolen has lived in this same house since she was born- and the house is old and decrepit. Gwendolen lives in her library and her bedroom. Many rooms, none of them clean and Gwendolen lives in her own little world. She is caught up in the 1940's when she first fell in love, and she has never moved on. She, in fact, wears the same clothes. Well made and expensive, yes, but old. Gwendolen fell in love with her mother's physician many years ago, and the unrequited love has never bloomed. She lives her life in her old memories. She does not much like Mr. Cellini, nor he her. Both are obsessed. Both are strange and fixed in their ways, and that is where the difference lies. Gwendolen is harmless in her obsession. Mix has two obsessions, John Christie and the model Nessar Nash. He believes that Nessar is in love with him, and he stalks her. She notices him, but ignores him. She has her own story and that is almost as interesting as Mix and Gwendolen. Both landlady and lodger inhabit weird worlds of their own. But when reality intrudes into Mix's life, a long pent-up violence explodes.

Mix is superstitious about the number thirteen and has always felt dogged by ill-luck. In St Blaise House where he lives, there are thirteen steps down to the landing below his rooms. Ahhhh, now we know a little bit more about the whys but not the wherefores, that is for you to decipher.

How much did I love this book? I gave it to my plane seatmate. I finished the book as the plane landed in Oregon. She had told me how much she loved mystery thrillers, and this is the best there is. Holiday Spirit and all. 4.99 stars, why? The ending was mundane. 99% of the novel was first-rate, one of the best I have read. The ending deserves, well, it deserves a better ending. Ruth Rendell dedicated this novel to P.D.James, she is now her equal. Highly recommended. prisrob
(less)

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Feb 01, 2010 Lourdes Fernandez Venard rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this psychological thriller, Rendell gives us Mix Cellini, a troubled young man who is obsessed with a beautiful model, Nerissa Nash, to the point of becoming a stalker. He's also obsessed with Reginald Christie, a serial killer from the 1940s and '50s. He reads all he can about the notorious doctor and, one late night, even thinks he sees Christie's ghost outside his flat. Cellini is also deeply superstitious, especially when it comes to the number 13, which also happens to be the number of...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, mystery

The main character Mix Cellini, as many reviews will tell you, is serial killer obsessed, neat freak who is obsessed with a supermodel that just happens to live in his neighborhood. He rents a flat on the top floor of an elderly woman (Gwendolyn Chawcer) who is not just a ludite, but a ludite that time forgot. She has very few friends, doesn't like to keep a clean house (her spiderwebs have spiderwebs) She keeps the spare keys to her tenant's apartment in her dryer, which she never uses. I'm pic...more The main character Mix Cellini, as many reviews will tell you, is serial killer obsessed, neat freak who is obsessed with a supermodel that just happens to live in his neighborhood. He rents a flat on the top floor of an elderly woman (Gwendolyn Chawcer) who is not just a ludite, but a ludite that time forgot. She has very few friends, doesn't like to keep a clean house (her spiderwebs have spiderwebs) She keeps the spare keys to her tenant's apartment in her dryer, which she never uses. I'm picturing a modern day Mrs Haversham in that life and love have passed her by.

It's these surroundings that Mix Cellini has made his home (completely converting his space with modern utilities and conveniences) in one of the few remaining Victorians dating back to the era of his hero, a serial killer John "Reggie" Christie,.. Rendell gets into the heads of her character, developing how his obsession progresses into stalking, then planning to get within reach of the supermodel he worships.

As he gets closer to his goal, it says something in that Cellini starts to see a ghost of someone he thinks is Christie the serial killer he admires.. but rather than finding odd comfort, it strikes fear into his heart as he goes along committing his evil deed. Eventually we find the ghost is not a figment of his imagination, but the solution is as another reviewer has mentioned, wrapped up all too neatly. What happens when the police close in? What happens to the supermodel and her family? We're left to assume that Mix Cellini goes to prison.. and oddly enough, I was left wondering what would become of Gwendolyn Chawcer's house?

13 Steps Down was the only Rendell book on the shelf at my local library the other week. Having only read one other of her books (A Sight for Sore Eyes), and seen several TV adaptations, I had my doubts. The TV adaptations had a lot of build up with not a lot of excitement. The one book I've read turned out to be especially creepy (so maybe there's something to be said about translation to the small screen?) Regardless, my doubts were soon swept away under Old Chawcer's rug so to speak. A book worth reading despite its compact finish.(less)

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Feb 04, 2013 Naveen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Naveen by: Abhay Nair

The genre of crime-fiction revolves around the crime, the criminal, his/her motives and law enforcement. Majority of the best-sellers are 'whodunnits' from a detective's point-of-view or a thriller which involves an investigating protagonist or a legal courtroom drama. Most of the crime-fiction, that I have read, involved murder mysteries that were solved by the likes of 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Poirot', 'Inspector Reubus' (recommended by +Abhay) and even 'Jack Reacher'. But "Thirteen Steps Down" by...more

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Mar 17, 2008 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've never read anything by this author before. She writes mysteries. This mystery involves a stalker, an old woman, her nosy friends, a high fashion model, and an Indian neighbor. Very chilling. Her bad guy is so much more authentic than any killer Mary Higgins Clark has ever written. This guy is so good, you actually feel anxious that he may get caught. Very believable characters. Well written.

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Jan 04, 2009 Miker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rendell is possibly the best mystery writer out there today. Rarely have I found a book of hers that didn't make me think as I tried to put together the psychology behind her characters. 13 Steps down is no exception.

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Aug 26, 2009 Anne Hawn Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This is not a mystery per se. You know who is doing the killing; in fact, you are with them. This story is told from the point of view of a murderer who is obsessed with the serial killer, Reggie Christie. He is also obsessed with a beautiful model named Nerissa Nash. Step by step you follow the obsessive-compulsive Mix Cellini as he spins his fantasies, sinking deeper and deeper into madness.

I found this similar to the Pit and the Pendulum in that all that the reader knows comes of the murdere...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: england, london, suspense, murder, psychological-suspense, doomed-love

I think that Ruth Rendell (by this or any other name) is one of the best mystery/suspense writers out there, but this book was so difficult for me to finish. The quality of writing was great, but the characters are all so completely unlikable that I almost dreaded listening to it at work each day. However, I consider this a success on the part of the author, as this to me was a study in delusion. Each main character was somehow living completely under the sway of their own misconceptions and del...more I think that Ruth Rendell (by this or any other name) is one of the best mystery/suspense writers out there, but this book was so difficult for me to finish. The quality of writing was great, but the characters are all so completely unlikable that I almost dreaded listening to it at work each day. However, I consider this a success on the part of the author, as this to me was a study in delusion. Each main character was somehow living completely under the sway of their own misconceptions and delusions, and to see them careening towards disaster was completely unsettling. I think that Rendell is the master of keeping the reader uncomfortable, but also intrigued enough to keep them reading. I've said in the past that I really love characters who are bad, but that you kind of want to see triumph, but Mix Cellini has perhaps cured me of that. Yet, I still wanted to keep reading. Despite my disgust with everyone in the book, I always wanted to keep reading. This affected me so much that when I started the book I kept thinking how much I love modern British mysteries and how much I would like to live in London, but by the end I kind of felt freaked out by the entire country. It's told in third person limited view, so each section that pertains to a particular character is contained within his or her own understanding of events, and it was fascinating to see how the misconceptions of each character in relation to each other would intersect and merge.

Since I listened on CD, I have to mention that the reader did a wonderful job of narrating each characters' section in slightly different accents (from Mix's low London to Miss Chawcer's "queen's English"), which really helped make these different perspectives affective and real to me.

My one complaint about the book is that I think the ending was a little deus ex machina, and sort of fell apart. The twist seemed to come out of nowhere and felt very flat and pasted in. Otherwise, it was a great book, even if I kind of hated reading it.(less)

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Aug 21, 2012 Alex Howard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was only going to give this a three, but Ruth Rendell has felt the benefit of my infrequent reviewing because of the shadow the book casts. The story itself is tidily written, and whilst it flows nicely, you do sometimes think there might be places you'd like to condense a bit. However, this would be a mistake, since this is a book that has power beyond it's covers, and needs every word to do so. Having finished the book, I felt mildly entertained, but by no means enthusiastic. That said, ther...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it

Rendell has won almost every coveted mystery prize, and in Britain she is bested only by P. D. James, to whom she dedicates this book. But her following in America is smaller, and her publisher is betting on 13 Steps Down to change that (of course, it's bet on this in the past as well). The novel's fascinating characters, swift pace, unflappable tone, and inside look into a murderer's remorseless mind will intrigue most readers. Chawcer evoked comparisons to Dickens's Miss Havisham and even Dost

...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Npldirector added it

It was like reading an incredibly well-written episode of Criminal Minds (a show I love, although I acknowledge the writing and dialogue is weak at best much of the time) Rendell is a master at writing fascinating, flawed (to varying degrees) and yet somehow sympathetic characters. This novel explored the idea of the fantasies we all create regarding other people (celebrities or just other human beings we know only a little bit about or knew a long time ago) and how for some people those fantasi...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. As I got into it, the story became more and more gripping, although bleak. I think I'll have to read something lighter next as an antidodote.

13 steps down particularly interests me because it has an unsypathetic protagonist, a brave move that Rendell pulls off extremely well. Despite this it managed to retain my interest by having various points of view, some of them more compelling than Mix Cellini, the main character.

While all the characters made their own choices, It di...more

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Dec 13, 2009 Gerry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ideal spoken book for a long journey; the three hours passed much more pleasantly with Tim Pigoo-Smith brilliantly reading Ruth Rendall's offering.

Good storyline based on the 10 Rillington Place murders, the character of Mix Cellini comes across well, as do the other spinster ladies who frequent the house where he lodges. Also the model that Mix fantasises over is well portrayed.

Rather strange, or perhaps unusual, unmasking of a suspected ghost towards the end but the tension is held throughout...more

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Nov 24, 2009 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 06, 2009 F.R. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This riff on the Christie case finds two delusional characters sharing a house in West London (in the shadow of the now demolished Rillington Place). A bloody murder occurs and the two of them are gradually drawn into confrontation.

There are a number of things about this book I didn't like - an overly pat ending, an unnecessary ghost and the fact that all the characters outside the house seem too inter-connected. However it does give a great sense of West London (although, despite what the text...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Amanda Patterson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ruth Rendell has written many books. She has won more awards than The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy managed at this year’s Oscars. To add insult to injury she’s notched up a sterling collection under the pseudonym of Barbara Vine. King Solomon’s Tapestry is a must.

Rendell’s chilling Thirteen Steps Down deals with obsession, superstition, and violence. Her dark London is the answer to Rankin’s disturbing Edinburgh.

Mix Cellini is a semi-educated mechanic. He fixes exercise machines. He indulges...more

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May 18, 2013 Anita added it · review of another edition

At first I thought that this was a copycat murder mystery because it involved a man who was an avid fan of a former serial killer. Instead it turns out to be a a psychological foray into the mind frame of the same man who turns out to be a stalker of a celebrity. The reader has an inside loop on how he thinks, what motivates him, the lengths to which he will go, the scenarios that he concocts, etc. -- and when one thread of that carefully woven web unravels, things start to fall apart. The way t...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Jennifer Mcgown rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book where every character lives in a world of their own. At first you think only the main character is delusional with his obsession with John Christie (who I being an American thought was a fictional person, but it turns out is real), but then you met his landlady who loves to read and hates to clean (sounds like some people I know) and you learn her secrets. As the novel works to its end more secrets and wishes and daydreams are revealed and the inter relationships between characte...more

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May 15, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just re-read this, as I was trapped in the house without a book...Rendell is just fabulous. She's one of the true masters of the genre, and like Highsmith, a master of creeping dread and a sickening feeling that all is about to go off-kilter. With a few brushstrokes, she breathes life into very minor characters--in this case, Queenie, Olive, Tom, Darel, etc.--and lavishes attention on her major ones. I finished the book with a profound sense of just how quickly things can go horribly wrong whe...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Laudy Issa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book, to a certain extent. What I liked about it was the insight it gave me on a distured pyschopath's mind and the eerie tone that set up the right mood! What I didn't enjoy, though, was the slow pace that the events progressed at and at some point, I got really bored... But then again, Rendell got the hair on my head to stand up by the end! It isn't the best book I've read so far, but it isn't the worst either. Despite the great pyschological analysing done, and the good aspects...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Barbra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good creepy mystery.

Back Cover Blurb:
Living in a decaying house in Notting Hill, Mix Cellini is obsessed with 10 Rillington Place, where the notorious John Christie committed a series of foul murders. He is also infatuated with a beautiful model who lives nearby - a woman who would not look at him twice.
Mix's landlady is equally reclusive - living her life through her library of books.
Both landlady and lodger inhabit weird worlds of their own. But when reality intrudes into Mix's life, a long pe...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Ted rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-hoarders-anonymous, fiction, gifts, reviewed

This books only worthwhile aspect is Mix Cellini,a wonderfully crafted character and,rare in the literary genre, instantly loveable, dumb(!) psychopath with a fetishistic infatuation for a certain serial killer. This should inform poor the reader that he will kill.. Still, there are more Deus Ex machina's that you can shake a stick at, the dialogue is insipid and a diluted and misplaced effort at political correctnesses has meant that every participant with a hint of ethnicity of colour to them...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars

The characters in this Ruth Rendell psychological thriller live in a world of their own. Mix Cellini is obsessed with a beautiful model, Nerissa Nash, to the point of becoming a stalker. The obsessive-compulsive Cellini spins his fantasies and sinks deeper and deeper into madness. Cellini's landlady, Gwendolen Chawcer, is an elderly spinster who spends her days and nights immersed in books and who has her own obsession, a doctor she once had a "relationship" with 50 years ago and didn't extend b...more

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Nov 04, 2010 Mckinley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, favorite, must-read, novel

Dona Rosenfield started me reading her.

If you haven't tried Rendell yet and you like to read, then you really should. She has won almost every coveted mystery prize, and in England she is outdone only by P.D. James (to whom this book is dedicated). Her non-Inspector Wexford stories are not mysteries but rather psychological thrillers and this one is no different. I consider her a master at characterization and great at complex and interesting plots. This book is totally in keeping with her previ...more Dona Rosenfield started me reading her.

If you haven't tried Rendell yet and you like to read, then you really should. She has won almost every coveted mystery prize, and in England she is outdone only by P.D. James (to whom this book is dedicated). Her non-Inspector Wexford stories are not mysteries but rather psychological thrillers and this one is no different. I consider her a master at characterization and great at complex and interesting plots. This book is totally in keeping with her previous delights. No one seems able to get into the minds and psyches of troubled individuals like her. I was quite unbalanced by the first book I ever read of hers, Live Flesh. It gave me goose bumps seeing into Victor's mind! She seems to have psychosis of the criminal mind down cold.

But I digress. The unfortunate focus of this novel is the two obsessions of Mix Cellini. He is fixated on past serial killer, Reggie Christie, who killed then raped 8 or more women in the 1940s. His other obsession is beautiful model Nerissa Nash. Much of his time is split between reading and thinking about Christie or stalking Nerissa. He even takes on extra repair work at the gym where he believes she works out.

In moving close to the home of Christie, he ends up renting and renovating the top floor of an old home owned by Gwendolyn Chawser. To say she is an odd duck would be putting it lightly. She's an old, eccentric spinster living in her dirty and decaying childhood home which she has never left. She escapes from reality by incessantly reading and re-reading books packed into every nook and cranny of the house. (To clarify, the reading bit isn't what makes her so bizarre.)

The story takes a sinister turn when Mix brings home a young girl he met at Nerissa's gym whom he is pumping for information regarding the supermodel. Caught up in the heat of the moment, he kills her after a minor argument and then plots to dispose of the body emulating Christie's methods. Here's where we really get a glimpse into his crazy mind; we are carried along with his obsessive path and imagination on a fast track to a nervous breakdown.

Doesn't sound too upbeat, does it? But it's a fascinating read and I would recommend you try one of Rendell's books that doesn't star her famous inspector.(less)

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Oct 03, 2009 Jessie rated it 1 of 5 stars

a book group selection. i'm not usually big on mysteries, but i'm determined to read with an open mind.

i've really tried with this book, for the sake of my book group discussion, but it is just awful. it reminds me of the movie b.t.k. that i watched recently which was most probably the worst thing i have ever seen. this is the book version of that situation. i simply can't get past the pathetic characters, the odd storylines or the contrived connections between characters. i don't recommend this...more

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Oct 18, 2008 Rhonda rated it 2 of 5 stars

ok - where to start... first with the positive. the writing was ok. i liked the various voices/points of view in each chapter. i like keeping up with each character and reactions to others. that's about it. the book was dripping with irony to the point of excess. the characters were pretty awful people with few, if any, redeeming qualities. dark and disturbing and dreary. ok - so rendell can set up a "feeling", but it wasn't a pleasant one. still, i have to give her credit for that. it was consi...more

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Dec 22, 2009 Bayneeta rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, fiction, suspense

Mostly unlikable and not particularly interesting characters in this audio book capably read by Ric Jerrom. Mix Cellini is obsessed with a serial murderer from fifty years ago and obsessed and delusional about a super model of today. His landlady is old, cranky, and delusional about reuniting with a man she loved fifty years ago. I picked this up because I was out of audio material and couldn't remember reading Ruth Rendell before. Think I will still try one of her Inspector Wexford mysteries.

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About Ruth Rendell

Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, who also writes under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, is an acclaimed English crime writer, known for her many psychological thrillers and murder mysteries.

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Books by Ruth Rendell

From Doon With Death (Inspector Wexford, #1)

The Babes in the Wood (Inspector Wexford, #19)

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