Fever Tree and Other Stories

by Ruth Rendell

In this collection of eleven stories, murder is committed for reasons of fear, jealously, cupidity, and out of sheer compulsion, while the settings include an African game park, a sinister ruined cemetery, an East Anglian seaside resort, and the gloomy purlieus of Epping Forest.

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, British Literature, Psychological Thriller

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

A.K.A. Barbara Vine

Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, who also wrote under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, was an acclaimed English crime writer, known for her many psychological thrillers and murder mysteries and above all for Inspector Wexford.

Reviews

[Miglė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nusprendžiau pernelyg nesiparindama tęsti Ruth Rendell apsakymų maratoną ir toliau labai džiaugdamasi skaičiau.

1. The fever tree - labai geras. Sutuoktiniai vyksta į safarį Afrikoje, ten būna apsistoję stovykloje, o dieną važinėja žiūrėti gyvūnų. Bet tolin gražu ne viskas tarp jų gerai - vyras neseniai sugrįžo pas žmoną, kurią buvo palikęs dėl kitos, emociškai brandesnės moters, apie kurią nuolatos galvoja. Žmona supranta, kad jos infantilus elgesys vyrą erzina, bet kitaip nemoka - šitaip elgtis pradėjo dar vaikystėje, vengdama tėvo pykčio. Bet safaryje abu ima abejoti, ar tikrai nori būti vienas su kitu.
2. The dreadful day of judgement - man pasirodė biškį silpnesnis. Keli sargai dirba kapinėse. Vienas nenustoja kalbėti apie seksą ir vaidinti, kad nori išpisti skulptūras, o kitą, jaunesnį ir religingą, ano šnekos pykdo.
3. A glowing future - metus dirbęs Australijoje vyras grįžta namo ir praneša žmonai, kad ten įsimylėjo ir ima pakuoti savo daiktus išsiųti į Australiją. Nu LABAI jau nepakenčiamas personažas sukurtas, net buvo atgrasu skaitant.
4. An outside interest - nelaimingas vyras atranda džiaugsmą tamsiuose parkuose gąsdindamas moteris.
5. A case of coincidence - atvirai neištikima žmona tampa serijinio žudiko auka... bet ar tikrai?
6. Thornapple - man labai patiko. Moksliukas paauglys mėgina pasigaminti nuodų vien iš mokslinio intereso, o paskui pas juos apsistoja tetos išvaryta tolima giminaitė su mažu vaiku.
7. May and June - vyresnės sesers vaikinas išeina pas jaunesniąją seserį. Ko prireiks, kad vyresnioji būtų pasiruošusi jai atleisti?
8. A needle for the devil - Alice turi kažkaip tvarkytis su savo noru kenkti ar žeisti kitus žmones, ir atranda mezgimą.
9. Front seat - senutė kasdiena ateina pasėdėti ant suoliuko, dedikuoto žmogui, kuris, įtariama, nužudęs savo žmoną. Jauna smalsi turistė nusprendžia išsiaiškinti, kur čia šuo pakastas.
10. Paintbox place - senutė stebi kaimynus pro langą ir ima įtarti skandalą.
11. The wrong category - vaikinas baisiai domisi netoli jo namų įvykusiomis žmogžudystėmis ir bando nuspėti kitą auką.

[Boris Cesnik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better collection than The Fallen Curtain, more playful and engaging but still light years behind Celia Femlin's and Shirley Jackson't standards.
All these stories have promising plots and characters but hardly result in surprising or shocking endings.
I am mystified by how an amazing talent like Ruth Rendell in pushing the reader straight into the depth of a psychological nightmare in her novels is miles away from transferring that skill in shorter writings.
They are all very readable albeit sometimes quite confusing but missing that special 'that's it' necessary to enhance an average short story to an ecstatic reading shock.

[Shannon M (Canada) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book soon after it was published in 1994. The short story (novella) stayed in my memory so strongly that I had to buy it again recently. It is an incredible psychologically oriented short story. The rest of the stories in the book are forgettable, but “The Fever Tree” is one I simply cannot forget. (I read all, or nearly all, of Ruth Rendell’s books in the 1980’s and 90’s. Most I have forgotten but this one and “The Tree of Hands” have always remained as “stories I will never forget”. She was a “clunky” writer, but one who was able to get deep into a character’s psyche.)

[Laila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something I’d never considered when experiencing a lack of reading concentration: suspense short stories! This collection was fantastic. The title story, about a couple on the outs in an African wild game preserve, is one I’ll never forget. “Thornapple,” which was about a teen who brews his own poisons, with deadly consequences, was my favorite. Most of these stories have a twist I didn’t see coming.

[John King · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short story The Fever Tree is one of the most perfect suspense stories ever written. Ruth Rendell expertly guides the reader into worrying about future danger, and then pulls the rug out from under him letting him fall into a nearby abyss of true and very real horror. The ending left me screaming with shock and rage.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have quite a few Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine books in my collection but I haven't read many of them. I thoroughly enjoyed the unpredictable short stories in "The Fever Tree", each with an unexpected twist in the tail. I intend to read the rest of my RR and BV collection. At this rate, I need never visit a public library again as long as I live!

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked all the stories in this anthology. It was chilling to read how regular people can turn monstrous.

I have read a few other books by Ruth Rendell and found her writing way better than most of the popular novels in the psychological thriller genre. I can't understand why her books are rated so low.

[Marlene Debo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished! Loved this. I love Ruth Rendell, especially The Crocodile Bird. Don't care for her Inspector Wexford novels...


I don't like short stories, but these are magnificent. I also adore Rendell's The Crocodile Bird. I don't like her Inspector Wexford novels. They seem completely different & completely mainstream mystery. The Fever Tree and The Crocodile Bird are off the beaten path style mysteries. This book jacket says: "She is a mistress of the psychological thriller, constructing fiendishly clever puzzles that, despite her neatly provided clues, often stump her delighted and devoted readers."

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there a writer who does psychological suspense better than Ruth Rendell? For that matter, is there a better story teller of any genre?

I love her stories about ordinary people who for good reasons and bad go just a step too far ... The title story is utterly memorable. Also adored the short story about datura. This is a wonderfully satisfying set of short-ish stories.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange, but enjoyable collection of stories that inspires me to look for more by this author. Rendell really understands how to portray her villains with the hard edge of true criminals, and her prose is superb.

[Victor Bonini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection! Most of the stories are brilliant. Some are a bit boring. But all of them reveal Rendell's creativity and writing skills.
The best story: Thornapple (catchy and with a surprising ending)

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

The fever tree - 5
The dreadful day of judgement - 4
A glowing future - 5
An outside interest - 4
A case of coincidence - 3
Thornapple - 5
May and June - 4
A needle for the devil - 4
Front seat - 3
Paintbox place - 4
The wrong category - 4

[Sophia in BookLand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este ano estou a ficar fascinada com bastantes autores, diria mais do que o habitual, mas não consegui evitar!
Este livro da Ruth Rendell, sendo o primeiro que leio dela, trata-se de uma coleção de onze contos alucinantes, descritos com uma perspicácia acutilante e com finais de fazer cair o queixo.
Nestes contos, muitos dos criminosos são pessoas normais e o ambiente poderia referir-se à rua, bairro ou cidade de qualquer um de nós.
Vou sem dúvida ficar de olho noutros livros da autora.

"𝘚𝘶𝘢 𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘨𝘢 𝘢 50 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘳ê𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘰𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘴: 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵ó𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮 𝘞𝘦𝘹𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵ó𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘰 𝘦 𝘰𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘳𝘰𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦ç𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘥é𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘥𝘦 1980 𝘤𝘰𝘮 𝘰 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥ó𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘦.
𝘚𝘶𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪çõ𝘦𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘴ó𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘰 𝘦 𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳, 𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘦𝘮 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘯ã𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘴. 𝘈 𝘮𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘰 𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘢 é 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴í𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘪á𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘴, 𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴."

[Jeff Thorogood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever Short Story Writing

This is the first Ruth Rendell book that I’ve read. The pieces are all cleverly constructed, and for the most part I was not able to be entirely sure that I could accurately predict the outcome before the last sentence/paragraph. As a result I’m next going to try one of Ruth’s novels

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories of varying standard, each with a twist at the end. As with all tales with twist the most successful are the ones you don't guess. Unfortunately the majority of the twists were obvious from early on.

[Rolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

The titular story has some effectively scary themes to it (especially around murder when a marriage has devolved to the point where there is no love remaining), though the African safari setting is pretty thick with stereotypes that have not aged well.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally enjoy this author but I felt cheated by the underdeveloped characters. It reminded me why I don't like short stories.

[Vicki Klemm · Rating 3 out of 5]

short stories, some better than the others. Really liked the story about the knitting nurse- go figure!

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good twisty short story

[Judith Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, great stories by the mystery great! Again a reread from years ago. My paperback has yellowed, but still readable. Rendell`s plots are always difficult to figure.

[Viviana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creepy n stressful (just 'The Fever Tree' I was able to get in a radio drama)

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth's writing is exceptional. I especially enjoyed the first short story, "The Fever Tree". Truly a master at her craft!

[Kevin Shoop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the title story a long time ago and it stuck with me. The other stories are pleasurably diverting, although in the final story the twist is blindingly obvious.

[Gowri N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

An eclectic collection, but the domestic distaste that characters depict repeatedly gets repetitive after some time.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

The fever tree --3
*The dreadful day of judgement
*A glowing future
*An outside interest (aka The man who frightened women)
A case of coincidence
*Thornapple (aka The boy who collected poisons)
May and June
A needle for the Devil
*Front seat (aka Truth will out)
Paintbox Place (aka The Paintbox houses) --2
The wrong category (aka On the path)

[Kitty Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Fever Tree", more so than any of the other stories in this collection, exemplify Rendell's style. Her murderers are rarely obviously psychopathic killers, nor particularly suave or elegant; they are ordinary people seized by idle curiosity and boredom. "The Fever Tree" examines a couple who, in a dutiful effort to make their marriage work, visit an African game preserve. The unfaithful husband's antipathy toward his wife, who he sees as pathetic and childish, manifests in contemplation of murder - with, of course, a twist at the end. Like others in the story, there is a dry understatement and makes the simple grotesque.

One follows a man who finds he gets a thrill from scaring young women in the woods at night. He earnestly denies that he means them any harm, and the reader is revolted, but fascinated, because a twist must be coming - the obvious answer, of course, that he will get his comeuppance, is flatly denied, making the resolution that much more interesting.

Some are obvious, such as the bored teenager who creates poisons out of scientific curiosity, but the actual murder is not what fascinates, it's the way it is revealed, the dynamics of the characters, and what they choose to do with their knowledge.

While not all of them are gems, the ones that are will linger.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Rendell's short stories, no gifted detectives nor creepy villains, just regular folks who turned up in those pages because they lost it once, or started playing Miss Marple, or got a kick out of scaring women at night in the woods... Who gets to kill or be killed? It all comes down to the little choices we make here and now. Who can tell where they'll lead us down the road? Ruth Rendell has a pretty good idea, but at the same time, she reminds us that the scales can always tip unexpectedly.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her novels seem to be better than her short fiction.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will Tricia and Ford's fractured marriage survive a South African safari? Stars Paul Rhys and Tracy Wiles.