La casa secreta de la muerte

by Ruth Rendell

La supuesta infidelidad conyugal de Louise North es el blanco de todas las habladurías en el vecindario. Sólo Susan Townsend prefiere quedar al margen del chismorreo. Sin embargo, es precisamente ella quien encuentra los cadáveres de Louise y su amante Bernard. En apariencia Bernard ha matado a Louise y después se ha suicidado, o al menos a esa conclusión llaga la policía. Pero David Chadwick, amigo de Bernard, descubre una serie de curiosas coincidencias que desmienten esa versión, y gracias a la decisiva colaboración de Susan los verdaderos culpables serán desenmascarados...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, British Literature

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 1996

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

[Claire Fuller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, not one of Rendell's best. The writing, as ever, is great but how the story plays out, less so. I really enjoyed the first three quarters but by the time we're discovering the killer, motives and consequences everything became far too complicated, convoluted, and rather boring. What I did enjoy in rather a shocked way was reading about life the 1960s (the book was published in 1968). A woman is wolf-whistled and Rendell has her female character think how lovely this is and how all women must love being whistled at; how this character smokes all the time including around her child; how when she has the flu she calls the doctor and he comes on a house call, and so many other things that have changed in my lifetime. Still up for reading more RR though. What I really was shocked by - and I'm not sure if this is a '60s thing - or just odd on RR's part, is that a man supposedly shoots a woman and then kills himself. They are thought to be lovers, and this act throughout the novel is called a suicide pact, although there's no note. There is only gun residue on the man's hand. Surely, surely, this is a murder and then a suicide?

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Originally released in 1968, The Secret House of Death is a masterclass in precision plotting from the brilliant Ruth Rendell. In the course of less than two-hundred-pages the ingenious sleight of hand she performs means that the real import of what has taken place only becomes apparent in the course of the final pages. Set in the fictional suburb of Matchdown Park, located in the furthest recesses of north-west London, the residents of Orchard Drive enjoy nothing more than twitching their curtain nets and speculating on the effrontery of the carefree, Mrs Louise North, as she entertains her lover in plain sight. Except for Susan Townsend, a divorcee and single mother at twenty-six-years of age whose marital woes have left her reticent of speculating on the adulterous encounters of anyone else. Ex-husband, Julian Townsend, has remarried and moved far away from a neighbourhood that he sneered at for its small-minded and nosy inhabitants. But Susan can’t deny the scurrilous rumours that married Louise North is entertaining a central heating salesman whilst her handsome and dutiful quantity surveyor husband, Bob, is out at work. After all, the green Ford Zephyr of Bernard Heller has started to become a regular fixture on Orchard Drive and with briefcase in hand he is warmly welcomed over the North threshold, all the while as husband, Bob, denies having any intention of even having central heating installed. As the wronged woman and still rather raw, the gossip of her neighbours washes over a disinterested Susan, but as a tearful Louise arranges a coffee morning and a seemingly suspicious Bob attempts to catch her eye, Susan cannot help being drawn into their plight. The following day the intended coffee morning is prevented when Susan discovers Louise and her lover, Bernard, locked in an embrace and both dead in the bedroom, therefore heading off any attempt at the sharing of confidences.

As Susan finds herself giving evidence at the inquest and becoming closely acquainted with widowed, Bob, a burgeoning relationship starts to flourish, despite Bob’s seeming inability to converse on any topic other than the fateful day his wife and her lover were found dead. The evening before a chronic bout of influenza leaves Susan confined to her bed for a week, a tormented Bob beseeches her to destroy the love letters from Bernard to Louise which refer to him as a violent bully. Handing over the two letters seems to lift a weight off Bob’s mind and offer an end to his continual torment and a lonely Susan begins to enjoy having the company of a man back in her life again. Meanwhile, she also decides to sell her own house which contains far too many memories of the horrific events on the other side of the adjoining wall and is unsettling son, Paul. Julian is more than happy to cede to her demands and as his new wife sends a potential buyer, set designer David Chadwick, to view the property, they discover a mutual connection in the neighbouring house of death. Chadwick suspects that all is not what it appears and consults Detective Inspector Ulph, a man who has his own suspicions on a case that always seemed unsatisfactory resolved to his mind. With Chadwick having spent part of night prior to the double death in the company of Bernard and met his young wife Magdelana, a chance meeting with the bereaved Mrs Heller just hours after her husband's inquest spurs the dogmatic amateur sleuth to go the extra mile, and potentially saves divorcee, Susan Townsend, from being caught in the crossfire.

The residents and social conventions of the era date this novel slightly, with the take up of central heating, the addressing of neighbours by their formal titles and the promptness of the inquest all marking it out as late 1960’s, but the realistic characterisation and faultless plotting make this a pleasure. Admittedly, readers need to stay in it for the long haul before the eventual payoff becomes clear, and on occasions I confess to some irritation with the ponderous prose and some questioning over where Rendell was taking the story. However, persevere onwards through the slightly subdued early stages which offer little by way of excitement or intrigue, for it is Rendell’s plotting excellence and not her manner of her execution that is the highlight. Savvy readers will find plenty of clues along the way and perhaps see the solution appear before their very eyes, yet it does nothing to diminish the brilliance of the unexpected twist.

Not the most readable or fascinating novel from the annals of Ruth Rendell, but yet another example of her forward-thinking and sleight of hand.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently Sophie Hannah, an author I admire greatly, wrote a piece for the Guardian in which she gave her top ten twists in fiction novels. She was not talking about the current trend for screaming "WITH A TWIST YOU WON'T SEE COMING" on anything and everything that could vaguely be called psychological thriller, those are not twists but rather unexpected resolutions or, it has to be said most of the time, simply resolutions. No she was talking about those subtle lies woven into a seemingly truthful narrative that either, at some point in the book, make you shout out loud or those novels that overall twist up your perception of things.

I'm a sucker for a good literary twist whether that be from an entire story when you think about it or that one drop jaw moment within a story - and despite outward publicity shrieks from novels and publishers who are desperate to find the next Gone Girl, the clever literary twist is very very rare. I find one in about every 300-400 books I read and even some of those are on the cusp, a promise rather than an execution. So I was very interested in Ms Hannah's list (in which I should be clear she gives nothing away of any value thus spoiling the books, no she is the queen of subtle too) I was pleasantly surprised to find three novels on there that I had not read - so immediately purchased all of those, this being one of them. Of "The Secret House Of Death" Ms Hannah stated that the murder itself is the twist but you won't know what I mean so you'll just have to read it. I have. And she's right. You won't know what it means either so I guess....

This is a classic version of domestic noir - marriages going wrong, a double death, what the neighbours saw, what people thought about those involved and it is also an absolutely fascinating relationship saga, with some memorable characters and that subtle execution of plot that meant it found itself on what I now fondly refer to as Sophie's "Twist List"

It is highly readable, very intriguing and indeed earns its place on the list of those books that I have taken something different away from than I expected in the first place. I'm now looking forward to reading the other two I have somehow, in all the books I read, missed out on.

Recommended.

[Bruce Beckham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taken with a modest pinch of salt, this is a good read with all the best features of Ruth Rendell’s austere and suspenseful storytelling.

I mention the caveat for there are a couple of rather ‘convenient’ coincidences, improbable shortcuts that rescue the tale from what otherwise might be, if not plot-holes, then narrative cul-de-sacs.

In short, and roughly speaking, two married couples, a divorcee and a bachelor become rather indelicately embroiled. A double suicide ensues, and the reader is left thinking that skulduggery is afoot. As a protagonist emerges (the bachelor) and the police seem disinterested, the suspense builds as you try to fathom just who is in jeopardy from whom.

Set in London and its suburbs in the 1960s, the context has aged well, although it might elicit a wry smile that one of the key characters is a central heating salesman, that small boys played with toy cars, and that nearly every adult smoked cigarettes!

[Liza Perrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An oldie, but a goodie... surprised I missed this one all those years ago, when reading her entire collection!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever twist at the end make this worth a read.

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

1969, murder next door, in a nice neighborhood; femjep suspenser.

Death of a not very well-known neighbor leads to increasingly dangerous circumstances for a nice single mom, as events around her spiral down into darkness.

Lead character is far too wimpy for my taste even given the time period, but otherwise this is a well-plotted and well-paced tale of bad guys and bad tempers gone awry. Not her best, but this early work is entertaining.

[Amk256 King · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first part of this book!

Then I spent the majority of the rest of thinking who on earth is this David character and why is he running around the country investigating this incident …. Did I miss something… someone sent to look at a house suddenly turns out to be the solver of the whole thing …. Really quite odd!!!

Started well, got weird, became boring … the end!!

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a horrible scene that must have been. Two people, a man and a women in each other's arms, shot to death in a house. By whom? By each other? Are they secret lovers? This mystery has back stories and love letters to complicate the whole thing. It held my attention quite well.

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Suzi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
(More like COULD NOT finish)
Drab drab drab drab
Drab and boring.

[Ulla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Für meinen Geschmack ist das Buch zu langsam in der Entwicklung der Handlung.

Der Stoff hätte eine gute Kurzgeschichte hergegeben!

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The residents of Matchdown Park, a quiet suburban area, are delightedly scandalised by the behaviour of Louise North, blatantly entertaining her lover at home while her innocent, handsome husband, Bob, is out at work. (It's the 1960s - men have jobs, women are mainly housewives. Said housewives evidently get great enjoyment from observing and talking about their neighbours.)

Only Louise's near neighbour Susan Townsend, herself recently abandoned by an unfaithful husband, wants nothing to do with the gossip. But she can no longer avoid involvement when she makes a shocking discovery.

Of the books I've read during my Great Rendell Reread so far, this - her sixth, published in 1968 - is the one I remembered best. It made quite an impression on me when I first read it, although it was a very long time ago. I recalled pretty much what happened - not every detail, but the overall gist, perhaps because it was so shocking to me at the time - so there were no huge surprises (though I didn't remember the role of David Chadwick at all), but despite this it was a very good read. A little dated, as could be expected, but really not too bad for a book published in 1968. (It's the same age as me, in fact, and I'm also a little dated.)

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me break down the couples involved:
1) Louise & Bob North
2) Magdalene & Bernard Heller
3) Susan & Julian Townsend...mostly Susan

So rumor had it that Louise & Bernard were hitting the sheets & Susan the divorced neighbour was the only person in the hood who didn't give a flying pig about it. Reason is she was too busy single-handedly forking out a living & sharing custody of her son, Paul, with her pompous ass ex-husband, Julian, who then went on & hitched his wagon to a younger aristocrat. Susan had a forced lunch date with Louise & this is how she came upon the clothed shot up bodies of Louise & Bernard, which from first glance was assumed to be a murder-suicide.

The new widower, Bob, then imposes his presence onto Susan & Paul, yapping poetics about how un-Christian-like Louise was slumming it up with Bernard. Dude then quickly becomes a fixture in the Townsend abode, but there's action going on in the background concerning the whole he said/ she said business of the whole sordid activities between the North & Heller houses.

I'm going to end this review with saying that you need to read the book or listen to the audiobook to find out how it all started, who were the actual side-steppers, who worked out the clues and how the story ended. Well worth the read.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from a list of novels with amazing twists published a few years ago in the Guardian. I like a good twist as much as the next reader and I used to read a lot of her books back in the 80s and 90s.

This is an early Rendell. It's meticulously plotted and well-paced. The twist is built into the structure and works in the old-fashioned way by changing the reader's perspective on a situation that they are already familiar with, not through some implausible revelation. The characters are carefully drawn and believable. Despite all these excellent qualities, though, it doesn't reach quite the same heights of psychological tension as Rendell's later novels.

By the way, it's also an insight into the Britain of more than half a century ago that chimes with vague memories of my childhood, at once recognisable but very different in culture and attitudes from the world of today.

[Iblena · Rating 3 out of 5]

La ventaja de leer un autor desde sus comienzos es ser testigo en primera fila de cómo va evolucionando su trabajo y mejorando en el oficio de crear historias…comparándola con otros primeras novelas de Rendell –independientes de su personaje estrella, el Inspector Wexford- La casa secreta de la muerte, cuenta con un argumento mejor hilvanado y con personajes más creíbles.. Los culpables se conocen desde el principio y el interés principal radica en acompañar al protagonista a juntar las piezas para darle coherencia al misterio.

[pigstar911 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book to be boring, predictable, and the character Susan to be not very likable. Perhaps I'm not being empathetic enough to like her. I couldn't bring myself to read the entire book and gave up half way but skipped to the end to see if it was as predictable as I assumed. It was. Definitely the worst Rendell/Vine book I've read so far. I generally find the books in the Wexford series quite enjoyable but with Vine it's hit or miss. This was just terrible and felt very flat in general.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman is found dead in her home with a salesman thought to be her lover. The dead woman's husband and the salesman's wife appear to know one another. From the perspective of a divorced neighbor who is reluctant to get involved and a man who cares about the neighbor. I enjoyed this book and liked the fact that there wasn't a detective as the central character.

[Julie scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was absolutely the worst book I have ever read so very boring boring. I couldn't get into this novel at all the characters were dull and not à bit interesting just like the story it reminded me of the old English crime shows "Poirot by Agatha Christie and " Midsummer Murders".As the Fleetwood Mac song goes "Never Going Back Again". For me giving this novel 1⭐is being generous❤

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely don’t enjoy these standalones as much as I do the Wexford series. The formula works, they’re kind of clever in how the story unfolds, but I just can’t bring myself to care enough to really enjoy them.

[Amanda Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

[Stefania · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abbastanza scontato: vittime e assassini si indovinano già dalle prime pagine, l'unico elemento che resta un po' nebuloso fino a quasi la fine del libro è il movente.

[Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, but you can see the twist a mile away.

[Katie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did see the twist coming, but it was excellently developed and executed.

[Emanuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Innanzitutto devo dire che ho iniziato questo libro aspettandomi qualcosa di diverso, probabilmente influenzata dalla copertina e dal titolo tanto simile a certi bei film horror, mi aspettavo qualcosa di più angosciante e, complice in questo, la trama poco adatta secondo me a spiegare un libro così perché crea un’attesa di ansia e attivazione che poi non arrivano.
Detto questo però sono rimasta molto piacevolmente sorpresa da come questa scrittrice abbia costruito magistralmente una trama e degli intrecci degni della migliore Agatha Christie! E non esagero.
Dopo le prime trenta pagine circa, mi chiedevo dove sarebbe andata a parare ed invece era tutto preparatorio a ciò che succede dopo e soprattutto a spiegare il movente!
Susan Townsend è una donna lasciata dal marito che vivo con il figlio in un piccolo quartiere della periferia di Londra e si trova, suo malgrado, ad essere coinvolta nell’omicidio che accade in una delle case vicine. E in che modo particolare!!!!
L’assassino qui organizza tutto veramente a regola d’arte anche se devo dire che di elementi che facessero pensare che Bob tanto giusto non fosse ce ne sarebbero stati fin da subito.
Che stupida e inetta però è lei che si lascia manipolare per tutto il tempo anche quando le cose sembrano mostrarsi più nettamente! E continua ad esserne convinta praticamente fino alla fine! Ed in effetti è proprio questo a lasciarmi senza parole. Capisco che tu sia fragile e debole e che abbia bisogno di credere a certe cose, ma nemmeno quando ti vengono servite su un piatto d’argento?!
Te lo vuoi proprio!!!
Invece David mi è piaciuto proprio tanto. Inizialmente quando è spuntato mi chiedevo che ruolo avesse nella storia dato che le due narrazioni proseguono praticamente in parallelo fino a un certo punto, ma poi tutto si ricollega e acquista senso. E lui veramente si dimostra molto più abile della polizia.
Sì perché anche Ulph ....insomma dai!!! Inizialmente sembrava che lui avesse capito tutto e semplicemente gli servissero le prove ma invece quando poi gli vengono portate da qualcuno più abile di lui e che le scova al suo posto, che fa? Non crede che siano reali e che stiano costruendo loro delle premeditazioni che non esistano?! Bah!
La conclusione me la sarei aspettata diversa perché va bene che non ci sia il colpo di scena in cui Bob si mostri malvagio e tenti di aggredire Susan (anche se se lo sarebbe meritata!) ma il fatto che sia stato arrestato prima....beh non so...comunque si tratta di un dettaglio perché in fondo lascia capire che poi verrà riaperto il processo per la nuova ricostruzione del caso.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een cover waar buiten de naam van de schrijfster en een donkere achtergrond eigenlijk weinig te zien valt. Enkel een paar handgeschreven velletjes (brief/brieven?) die in brand staan.
Dit zal veel later in het verhaal cruciaal blijken te zijn.
Een rustige wijk waar nooit wat gebeurt wordt opgeschrikt door een dubbele zelfmoord. Buurvrouw Susan ontdekt de lijken en is in shock. Zelf nog maar onlangs verlaten door haar man die haar bedroog met zijn ondertussen nieuwe vrouw is ze eenzaam hoewel ze een zoontje heeft. Haar buurman is na de dood van zijn echtgenote en haar minnaar ook eenzaam. De twee zoeken steun bij mekaar. Er is een buurvrouw die steunt maar ook erg nieuwsgierig is. En een werkster. En een hondje dat altijd blaft bij bezoekers die hij niet kent. Bij wegenwerken in de straat lopen drie arbeiders al lange tijd rond. Dan is er nog een kennis van de zelfmoordenaar die nattigheid voelt. Ook de betrokken inspekteur van politie heeft het gevoel dat er iets niet klopt en houdt de zaak lopende.
Rendell beschrijft op haar vertrouwde excellente manier het leven van een allenstaande vrouw met kind in een buitenwijk waar verder nooit wat gebeurt. Het psychologische trauma van bedrogen worden. En dan stapje voor stapje worden onwaarheden en klinklare leugens ontdekt maar niet noodzakelijk door ietdereen geloofd - het lijkt allemaal zo vergezocht. Toch vordert het onderzoek en verandert het gezichtspunt van de aandachtige toeschouwer (de lezer dus) keer op keer. Pas na een bezoek aan Devon komt de waarheid boven. Dan houdt Rendell de spanning nog hoog - zal er nog een dode vallen? Worden de moordenaars ontmaskert en gestraft?
Er wordt regelmatig van perspektief verandert en Ruth Rendell verandert dan haar hele schrijfwijze. Zij schrijft echt vanuit de gedachten- en leefwereld van de betrokkenen.
De personen zijn levensecht getekent en de psychologie wordt gaandeweg verder uitgewerkt naargelang en steeds meer van de waarheid naar buiten komt.
Er heerst een achergrond spanning van bij het begin met enkele hoogtepunten maar toch niet het nooit thrillerproporties aan, een echte strijd opleven en dood volgt niet al lijkt dat de hele tijd wel een mogelijkheid.
Een geweldig verhaal - volledig volgens de verwachting - dat ook geen vieze smaak nalaat. De slechten verliezen uiteindelijk en geen lezer zal dat jammer vinden.
Ondertussen bevat het verhaal ook wat subtiele humor en een romance - al duurt het even voor dat laatste doordringt.

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Rendell is one of my favorite authors & I'm trying to catch up on all the books of hers I've missed. I especially enjoy her Inspector Wexford series. It's hard to describe the feeling her writing produces--the word I would use to describe her writing is classy. She knows her stuff & she blends the natural everyday with which everyone can identify with the weird & strange that can give you shivers. Her mysteries build suspense & you can't stop reading until you find out all the details. This book is a stand alone story about a woman living on her own raising a young son after her divorce from a cheating husband. The gossip in the neighborhood is that her neighbor lady is carrying on an affair with a salesman whose car has been seen parked in her drive on occasion & whose visits are announced loudly by the barking dog across the street. The woman, Susan, still sensitive about her ex-husband's betrayal & remarriage to his mistress, keeps to herself so is surprised when her neighbor asks her to stop in for coffee the next morning. Susan can see the woman is visibly upset & she's afraid she'll have to listen to a confession about the affair. But when she goes over to the house, it's quiet &, after a search, Susan finds the woman & her lover dead on the bed. After giving her statement to the police & appearing at the inquest, Susan receives visits from the woman's distraught husband who, like Susan, is now alone & sad. Meanwhile, a friend of the dead lover, feels there is something not right about the whole situation & begins to investigate on his own. This is a very good story that keeps you guessing as to what really happened--murder/suicide? murder by a third party? accident/suicide? What's the real story & is anyone else in danger? I enjoyed it very much.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Rendell (1968) THE SECRET HOUSE OF DEATH (AUDIOBOOK)
Audible - Audible, Inc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars

Audible writes, "Louise North doesn't care what the neighbors think. She lets her lover leave his car just outside her house in broad daylight, telling everyone he is a central heating salesman. Still, it's a shock when she's found shot dead, covered by the equally dead body of the 'salesman'. It was his third visit to the gloomy house on Orchard Drive. Each time, he parked in the same place. Each time, he carried a briefcase. And each time, Louise North greeted him at the door.... Susan Townsend was the only resident with no interest in the affair going on next door, or in the neighbourhood gossip about it. Yet when Susan finds Louise shot dead, underneath the equally dead body of her lover, it is Susan who must help Louise’s husband, Bob, to get back on his feet. But is she really a helpful neighbor or, a murderer?"
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Loved this.
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#RuthRendell #TheSecretHouseOfDeath #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Audible

[Johan D'Haenen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een heel knappe who-done-it waarbij de lezer van begin tot einde bij de neus genomen wordt. Maar meer dan dat, is dit een psychologische thriller waarbij vooral de gevoelens, daden en reacties van de verschillende personages uit deze kleinburgerlijke buurt meedogenloos onder de loep genomen worden. Als naar gewoonte laat Ruth Rendell het ook aan de lezer over om gaatjes op te vullen en zelf bruggen en verbindingen te leggen. Een andere schrijver zou dit werk dubbel zo lang maken, maar dat is niet nodig. Niet alles hoeft tot in de puntjes en kleinste details uit de doeken gedaan te worden. En ook dat is één van de verdiensten van het werk van Rendell.

[Ash HC · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

The fact that it took me like 4 days to read such a tiny book is the biggest indicator that I didn't really enjoy the book. There was nothing really wrong with it, it just wasn't very engaging and it took me ages to even sort of grow interested in it. A lot of what felt like they should have been key plot details were convoluted and hard to follow I thought, but I also wasn't paying as much attention as I could have been so that might have been on me.
I really felt nothing for the characters, and it was hard for me to believe they felt that much for each other.
Definitely not a Rendell I would recommend.