Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford Monthly Selection - Buddy Readalong with Susan, Barbara, and the "Wexeteers"

[Susan]

Oh, Barbara, you made me laugh. I shuddered when the mother-in-law ran her finger across the plate shelf. What a mean woman.

[Susan]

Across the door frame? I would fail.

[Barbara K]

Yes, across tge top. There were other similar instances. The net result was that there were few invitations to visit extended in that direction. :-)

[Susan]

To be honest with you, Barbara, I wouldn't extend any invitations. I don't think I have ever cleaned the top of my door frame. I am sure that was just a drop in the bucket of stories.

[Susan]

OMG, Barbara, what do you think happened between Wexford and Mrs. Lake? I am shocked about the whiff of scandal but I was reading some other reviews and they were calling him a dog. Apparently there was a show on this book and it was much more explicit. I tried to find it but had no luck. Do you think Wexford had an affair?

[Barbara K]

Hm... I’m listening and I did not pause to contemplate that scene. I think I didn’t want that to be the case, so I kind of closed my eyes and ignored the possibility of a fulfilled midlife crisis.

[Susan]

I know what you mean. I don't think I would have thought about it until I read the reviews but I got to that spot and thought, "Oh yes, he's a dog."

[Barbara K]

In terms of the actual mystery and resolution, this is definitely one of my favorites in the series so far. Early on I toyed with the idea that turned out to be the ultimate resolution, but I was quickly distracted by all the other plot twists (or maybe it was just a reaction to all that talk about housecleaning) and forgot about it.

The murderer was very clever, but of course Wexford was more so, even if it was a lonely uphill battle a good part of the time. And I'm so glad he's lost weight! Yes, I know the series goes on for years from this point, and so obviously there was no reason to think that his poor health could have caused an early termination, but still...

[Susan]

I laughed so hard that the house cleaning talk may have been a distraction. It's that one hand print that did it for me. It was a lonely investigation. Thank goodness for Howard. He was really the bright light.

[Barbara K]

Agree, Susan. Howard is always a refreshing change from Mike Burden.

[Barbara K]

Our next Wexford is one of two from this series short-listed for an Edgar: A Sleeping Life. I don't remember the book though I own an aged paperback copy so I must have read it at some point. As always, I'm looking forward to it. We begin February 1.

[Bionic Jean]

Thanks Barbara :)

[Susan]

My library didn't have a copy of this so I ordered an used used copy from Amazon. I am looking forward to it.

[Barbara K]

No rush, Susan. I won”t start until your copy arrives.

[Candy]

Sorry, I got behind in my reading of the series due to moving from PA to SC. But finally settled in now and catching up. I am reading No More Dying Then. I like the focus on Wexford and his personality. We get to spend some quality time with him and learn something about a part of London.
I will be caught up soon!

[Barbara K]

That's great to hear, Candy! I hope your move went well. We moved from WNY to Richmond in 2019, and although the move itself had some issues, we are loving it here.

No More Dying is one of my favorites. Glad you liked it!

[Barbara K]

Has anyone started this yet?

[Bionic Jean]

I've just put it on our home page, to garner more interest :) It's not one I remember, but it does sound good!

[Barbara K]

Thanks Jean. I’m not trying to rush anyone. Last I knew Susan didn’t have her copy yet so I’ve been holding off on starting myself. It’s only the 3rd so we have plenty of time. :-)

[Barbara K]

Yesterday I gave in and bought this from Audible since it was becoming clear that I wasn't going to find time for the print version that is sitting on my desk. The opening sentence jolted me because I remembered it so vividly from my first read. With apologies to Kenneth Grahame, I find it difficult to conjure up any positive images of rats, in any time or place. The idea of actually looking for a rat made me shudder the first time I read this, and clearly stuck with me over the years.

[Barbara K]

Other parts of the book are familiar as well, although I am not completely confident that I remember the conclusion properly. Time will tell.

[Bionic Jean]

The month has just finished for A Sleeping Life, but only one person read it, despite the plug of putting it on our home page! So starting another Wexford novel doesn't seem appropriate at all. Thank you Barbara, for asking, and all those who have joined in earlier.

This thread will now be archived. Please don't worry though, as anyone who would like to read more Wexford books can do a straight buddy read, by requesting one LINK HERE. The numbers we have been getting for these reads in the last few months are much more suitable for that.

You win some and you lose some. We have two great ongoing buddy reads for Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple, if you like this way of reading, plus our themed monthly group reads of course :)

Thanks everyone!