The Nightingale’s were the perfect couple, living alone in the large Myfleet Manor surrounded by servants who saw to their every need. Their lives were peaceful and uninterrupted by drama, except for the occasional clashes between Elizabeth and her estranged brother, Denys Villiers who was a teacher at the local school and Wordsworth scholar. Elizabeth was loved by everyone for her gentleness and generosity, so who in Kingsmarkham had so much hate as to bludgeon her to death in the woods one evening?

Enter Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford of the Kingsmarkham Police with Detective Inspector Michael Burden to figure out who would murder such a kind-hearted person and how it was done. Along the way, the reader is given insights into Wexford and Burden’s personal lives in this, Ruth Rendell’s fifth novel with Wexford — A Guilty Thing Surprised. In this novel, she causes the reader to follow her detectives on a strange and winding path to seeming dead ends until at last, the guilt is finally settled upon the murderer.

I have read Rendell’s books before, but it has been a long time. I began with her first book and have just finished this one and am reminded how much I enjoy her writing. The clues are sparce, but they do point to the truth. The earliest ones are shortish but good for a good evening with the lights low and curtains drawn.

You will find this book under my name in the Staff Picks and the rest of Rendell’s books in the Author of the Month display. Enjoy!