This is the 13th Inspector Wexford adventure, who with his side-kick Inspector Mike Burden, solve crimes - usually murders - and keep the citizenry of Sussex, England safe. Although these books are murder mysteries at their core, the author excels - and where she differentiates herself from the "pack" - in painting psychological dramas. The term thriller is a bit overblown, as Rendell's tales proceed much too slowly for that label. (Not a knock just a description, and enjoyment of this series will depend on a reader's preference, i.e. adrenaline drenched action versus the cerebral/analytic approach utilized by Wexford/Rendell.)The author's books are very reminiscent of the Dagliesh series by P.D. James - I understand the two authors are buddies - and Rendell has influenced the likes of Minette Walters. Rendell blurs the line between victims and villains and has an uncanny ability to populate her stories with very real, but also very unpleasant/unlikeable characters. Our two heroes, Wexford and Burden, wade through the damaged psyches of their suspects to solve the crimes, piecing together past history and motives - rather than uncovering inanimate clues, i.e. connecting the dots of fingerprints, ballistics and DNA. And there's usually a Wexford/Burden personal situation, which one or both of our protagonists is wrestling with while pursuing their police work.An Unkindness Of Ravens follows this formula when a neighbor of Wexford's - a "family man" - disappears. Reluctantly our hero begins to investigate - a simple missing person case not being part of his job description nor his preference. Over the ensuing months - the case drags on that long - he uncovers a very tangled web indeed; interviewing and re-interviewing concerned parties, all of whom are more than a little annoying i.e. self-centered, overly-dramatic and/or sullen. In the background side-kick Inspector Burden and his new wife are expecting their first-born - a first class soap-opera in and of itself - and the point of which I missed.When all is said and done - with a lot more of the former versus the latter - Wexford solves the mystery and Burden becomes a new daddy. I don't mean to sound overly-critical, but this tale drags on and on - even more so than the past books. Not up to par with the previous Wexford books.
Ruth can be guaranteed to write a well-crafted story, an easy read. I enjoy Inspector Wexford and his dogged pursuit of the truth, a man with his own brand of intuition who would rather follow up leads himself than send a subordinate. In this case, there were sufficient plot twists to hold interest, although I did start to guess the murderer about 2/3 of the way in. And it kept me entertained on recent long walks as I listened to the book on an MP3. However, this story particular choice of subject captivated me less than most. It had a dated quality that couldn't quite be overcome by story for me. It wasn't the fact that it was written 30 years ago. I love Agatha Christie and other fiction much older than that. It was the feminist group, who were almost cartoonishly militant, the constant descriptions of era-specific white tights and flower printed dresses and the apparently oblivious wives of the bigamist. Burden, Wexford's partner, is dealing with his own family problems, a parallel anti-feminist issue that overwhelmed him with depression, but wasn't sufficiently plausible to be engaging to me. Despite all that, it deserved 3 stars, a solid "I liked it."
What do You think about An Unkindness Of Ravens (1986)?
2,5 stars Este livro foi uma chatice. Ainda bem que o livro é pequenino, porque não sei se aguentava muito mais do que 200 páginas disto. É um enredo moderadamente engraçado, misterioso, mas a história simplesmente não foi cativante o suficiente para me entusiasmar. Confesso que quando cheguei a meio, já pensava que nunca mais ia chegar ao fim. A minha personagem favorita foi o Wexford e talvez também o Burden, agora que penso nisso. O final apanhou-me mais ou menos de surpresa. Consegui adivinhar umas coisas, outras surpreenderam-me. Apesar de tudo, acho que provavelmente até quererei ler outros livros da autora no futuro. Talvez a leitura tivesse corrido melhor se tivesse lido o livro em inglês, não sei. Aquilo que me vou lembrar mais acerca deste livro, é certas qualidades/ defeitos da natureza humana - essa sim, continua todos os dias a surpreender-me e nem sempre de uma maneira positiva.
—Filipa
Ruth Rendell has written a novel that includes mystery,murder,and the maze continues with the conclusion ---"I don't believe this could happen" Only Rendell could write this novel.I will miss her.Rodney Williams is missing. Eight days. But he travels often. His wife Joyis not that worried,except she believes that he has a girl friend.They have a son and Sara ,daughterwho aspires to be a doctor.This is the Rendell trap-------I am totally involved--of course Rodney's Body turns up. Stabbed.Thats it! Any more i will give away the plot--except from the words of Chief Inspector Wexford."He often had feelings like that about small things when a case was about to breakand the small thing always turned out to be vital and his hunch seldom wrong.
—Arthur Okun
Ruth Rendell é, na minha opinião, um ícone literário no policial tal como Agatha Christie. Adoro as duas, e os seus livros são devorados por mim numa questão de meras horas. Este só se tratou de uma excepção por causa da letra minúscula e do amarelo torrado das páginas. Mas devo dizer que este exemplar de Maio de 1986 mostrou-se um valente e amigável companheiro em viagens e esperas. Só foi pena que a desastrada (diga-se eu mesma) tenha descolado a capa ao andar com ele dentro das carteiras.Quanto à história começa por um desaparecimento de um marido do qual ninguém está muito preocupado e mesmo o nosso detective Wexford vai falar pela primeira vez com a esposa do dito desaparecido só como forma de um favor e ao mesmo tempo de uma simpatia a uma vizinha. Mas quando um segundo marido desaparece de forma misteriosa e sem deixar qualquer rasto, testemunha e em condições parecidas com o primeiro, aí Wexford fica mais atento e desconfia que este caso tem mais que se lhe diga.Um mistério delicioso nos últimos dias deste ano.
—Sandra
