What do You think about Simisola (1997)?
A good read, easily readable but didnt keep up with the pace of the book enough....in other words I took too long to read it and therefore it didnt flow as well as it should have. Purely my own fault. Despite this thoroughly enjoyed reading a classic author....if I didn't have so many other books on my plate I'd scour charitable establishments to find more of Ms Rendalls many books. Also watched the ITV adaptation straight after reading the book, it stayed very faithful to the book and was also enjoyed to the full.
—Dignan107
When Wexford's doctor's daughter goes missing, Wexford is fast on the case. The "twist" is that his doctor happens to be one of the few black people in the British town of Kingsmarkham. While looking for the missing woman, the bodies of two other women turn up murdered and Wexford is confronted with his own racism, as well as those of the witnesses he encounters. I found the writing in this book fine - better than most mysteries that I read - but in terms of plot, it wasn't particularly suspenseful and I found some of the investigation a bit tedious.
—Anne
Another page-turner from Ruth Rendell, the mastery of psychological suspense. This one is too long. I feel that as popular writers get older they too often are not subjected to editing.One problem I have with her books -- at least in the paperback editions I have -- is that sometimes it is hard to tell who is talking. She has a problem with transitions, although some of the issue may simply be poor type-setting. By that I mean when she changes the point of view, there should be a little more space between paragraphs to give the reader a clue that a new scene has started.I realize Rendell may have absolutely nothing to do with this issue. It may just be the printing company.Overall, however, this is an interesting yarn with her trademark out-of-left-field ending that comes with little or no foreshadowing and a surfeit of red herrings. Rendell does a great job differentiating her characters. I especially like the way she lets them grow and evolve. She has a protagonist but certainly not a hero. All of the folks that she pays attention to in the Inspector Wexford series are flawed in some way, which to me makes them more attractive, more human.
—Hal
