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Read Simisola (1997)

Simisola (1997)

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Genre
Rating
3.73 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0517194074 (ISBN13: 9780517194072)
Language
English
Publisher
random house value publishing

Simisola (1997) - Plot & Excerpts

Rendell is a mystery writer I have long enjoyed and this Inspector Wexford has all the usual trappings of a good detective novel: a missing girl, a couple of dead bodies, a lot of suspects and a lot of missing pieces. Rendell juggles all the many plot threads deftly, keeping you guessing at her multi-layered puzzle right up to the reveal. Although I managed to figure out some of what was happening I didn't get it all before Inspector Wexford did. And she manages to tie everything up; which is not always the case with less skilled authors. The story deals in part with changes in Wexford's rural town, especially the small but steady influx of immigrants: from Africa, India, the Caribbean and China. I particularly enjoyed the nuanced way racism was handled within story; allowing the various characters to illustrate many different facets of the racial equation in contemporary British society (circa 1995) and offering multiple points of view that all bear thinking about. I must add that the pacing is first rate; Rendell never bogs down or drops the ball, she gives you time to digest events and develops her characters; all the while staying several steps ahead of the reader. Great fun but not without substance - but if I say too much I could spoil it.

I love Ruth Rendell. Her creepy psychological thrillers or almost-thrillers are the ones I love best. This, instead, is an Inspector Wexford mystery. Still, her talents are there: real, flawed characters, an atmosphere of anxiety and dread and exploration of the uncomfortable topics of the day. Rendell tends to reinforce the class system even when she is ostensibly subverting it. She is expert at creating real places along with her real people. However, her characters' homes and work environments closely track with their perceived or received social status. Perhaps she is cannier than I think, hmmm...

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

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