Read by................ Nigel AnthonyTotal Runtime......... 6 Hours 10 MinsDescription: During the brilliantly depicted rock festival in the grounds of Sundays House, the bands play, the weather is fine, and a good time is had by all except one or two disgruntled locals. Oh, and the sometimes-grouchy Inspector Burden of course, but even he lightens up to the idea eventually. However, as the festival begins to wind itself down, two precocious lovers discover a battered body in a nearby quarry, and Inspector Wexford finds himself investigating murder rather than his earlier duty of making sure everything runs smoothly, and law-abidingly, at the festival. The body is identified as that of Dawn Stonor, a local girl who had moved to London, returning only on occasional trips to see her mother. As with all Rendell mysteries, the plot soon thickens considerably and little is as it seems... This is the one with an early 70s music festival, pompous landowners, shocked Burden, cut barbed-wire fence, free love under the moonlight, and a intricately plotted MOIDAH!"Sometimes I wish that POP was an O level subject."3* From Doon With Death (Inspector Wexford, #1)3* A New Lease of Death (Inspector Wexford, #2)3* Wolf to the Slaughter (Inspector Wexford, #3)2* The Best Man to Die (Inspector Wexford, #4)3* A Guilty Thing Suprised #53* No More Dying Then (Inspector Wexford, #6)3* Murder Being Once Done (Inspector Wexford, #7)3* Some Lie and Some Die (Inspector Wexford, #8)3* Not in the Flesh (Inspector Wexford, #21)2* The Vault (Inspector Wexford, #23)
Wonderful, intricate, compelling mystery set in a time I distinctly remember! I was about the age of several of the main characters - both the victim and suspects - and yeah, it was like that, man. All cops were pigs. Well, not really. I was sort of a square, considering the times. But short skirts, weird makeup and those page boy hats we all wore, yeah I was there ...As for the mystery, a young woman is found dead in a quarry at the scene of a 'rave-up' or what we Yanks would simply call a concert, or if we were really high, a happening. It's up to Wexford, who seems to understand the young people, and Burden, who doesn't, to solve the crime. There's not a lot of forensics here, but a lot of interviewing and psychological insights as Wexford learns who's telling the truth, and who isn't. There's a very good description of a rock star at his peak, which doesn't differ so much from similar celebrities of today. The narcissism, the seeming entitlement, the way this 'star' looks down condescendingly on others as he elevates to stardom. Anyhow, the setting is great - the English countryside. The depiction of characters, both young and old, free-thinking or stodgy, and the way the story unrolls is very well-done.Currently one of my favorite Ruth Rendell-Inspector Wexford mysteries.
What do You think about Some Lie And Some Die (1973)?
Maybe not Ruth Rendell’s best, perhaps, but a middle-of-the-road entry is so much better than most. I have only read a half-dozen of Rendell’s (or so) but when I saw this title at a library book sale, for cheap, I grabbed it and immediately fell under her powerful spell. Rendell balances atmosphere, character and plot like few others. In other words, well. The Inspector Wexford stories I’ve read are solid and sturdy mysteries and start with analysis and deduction, of course, rather than action. It’s the interior of Wexford’s point of view that keeps a smile on your face as Wexford watches the world change, marvels at well-known truths being debunked and admires the audacity of regular people who try to lie in his presence. Few other detectives can work on a case—and simultaneously not work on a case—as Wexford, letting the facts germinate and resolve themselves in his subconscious. Refreshing and engaging.
—Mark Stevens
A more fulfilling mystery, although I have the feeling it’s still not her best. I found Wexford’s way of looking at the whole situation, the ins and outs of people’s relationships, their secrets and their desires, rather than just the blood spot on the wall remarkable. However, I think the revealing of the killer was a little disappointing. It’s a fairly short book and the killer is not truly the bad guy, but I just don’t think we were given enough insight into his thought-process to make the killing believable.
—Carol
This was my first Inspector Wexford mystery. This book is much lighter and more traditional British detective fiction than Rendell's more recent books. Originally published in 1973, it has an Agathie Christie format, but it is more twisty than an average Christie. I liked it. It is simpler than modern detective/mystery stories in that it doesn't get into the flashy blood and DNA evidence. No multiple cliffhangers. The Inspector is a bit old-fashioned. The pace of the mystery seemed slow, following his process in solving the mystery, yet the book is a quick read. And Rendell does not give it away-- you have to keep reading to get all the data you need to solve the crime. Great reading for traveling.
—Ellen
