Scan barcode
bucherca49's review against another edition
4.0
Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" provides the epigraph, title, and theme of this novel.
High instincts before which our mortal Nature
Did tremble like a guilty thing surprised:
But for those first affections,
Those shadowy recollections,
Which, be they what they may
Are yet the fountain-light of all our day, . . .
High instincts before which our mortal Nature
Did tremble like a guilty thing surprised:
But for those first affections,
Those shadowy recollections,
Which, be they what they may
Are yet the fountain-light of all our day, . . .
parablesarah's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
It is a tidy psychologically motivated mystery.
ellis2's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
crazeedi73's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this one, the best so far in the series
meiklejohn's review against another edition
2.0
It's interesting to read the early Wexford books after starting with the more recent ones. Rendell doesn't quite know what to do with Wexford - she's trying to make him like Adam Dalgliesh, aloof and over-given to quoting poetry. It doesn't make him sympathetic, and the fact that he becomes a completely different character in the later books is a good thing. The "big twist" in this one was also telegraphed a mile away and the written confession was overwrought. I will probably forget that I read this one, down the road.
celiaedf12's review against another edition
3.0
An Inspector Wexford is always an enjoyable read, and I liked listening to this book while on the bus (and playing Drop7 in my iPod, which I am currently addicted to). Elizabeth, a woman who appears to have been universally liked, is killed in the woods - so of course, the Inspector needs to delve into her mysterious past. Dun dun duuuun.
ginpomelo's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Despite my fondness for British Golden Age mysteries (Christie, Sayers, Marsh), I have yet to find a more contemporary mystery writer that I really enjoy. To wit, Ruth Rendell is widely regarded as a master of the form, yet this manor mystery about a woman found dead in the woods left me cold (pun not intended). There's a certain amount of wit that I feel is lacking here, despite erudite nature of the story.
A Guilty Thing Surprised is a novel that features Chief Inspector Wexford and Inspector Burden investigating the murder of Elizabeth Nightingale, the mistress of a manor that only seems genteel on the surface. Suspects immediately crop up as a series of interviews reveal the victim's manipulative nature. The retiring husband, the worldly au pair, and the professor brother--each one has something to hide. The novel's title is from a Coleridge poem, alluding to a setting that involves many literary and academic preoccupations.
I don't know why but I found the investigation, which mostly hinges on witness testimony, that I feel is too innocuous and paint-by-numbers. The alibi structure Murder at the Orient Express was utterly engaging for me, but the similar strategy here isn't successfully executed at all. The final clue to the murderer's identity is certainly transgressive, but the expository nature of the reveal dampened whatever reaction I may have had about the facts.
I will have to examine my preference for older cozies at a later time, because it's something that has become more evident as I continue reading mysteries.
Originally posted on my blog.
A Guilty Thing Surprised is a novel that features Chief Inspector Wexford and Inspector Burden investigating the murder of Elizabeth Nightingale, the mistress of a manor that only seems genteel on the surface. Suspects immediately crop up as a series of interviews reveal the victim's manipulative nature. The retiring husband, the worldly au pair, and the professor brother--each one has something to hide. The novel's title is from a Coleridge poem, alluding to a setting that involves many literary and academic preoccupations.
I don't know why but I found the investigation, which mostly hinges on witness testimony, that I feel is too innocuous and paint-by-numbers. The alibi structure Murder at the Orient Express was utterly engaging for me, but the similar strategy here isn't successfully executed at all. The final clue to the murderer's identity is certainly transgressive, but the expository nature of the reveal dampened whatever reaction I may have had about the facts.
I will have to examine my preference for older cozies at a later time, because it's something that has become more evident as I continue reading mysteries.
Originally posted on my blog.
More...