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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Another excellent mystery by a master.
A procedural heavy on psychology seemed a bit bare after the previous two books I finished.
One made vivid the NSW outback during sandstorms; the other really gave me a feel for Venice down among the canals.
At least the author did not claim that murderousness could be genetically inherited.
A procedural heavy on psychology seemed a bit bare after the previous two books I finished.
One made vivid the NSW outback during sandstorms; the other really gave me a feel for Venice down among the canals.
At least the author did not claim that murderousness could be genetically inherited.
See what happens when you close shopping centers at funny hours, like 6 pm? Dead bodies pop up in the parking lot. It's the frustation of not being able to get dinner.
This is the first Wexford book I read, and I enjoyed it very much. It is what Miss Marple and Jessica Flecther should be.
This is the first Wexford book I read, and I enjoyed it very much. It is what Miss Marple and Jessica Flecther should be.
A bit of a disappointment really and not up to her usual standard. A bit predictable and she started themes that she didn't follow through with.
I read the book years ago. I found this book very dated (it was published in 1988). I had stop listening because Mike Burden is a prissy, homophobic a-hole. I suspect I enjoyed this when I read it originally, but I don't have much tolerance for that sort of behavior now. Also, do they not have lawyers or public defenders in the UK? Sorry, Ruth, I'm afraid this one should be condemned to the dusts of time.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/7333925
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/7333925
This one isn't in our local library (paper or audio versions) so I completely missed it on my chronological read through. Audible extra came through with a bunch of Rendell/Vine books though which is good for me.
Something about it just sat wrong with me. Wexford is somewhat sidelined after being caught in a car bomb, so we spend a lot of time with Mike as he gets all caught up with a specific suspect, pursuing the psychologically fragile man well past the point of safety. It was both interesting and tedious as Mike's stiff approach and narrow world view (at least in this part of the series - he opens up as it progresses) grates. Wexford meanwhile quietly puts it all together in the background and rather smugly watches Mike go up in flames.
Still, for my frustrations, the ending and Wexford's reading of the events was masterful and it sucked me in. An odd one but perhaps one to re-read someday.
Something about it just sat wrong with me. Wexford is somewhat sidelined after being caught in a car bomb, so we spend a lot of time with Mike as he gets all caught up with a specific suspect, pursuing the psychologically fragile man well past the point of safety. It was both interesting and tedious as Mike's stiff approach and narrow world view (at least in this part of the series - he opens up as it progresses) grates. Wexford meanwhile quietly puts it all together in the background and rather smugly watches Mike go up in flames.
Still, for my frustrations, the ending and Wexford's reading of the events was masterful and it sucked me in. An odd one but perhaps one to re-read someday.
Wexford’s Paradox + Wexford's Third Law
Review of the Arrow Books/Cornerstone Digital Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover (1988).
I didn't enjoy this Wexford as much as the others as the Chief Inspector is off the page for much of the book when he is distracted by his daughter Sheila's activism and then becomes injured during a botched bombing attempt. This puts Mike Burden in charge for much of the investigation which becomes a lot of tiresome re-interviews of the same characters. One of those suspects forms a bizarre attachment to Burden and begins to stalk him.
The case itself involves a murdered woman found in a shopping mall parking garage whose body has been covered with a curtain. Various witnesses become suspects as we discover that they and the victim have hidden secrets and issues. Due to Wexford's absence for much of the book we don't get as much of the usual banter and quotes from classical literature which are my favourite moments in the series.
The Veiled One continues my 2023 binge read / re-read of Ruth Rendell and this is the 14th of the Inspector Wexford series. I am mostly reading the Wexfords in chronological order, but had already re-read the 13th [b:An Unkindness of Ravens|83405|An Unkindness of Ravens (Inspector Wexford, #13)|Ruth Rendell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388512462l/83405._SY75_.jpg|527644] (1985) last year through the discovery of an old paperback in a storage locker cleanout.
Cover image for the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover edition from 1988. Image sourced from Wikipedia By http://pictures.abebooks.com/BIGGMAXX/692300592.jpg, Fair use, Link.
Wexford's Laws
These are little quirky thoughts that Wexford occasionally has. I've realized that I should have noted the earlier ones, as there are going to be several more yet. Now I'm not sure if I'll be able to find the First and the Second.
Other Reviews
Review at Publishers Weekly, 1988.
Trivia and Links
Although the ASIN of my Kindle eBook edition is attached to this rather dull cover in Goodreads, the actual Cornerstone Digital cover is the more mysterious one associated with the Arrow paperback.
The Veiled One was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as a single extended Season 3 Episode 7 in 1989 with actor George Baker as Inspector Wexford. You can watch the entire episode on YouTube here.
Review of the Arrow Books/Cornerstone Digital Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover (1988).
‘Have you ever heard of the Fallacy of Enkekalymmenos?’
‘The what?’
‘It means “the veiled one” and it goes something like this. “Can you recognize your mother?” “Yes.” “Can you recognize this veiled one?” “No.” “This veiled one is your mother. Hence you can recognize your mother and not recognize her.” - Wexford cites one of the 7 paradoxes of the philosopher Eubulides (4th Century BCE).
I didn't enjoy this Wexford as much as the others as the Chief Inspector is off the page for much of the book when he is distracted by his daughter Sheila's activism and then becomes injured during a botched bombing attempt. This puts Mike Burden in charge for much of the investigation which becomes a lot of tiresome re-interviews of the same characters. One of those suspects forms a bizarre attachment to Burden and begins to stalk him.
The case itself involves a murdered woman found in a shopping mall parking garage whose body has been covered with a curtain. Various witnesses become suspects as we discover that they and the victim have hidden secrets and issues. Due to Wexford's absence for much of the book we don't get as much of the usual banter and quotes from classical literature which are my favourite moments in the series.
The Veiled One continues my 2023 binge read / re-read of Ruth Rendell and this is the 14th of the Inspector Wexford series. I am mostly reading the Wexfords in chronological order, but had already re-read the 13th [b:An Unkindness of Ravens|83405|An Unkindness of Ravens (Inspector Wexford, #13)|Ruth Rendell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388512462l/83405._SY75_.jpg|527644] (1985) last year through the discovery of an old paperback in a storage locker cleanout.
Cover image for the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover edition from 1988. Image sourced from Wikipedia By http://pictures.abebooks.com/BIGGMAXX/692300592.jpg, Fair use, Link.
Wexford's Laws
These are little quirky thoughts that Wexford occasionally has. I've realized that I should have noted the earlier ones, as there are going to be several more yet. Now I'm not sure if I'll be able to find the First and the Second.
Wexford’s Third Law, he thought, ought to be: always live at the foot of a hill, then you’ll be fresh for climbing it in the morning.
Other Reviews
Review at Publishers Weekly, 1988.
Trivia and Links
Although the ASIN of my Kindle eBook edition is attached to this rather dull cover in Goodreads, the actual Cornerstone Digital cover is the more mysterious one associated with the Arrow paperback.
The Veiled One was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as a single extended Season 3 Episode 7 in 1989 with actor George Baker as Inspector Wexford. You can watch the entire episode on YouTube here.
This book reminded me of why I admire Ruth Rendell and yet cannot stand reading too many of her books in any confined period of time. She writes wonderfully, with both detailed observations of settings and penetrating insights into people. She plots intricately. What seems like a throwaway comment about a character turns out to be the hinge on which an alibi turns, or the hidden motive for a crime. Yet she is grim, grim, grim. After I read her books, I never want to speak with a neighbor again, and that goes double if the neighbor has any connection at all with the U.K. Not, perhaps, the effect the author was aiming for.
Too tedious. I was impressed in the beginning with the ability to describe a supermarket's parking lot in such detail without making it boring. But as the book developed,the dialogue with the main suspect became so tedious that I lost all interest in finding out whodunnit .
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes