A review by hpuphd
A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell

4.0

I love the novels of Ruth Rendell, but somehow I managed to miss this earlier (1974) story that begins: “Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.” The book builds up to that event and its aftermath. The exploration of character is one of the consistent strengths as well as the contrast between the normality of the family and the aberrant woman they employed. The close calls of someone nearly discovering Eunice’s illiteracy add to the powerful suspense of the second half of the book.