Product Description

What connects a kidnapped baby, a woman's body left to rot in a cove in Yugoslavia, a suspicious suicide and the century-old case of a wife who poisons her husband? The answer: Wexford. In the first of five cases, Wexford is brought in to deal with a distraught mother whose baby girl has been swapped with an unknown baby boy. When a local priest discovers the missing baby, safe and sound, on the church steps, the hunt for the missing girl is quickly over. Mother and daughter are happily reunited, but the mystery of the baby boy remains unsolved. Then Wexford discovers Paddy Jasper has returned to Kingsmarkham, a man previously investigated by Wexford for violently abusing a child. Now Wexford fears the next reunion may not be as happy as the last...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1416974 in Books
• Published on: 2010-02-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
Rendell has quite simply transformed the genre of crime writing. She displays her peerless skill in blending the mundane, commonplace aspects of life with the potent murky impulses of desire and greed, obsession and fear Sunday Times The most brilliant mystery novelist of our time Patricia Cornwell Probably the greatest living crime writer in the world Ian Rankin Through the quality of her writing she's raised the game of the crime novel in this country Peter James One of the best novelists writing today P.D. James Rendell's mesmerising capacity to shock, chill and disturb is unmatched The Times [Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age Herald

About the Author
Ruth Rendell has won many awards for her writing, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for 1976's best crime novel with A Demon in My View, a Gold Dagger award for Live Flesh in 1986, the 1990 Sunday Times Literary award, and the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger. In 1996 she was awarded a CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer. Her new Wexford Case novel,The Monster in the Box, is due to be publishing October 2009.

Customer Reviews

Mistress of her art
Whatever she turns her hand to, Rendell suceeds brilliantly, and better than almost anyone else. Certainly, she is not only the best crime writers of her generation, she is also the most accomplished writer of short stories. Wexford tales - as these all are - are rare; normally she turns her hand to concoting beautifully twisted little masterpieces such as "The new Girlfriend", winner of the America Edgar Award. However, Means of Evil shows she is not just a master of the long detective novel, but of the detective short story as well, for the five stories in Means of Evil are little gems.

They span the lives of both Wexford and Burden, and range from a tale of poisoning, to a compelling tale about mothers and young children, to, my personal favourite, a story set in Yugoslavia. Every single one comes heartily reccomended, and thus this is a perfect little collection for when you have a spare half-hour to fill.

Each story is clever, intriguing and very entertaining, with Wexford on good form throughout.

Unfortunately, silly as I am, after reading this on holiday, I performed the magnanimous gesture of leaving my copy on the hotel stack of books, in order that others might get a chance to read it and enjoy it similarly. Of course, I am now regretting this! Especially as many of Rendell's early books and almost ALL of her short story collections seem to have been unforigvably left out of print by her publishers. They can reprint the whole John Grisham back-list almost overnight without anyone noticing, but they can't even manage to keep all of Rendell's books available and in print. Shame on them!

This is an excellent collection, however you may come by it.