Obviously, I've read several Ruth Rendell books, so I'm in a position to make some comparisons. This is probably the book that I have been least enamored with of all her novels thus far. However, she manages to redeem herself well before the end of the novel. In true Rendell fashion, she managed to surprise me near the end of the book and I was left feeling very satisfied with the novel as a whole.
The book has a few primary story lines. Teddy is a young man who was neglected as a child and has grown up warped and unable to create or maintain relationships with others. Francine's mother was murdered when she was a child and Francine is repressed and over-protected by her step-mother. Harriet is an aging beauty who lives in an impressive home with her older husband. Anyone who is familiar with Ruth Rendell stories will realize that these three stories will eventually intersect.
Similar to other Rendell stories, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel. Ruth Rendell does what most other writers are not able to; she tells you who the primary antagonist is and what his motivations are without making her story humdrum.
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