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Ravens are not particularly predatory birds, but neither are they soft and submissive. The collective noun for them is an "unkindness". The raven is also a symbol used by a feminist group, whose attitude to the opposite sex is anything but soft and submissive.
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Rodney Williams was neither handsome nor wealthy – but he had an unerring eye for a pretty girl and when he disappeared and two other men were later attacked by a young woman, Chief Inspector Wexford couldn't help wondering if there was a connection. If there wasn't, where was Rodney Williams and why had he vanished? He had committed no crime – though he had certainly lied to his wife about both his job and salary. Wexford was convinced Williams was dead…
Ruth Rendell's immaculate plotting leads the listener into a chilling labyrinth of fatal secrets, betrayal and murder in this splendid Wexford mystery.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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13 reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
another excellent Rendell novel
9 Oct 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
An "Unkindness" is the collective noun for a group of ravens. They are not particularly predatory birds, but neither rare they soft and submissive. Now, the Raven has become the symbol of a militant feminist group known as Arria, whose attitude to the male gender is, like the nature of said bird, far from submissive.
When Chief Inspector Wexford was asked to investigate the disappearance of his neighbour Rodney Williams he was certain it was just a case of another middle-aged man having run-off with a young woman. All the signs pointed that way. A waste of time to concern yourself with, his thoughts tell him. However, he would be shocked to his core when, weeks later, Rodney's disappearance turns out to be the centre of a violent and bizarre murder.
As reliable as ever, this is Rendell - and Wexford - once again on fine form. If you want an entertaining, intelligent and realistic with piercing insights into society, Ruth Rendell is the author to whom you should turn. The Wexford series remains the best example of the English detective story currently being produced. It stands out not just for its layered intelligence, but its unflinching social observancy, its piercing insight into human nature, and its warm (sometimes!) and nostalgic centre in the form of Reg Wexford.
This novel is a very strong addition to the series. Rendell's mystery is intricate and dramatic and original and very intriguing, with a plausible solution that will shock if not surprise. An Unkindness of Ravens is an excellent book of detection as well as being a vehicle for Rendell's unerring observational insight into society and its constant shifts and changes. It is well worth anyone's time.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A Rare Failure by A Great Author
20 Feb 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The title of this installment in the Inspector Wexford series is beautiful. However, that is pretty much the only thing that is good about the novel. Rendell very rarely misses the mark in her work, but here she unfortunately did. AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS is extremely boring. There is a wealth of characters who are extremely similar in a very tedious sort of way. The point of introducing so many similar characters is probably to make it harder for the readers to figure out what happened and who committed the murder. That goal, however, is not achieved. The novel simply drags on forever while Wexford and Burden go through a series of excruciatingly repetitive conversations with a very boring cast of characters.
In order to spice up her boring narrative, Rendell introduces a quasi-feminist organization into the story. Her attempts at creating a credible parody of feminism are nothing short of constipated and, once again, painfully boring.
Now, if you thought that Rendell could not have possibly created a character more annoying than the uptight and judgmental Mike Burden, guess again. Burden's second wife is a lot more annoying than Burden ever was (even in that novel where he wished the woman he loved lost her child, so that he'd have less mouths to feed.) In AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS, the Burden household descends into the kind of insanity that lacks any credibility whatsoever.
I usually devour Rendell's books in one or two sittings. She is a beautiful author whose books I will never tire of reading. This novel, however, is one of those rare mistakes that any great writer makes from time to time. The characters in AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS are cartoonish, the "mystery" is transparent, and the story develops extremely slowly.
In order to spice up her boring narrative, Rendell introduces a quasi-feminist organization into the story. Her attempts at creating a credible parody of feminism are nothing short of constipated and, once again, painfully boring.
Now, if you thought that Rendell could not have possibly created a character more annoying than the uptight and judgmental Mike Burden, guess again. Burden's second wife is a lot more annoying than Burden ever was (even in that novel where he wished the woman he loved lost her child, so that he'd have less mouths to feed.) In AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS, the Burden household descends into the kind of insanity that lacks any credibility whatsoever.
I usually devour Rendell's books in one or two sittings. She is a beautiful author whose books I will never tire of reading. This novel, however, is one of those rare mistakes that any great writer makes from time to time. The characters in AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS are cartoonish, the "mystery" is transparent, and the story develops extremely slowly.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy
26 Sep 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A women's rights group populated by high school and college girls and led by a virulent feminist, with a stylized raven logo. The mysterious disappearance of a secretive businessman who's often out of town. Everyone in the neightborhood seems to know about both. It's up to Inspector Wexford to tease apart the disparate threads and solve more than one murder. There are other crimes, equally reprehensible, that contribute to the tangled mess. It's fairly easy to figure out who did it. How, when, and why are questions more to the point, with more obscure answers.
Rendell is a literate author whose Wexford series never fails to please and intriguing. And her books are even better when the victim deserves his fate.
Note: This book was written in 1986, a long ago time before cell phones and word processing. Though this does not affect the mystery itself, a typewriter is one of the major clues, a blast from the past!
Rendell is a literate author whose Wexford series never fails to please and intriguing. And her books are even better when the victim deserves his fate.
Note: This book was written in 1986, a long ago time before cell phones and word processing. Though this does not affect the mystery itself, a typewriter is one of the major clues, a blast from the past!
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