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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The rains came down and the floods came up..., 19 Oct 2003
After intense heavy rain around Kingsmarkham Valley, the River Brede swells, until it eventually bursts its banks, casting forth its murky waters to flood the surrounding area.
When Katrina and Roger Dade return home from a weekend in Paris, they discover the house empty. Their children - Giles and Sophie, both in their teens - have disappeared along with Joanna Troy, Katrina’s friend who was "babysitting" them. Mrs Dade immediately panics, assuming without reason that her children have drowned in the floods.
The Subaqua Task Force can find no trace of any them in the waters. All three of them have vanished into thin air, and there seems no possible motive for their disappearance. Then, it emerges that 15- year-old Giles was connected to a mysterious Christian group, The Church of the Good Gospel.
It’s been three long years since Rendell’s last Chief Inspector Wexford novel, and now, as she returns him, they are both on characteristically fine form once more. It’s a real treat to again be able to view the curiosities of this world, as he sees them, through the filter of Wexford’s pondering, nostalgic eye. This, in my view is one of the strongest of the Wexford series, boasting an especially original and intriguing plot, made all the more-so because of the unusual occurrence of the flooding in Kingsmarkham Valley, which allows what might otherwise be a normal plot to go down different avenues.
As always, the psychology of it all is brilliant. She presents us with a set of seemingly inexplicable human behaviours, and then, through her plot, proceeds to explain then and how they can come about, in the end making it all seem so reasonable. And even if the police procedural aspects aren’t as good as, say, in an Ian Rankin novel, she more than makes up for that with her explorations of the human elements behind crime.
As well as the interesting and well-paced main plot-line, there’s also a great sub-plot involving Wexford’s own family who are always great to read more about.
There are twists throughout, and the final solution is also surprising and mostly satisfying, but for the fact that the reader has only met the culprit once or twice throughout the novel. But, then, that isn’t really an issue, as Rendell’s books are only ever detective novels in the widest sense of the term, and they rarely stick to the genre’s conventions. They are more properly described as novels about our contemporary society, how it works, what has created it, what it means, with a mere background of crime. They are about reality and society, and in reality, there are rarely clues and solvable puzzles. The Babes in the Wood is another absolutely first-class novel from the ever- expert Ruth Rendell.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best Wexford tales., 28 Nov 2002
By A Customer
This has got to be one of the best Wexford tales RR has written yet. It is brilliantly written, as always, and there is a wonderful cast of characters, all of whom we almost invariably either like or despise. Wexford is on fine form, and he is fascinating as ever. His wry observations of life, and his opinions (while we may not agree with them always) make him seem very human, and he is a very interesting characters for us to see the story through the eyes of. Once again, Burden tags along, and provides an edge of distinct grey in his character. However, this time he doesnt get quite as much of a role as he has in the past. The plot is original and absolutely fascinating. The way it unfolds is unfalteringly engrossing, and even though this is no thriller, its still a huge pageturner and its intriguing, exciting, and Ruth Rendell builds layer upon layer of nice plot turns into the story. In the beginning, we are presented with an almost inexplicable set of human behaviours, and, through the events of her plot, Rendell excellently explains why people sometimes act in such strange ways, which is part of the reason why this book is so fascinating. the mystery contains many more levels than just the "who?" or "how?", but she delves deep into the character's psyche's, giving reason to every single characters often strange actions. Finding out "why" people do such strange things is almost as compelling as the mystery itself. Along the way, we are also presented with some more brilliant story from wexford's own family life. Topping the book off is the fact that Kingsmarkham is flooding, which gives the story an extra layer of originality and interest, and also allowing her plot to go down different, more unconventional avenues. The final conclusion is unexpected and satisfying. I can't wait for what she has to offer us next year. Ruth Rendell's crown is showing absolutely no signs of tarnishing, even after all the many, many years she's been wearing it.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the usual good read from Ruth Rendell, 27 July 2003
Ruth Rendell's book grips the imagination from the beginning. Once you have reached the end, and reflect upon the events described, some of the events appear a little unlikely, but this is a novel and is not to be confused with real life. As always, Ruth Rendell interweaves the plotlines skillfully and maintains the reader's interest - I could not put it down.
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