Book description
The sixteenth book to feature the classic crime-solving detective,
Chief Inspector Wexford.
When a young, black woman goes missing in Kingsmarkham, Wexford must
respond to a test not only of his powers of deduction, but of his
basic beliefs and prejudices.
Only eighteen black people live in Kingsmarkham. One of them is
Wexford's new doctor, Raymond Akande. When the doctor's daughter,
Melanie, goes missing, the Chief Inspector takes more than just a
professional interest in the case.
Melanie, just down from university but unable to find a job,
disappeared somewhere between the Benefit Office and the bus stop. Or
at least no one saw her get on the bus when it came...
When the body of a young black woman is discovered, Wexford must
overcome his underlying prejudices to allow his investigative skills
to succeed.
Ruth Rendell is crime writing at its very best. The author of over
50 novels, she has won many significant crime fiction awards. Her
first novel, From Doon With Death, appeared in 1964, and since
then her reputation and readership have grown steadily with each new
book.
She has received major awards for her work; three Edgars from the
Mystery Writers of America; the Crime Writers' Gold Dagger Award for
1976's best crime novel, A Demon in My View; the Arts Council
National Book Award for Genre Fiction in 1981 for The Lake of
Darkness; the Crime Writer's Gold Dagger Award for 1986's best
crime book for Live Flesh; in 1987 the Crime Writer's Gold
Dagger Award for A Fatal Inversion and in 1991 the same award
for King Solomon's Carpet, both written under the pseudonym
Barbara Vine; the Sunday Times Literary Award in 1990; and in
1991 the Crime Writer's Cartier Diamond Award for outstanding
contribution to the crime fiction genre.
Her books are translated into 21 languages. In 1996 she was awarded
the CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer.
