Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jul 2007
352 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Weeks went by when Ismay never thought of it at all. Then something would bring it back or it would return in a dream. The dream always began in the same way.
She and her mother would be climbing the stairs, following Heather's lead through the bedroom to what was on the other side, not a bathroom in the dream but a chamber floored and walled in marble. In the middle of it was a glassy lake. The white thing in the water floated towards her, its face submerged, and her mother said, absurdly, "Don’t look!"
The dead man was Ismay's stepfather, Guy. Now, nine years on, she and her sister, Heather, still live in the same house in Clapham. But it has been divided into two self-contained flats. Their mother had lived upstairs with her sister, Pamela. And the bathroom, where Guy had drowned, had disappeared.
"Starred Review. The plot twists in this electrifying read reach all the way to the last page." - PW.
"Combining potent imagery and exquisite plotting, Rendell twists the knife of suspense in a wonderfully excruciating way." - Booklist.
"Ruth Rendell is back to her creepy best. She has always been wonderful at exploring the dark corners of the human mind, and the way private fantasies can clash and explode into terrifying." - The Daily Mail (UK).
"The characters resolve their problems in some rather improbable ways, making the ending less satisfying than in many of Rendell's previous works, but still, a highly entertaining read. Recommended." - Library Journal.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ruth Rendell was born February 17, 1930 in Essex, England. During her 50-year writing career she wrote over 60 novels, both under her own name and using her pseudonym, Barbara Vine.
Rendell was credited with bringing a social and psychological dimension to crime fiction, which led to considerable commercial and success and critical praise. Many of her books were were adapted for both movies and television, especially including the Inspector Wexford series.
Rendell was awarded three Edgars for best novel by the Mystery Writers of America, as well as the Grand Master Award. In England, the Crime Writers' Association honored her with two Gold Dagger awards for best novel, a Silver Dagger, and a Diamond Dagger for outstanding contribution to the genre. She lived in London.
Ruth ...
Name Pronunciation
Ruth Rendell: ren-DELL
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