The Monster in the Box: (A Wexford Case)

The Monster in the Box: (A Wexford Case)

by RuthRendell (Author)

Synopsis

'He had never told anyone. The strange relationship, if it could be called that, had gone on for years, decades, and he had never breathed a word about it. He had kept silent because he knew no one would believe him. None of it could be proved, not the stalking, not the stares or the conspiratorial smiles, not the killings, not any of the signs Targo had made because he knew Wexford knew and could do nothing about it.' Wexford had almost made up his mind that he would never again set eyes on Eric Targo's short, muscular figure. And yet there he was, back in Kingsmarkham, still with that cocky, strutting walk. Years earlier, when Wexford was a young police officer, a woman called Elsie Carroll had been found strangled in her bedroom. Although many still had their suspicions that her husband was guilty, no one was convicted. Another woman was strangled shortly afterwards, and every personal and professional instinct told Wexford that the killer was still at large. And it was Eric Targo. A psychopath who would kill again...As the Chief Inspector investigates a new case, Ruth Rendell looks back to the beginning of Wexford's career, even to his courtship of the woman who would become his wife. The past is a haunted place, with clues and passions that leave an indelible imprint on the here and now.

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More Information

Format: Perfect Paperback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Arrow
Published: Apr 2010

ISBN 10: 0099545667
ISBN 13: 9780099545668
Book Overview: The twenty-second book in the bestselling Detective Chief Inspector Wexford series, from the author of classic detective fiction and gripping psychological thrillers including End in Tears and Thirteen Steps Down. The past is a haunted place...

Media Reviews
An intriguing mystery that is yet further proof of Rendell's amazing criminal mastery * Evening Standard *
If Wexford has sometimes seemed at the mercy of events, here we see his intelligence in full control ... Wexford has always been the most human of policemen, and the mental processes of investigation ... take him back to the beginnings, not only of his own career, but of his search for love... -- Jane Jakeman * Independent *
Fans argue about which are her best books - the long-running Wexford series or her dark, stand-alone novels. The Monster in the Box combines elements of both. Wexford is as strongly characterised as ever but the darkness of the narrative plunges into uncomfortable territory * Daily Express *
[Targo] is as good a villain as Wexford ever tried to pin down... hauntingly nasty * Spectator *
One of the best-written detective series in the genre's history... At any time we can return to Kingsmarkham to explore the darker side of humanity with Wexford as our reassuring and humane guide * Washington Post *
Author Bio
Ruth Rendell has won many awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for 1976's best crime novel with A Demon in My View; a second Edgar in 1984 from the Mystery Writers of America for the best short story, 'The New Girl Friend'; and a Gold Dagger award for Live Flesh in 1986. She was also the winner of the 1990 Sunday Times Literary award, as well as the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger. In 1996 she was awarded the CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer.