ADORE, ADORE, ADORE Ruth Rendell
352510
If you were to check out my reading journal you'd see an AWFUL lot of Ruth Rendell in it, as she's one of the most consistently wonderful writers I've ever encountered. Then again, if you're checking out my reading journal I'd need to have a strong word with you, as I'm not quite sure I've given you permission.

_Master of the Moor_ is absolutely fan-tabulously well-written, and what's best about it is the denouement is revealed very, very slowly. There's no sudden "Whoops!  Surprise, it's a psychopath!" here. It's one long, slow build up to a conclusion you hopefully won't have anticipated, though after you close the book you may find yourself feeling rather silly you missed the clues.  But don't feel too silly, as I missed them, too.

Wonderful stuff!
2598542
Tremontaine is a hugely successful experiment in group authorship and character building.  With it, you will plunge back into the world of Riverside politics and academics and swordsmen and manners and mayhem. It is a fat tome of might themes: there is love passionate , and intrigue most foul, and ambition grim and determined (as well as the best appreciation of the power of math in recent genre literature). Go back to Riverside by reading Tremontaine --  by doing so, you'll be treated to the many delicious authorial voices that all bring their own blend of wit and mischief to the party.  Ellen Kushner and her band of Serial Boxers are off on a great caper:  together they have produced not only a great stand alone read, with twists and bends, gasps and shudders aplenty, but they expand the world of Riverside in the most delightful way. It's a treat, and one that will send you back to reading the rest of the Riverside Novels, to see how threads connect over time and illustrate how the drive of one woman can provide the gravitational force of will to bend the stars themselves to her determined plots.
722989
No one else writes psychological crime like Ruth Rendell. Detective Burden has a strong sense that the troubled young teacher who first discovered the body committed the crime. Day after day he brings the young man in for questioning. At first the young man is defiant, then reticent. Shortly the suspect looks forward to these meetings. He begins to think Burden is the only one he can talk to. The Veiled One is a very interesting take on the errors of police procedure. How can a book be funny, thought provoking and scary? Rendell does it over and over again.
299208
I love this book; I read it over and over and over, a la my Carla Kelly collection, in fact, it appears on my list of romances I have read over 20+ times.
One of the reasons I adore it is the juxtaposition of the characters; Judith Denny is a simple, almost plain parson's daughter under the wing of her dashing ton sister, Lady Fanny Spicer, whose staid husband Henry is ignoring her, leading Fanny into an indiscretion with another gentleman, and into giving Judy advice to treat eligible gentlemen very shabbily; hence the Duke of Ashland, a reserved, alarmingly handsom creature with hilariously frail cousins. There's a longer love train on these tracks than at an O'Jay's concert, but Reed makes it all work, and with the elan one expects from one of the best romance writers working in Regencies today.
Judith and Ashland are whimsically and winningly drawn, and I hope everyone can be persuaded to read this book.
1459205
Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors. I love her Ruth Galloway series, and find it hard to put the books down once I start reading them. I feel like Ruth and the other characters have become my friends, and I cheer and worry over their adventures in each story. I can't wait to see what happens to Ruth next. These stories remind me of grown up Nancy Drew stories.
4765561
For Christmas, my three children have me the entire Jane Austen collection of Penguin Classics Clothbound. Since then, I've been adding other titles to my collection and GREAT EXPECTATIONS was a no-brainer. One of my favorite books by Dickens. Well, one of my fAVORITE books, period. This edition, in my opinion, is just the loveliest. So beautiful in person and easy to hold on one's hand. I highly recommend the Penguin Clothbound Collection. Great for book collector's of any age. Start a collection for little ones and by the time they are old enough to enjoy they'll have a wonderful set of books.
4792730
ruth rendell never disappoints me. she is a page turner. i love inspector wexford and have a crush on mike burden. i was sorry about his wife though. i  re-read ruth rendell all the time.
710305
I hope that the fact that this book is back in print is a good sign that the other early non-Wexford novels of Ruth Rendell will also become easier to find.  This novel is a masterpiece, a short and wonderful story that you can see happening.  Rendell has so many strenghths in her writing, but the  one I find most overwhelming and awe inspiring is her ability to really  draw humans.  To make you understand how ordinary people can find  themselves in the most god awful of circumstances.  How your mind can  create the reality that you ultimately work from. It is true that this  novel works from an almost "true crime" point of view.  I found  myself thinking of "In Cold Blood" so often that I had to remind  myself that is was not a true case. You want to feel for Eunice, even in  the face of the terrible acts she has prepertrated.  A true accomplishment.  May Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine live to be six hundred and ten and never  stop writing.  I hate to say there are only seven Ruth Rendell non-wexford  books that I have not yet read (and I have a long commute on public  transportation, so I go through them quick.) and I fear running out!  My  library also hopes more of her books become rereleased, as my excuse that  my cat ate their books are beginning to wear thin.  Once you have a Rendell  in your hands, you are hesitant to give it back.  It becomes a part of you.  I don't think I have ever read a Rendell/Vine novel without declaring in  the first 50 pages "Okay this is her best one ever."  This is  true of A Judgement in Stone" as well.
148562
Ruth Rendell here again visits London, the place she is so able to render darkly atmospheric and menacing. There is a serial killer on the loose, and he has been dubbed "The Rottweiler" by the media, due to a bite mark found on the first victims neck, even though that bite mark was later traced back to her boyfriend. His only signature is that he takes one of each victims' personal items - perhaps a watch, or necklace - after having garrotted them.
The latest victim is found near Inez Ferry's antique shop, and because of this the lives of a small group of disparate people will become drawn into this case and it's increasingly introverted investigation. For the police are becoming more and more convinced that someone connected to the shop - anyone from the exotic assistant Zeinab, who is stringing along a variety of rich men, to one of the tenants in the flats above - could very well be a homicidal maniac...
This is everything that I expect a Ruth Rendell novel to be. It is, of course, impeccably written and psychologically excellent, so I need say no more about that. Indeed, The Rottweiler is another of Rendell's books that is entirely unique, in that for almost the first time ever she displays a delicious dark humour, veins of which run through the plot like black treacle. At times, this seems like a social satire, as she directs her gaze onto everything from the media to the often bizarre relationships between men and women. Her characters are also particularly noteworthy, especially the compelling Inez and Will, who is possibly the most moving character she has ever depicted, who takes a perverse, almost unregistered, pleasure from pushing away all prospective suitors for his beloved Aunt Rebecca, who desperately doesn't want to spend the rest of her life caring for her "simple" nephew, though is racked with guilt because of that.
You would easily be forgiven for thinking that this is a serial killer novel, but this is really no more a serial killer novel than the Bible is a book solely about God. It is so much more than that. It's a book about the people involved, how they can be draw into darkness and uncertainty through the effects of the gravity of crime. It's a book about how peoples live always changed when confronted with the horrific. At times, the serial killings themselves seem very on the periphery (I was going to say "incidental" that that would be entirely the wrong word) and it is eerie to read about them in such a detached way. It's also interesting how we, essentially, only know as much about the murders as the characters themselves do through their exposure to the media.
To be honest, it's almost impossible to review a Ruth Rendell book and truly convince of her genius and say what you really want to without illustrating it by disclosing important aspects of the plot or simply re-telling little aspects of the story, which makes the task I have very hard. But, rest assured, this book of a contemporary and chilling London and a small group of people within it is brilliant. It's a novel that questions, among many things, the nature of morality, how we perceive others and ourselves, it examines ideas of the human need for companionship, and the different forms of love between men and women, and it tackles, as many of her books do on some level, the problem of "How eccentric or odd do you have to be before you become a danger to others, or even yourself?" And yet, it is really about none of those things. Those are just tiny stitches in her tapestry, small but illuminating strokes on her canvas. It's about people, and the spider-web of life that connects everything to everything else. And I consider it to be brilliance in its purest form. The only way to understand this is to read one of her works, because there is no one else today writing books quite like this. She's our modern Scheherazade. I just want her to keep telling stories all night long.
2751242
Not Ruth Rendell's best, but because she wrote it it's as good as most and better than some.
1134251
Like so many others I have been waiting for a book like this to celebrate Sharon's life. This doesn't disappoint. The remembrances from celebrities, friends, and Debra Tate herself, along with the absolutely stunning photographs,  bring Sharon back to life for all of her fans and admirers.

 Every page is filled with lot's of love that makes it shine.

If you want to read of her murder or Manson, there are a plethora of books on the subject. If you want to remember Sharon Tate as the human being she was, than it's a must have in your collection.
2345638
This is a very, very good short story collection. Each of the stories within is a little gem of detective fiction./ they are just as ingenious as any of her novels, the crimes just as compelling and the psychology just as accurate. the characters are well drawn and Wexford is on absolutely brilliant form.
They are clever, incredibly enjoyable, and unguessable. They are an excellent showcase of all Rendell's talents, and i would reccomend this short story collection to any fan of detective fiction. Enjoyment is guaranteed.
4409728
A whodunit, as only the brilliant Dame Ruth Rendell could conceive.  Strikingly original, once again.  How sad no more masterpieces from this late, great writer.
3089000
This collection is so much fun. All the RSJO tunes are. They go round and round and round in endless joy on my turntable of musical happiness. A terrific selection of tunes, popular to obscure from the 20s-40s with perfect period orchestrations.
1339036
Rendell has drawn complex and interesting characters once again.  She makes those to the manor born so real. She understands their world.
4780413
This is a beautiful and very moving re-telling of the story of Ruth and Boaz from the Bible. The author does a wonderful job of bringing the emotions of the characters in to the story. Her attention to detail creates a lively and imaginative setting the reader can easily become a part of. Every character and every scene is so well developed. The interactions of the characters are touching, realistic, and often humorous. She really breathes life in to this well-known and well-loved story. I look forward to reading more of her work. Highly recommended!
333770
I have seen most of the versions of Auntie Mame on film. Rosalind Russell's version is my most favorite. I absolutely love her. Auntie Mame that is. I love the book and five stars doesn't seem  enough when you're given a feast like this.