Sins of the Fathers (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries, No. 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1986

It was a brutal, vicious crime -- sixteen years old. A helpless old woman battered to death with an axe. Harry Painter hung for it, and Chief Inspector Wexford is certain they executed the right man. But Reverend Archery has doubts . . . because his son wants to marry the murderer's beautiful, brilliant daughter. He begins unravelling the past, only to discover that murder breeds murder -- and often conceals even deeper secrets . . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

It was a brutal, vicious crime -- sixteen years old. A helpless old woman battered to death with an axe. Harry Painter hung for it, and Chief Inspector Wexford is certain they executed the right man. But Reverend Archery has doubts . . . because his son wants to marry the murderer's beautiful, brilliant daughter. He begins unravelling the past, only to discover that murder breeds murder -- and often conceals even deeper secrets . . .

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (December 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345342534
• ISBN-13: 978-0345342539
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.6 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rendell's "Sins" finds you out!, February 2, 2001

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sins of the Fathers (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

It happened over sixteen years ago--but now, like the troll under the bridge, it raises its ugly head! This was no ordinary crime--it was an axe murder, the death of an old woman. Justice was summarily served, with Harry Painter hanging for the crime. In Ruth Rendell's "Sins of the Fathers," we find Chief Inspector Wexford and assistant Mike Burden painstakingly--and painfully--reinvestigating. It's unusual, of course, in that the Reverend Archery has raised doubts about the crime--fittingly so, as his son plans to marry the daughter of Harry Painter (and, of course, "daughter of a murderer" doesn't look so good on the bridal registry at Marks and Spencers!). Rendell's very successful Wexforfd series continues with this episode, which carries its own weight. Rendell's pacing, her attention to detail, her "execution" of the police procedural is right on target here, complete with deeply held--and dangerously held--secrets and brilliant crime solving by

Wexford and Burden. ([e-mail])

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Weak, August 23, 2011

By 

Olga Bezhanova (Edwardsville, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sins of the Fathers (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm a passionate fan of this great mystery writer, which is why it pains me to say that this early Inspector Wexford mystery is extremely weak. The only reason I give it two stars instead of one is that the book will be of interest to Rendell's fans who are interested in tracing the development of her impressive talent. In an of itself, however, the book is a waste of time. If you are new to Rendell, I highly recommend you turn to her later novels.

SINS OF THE FATHERS has none of the qualities that made Rendell so beloved by her admirers around the globe. She is known, first and foremost, for her ability to create nuanced, complex, fascinating characters that are impossible to forget long after you have finished the novel. SINS OF THE FATHERS, however, offers us a cast of characters who are drab, boring, contradictory, and unconvincing. Even Wexford and Burden, Rendell's famous pair of detectives, are cardboard cutouts rather than living and breathing human beings. Wexford here is a cartoonish parody of a fascinating character he becomes in Rendell's later novels in the series.

The plot is extremely tedious. I never thought I could say this of any novel by Ruth Rendell but, apparently, she knew how to write extremely boring books at the dawn of her writing career. The ending - and I don't want to give out any spoilers here - is extremely disappointing.

In short, I cannot recommend this book to anybody except those who are well familiar with Rendell's later work and are curious to see how this writer fumbled in her early career as an author of mystery fiction.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Usual, a Rendell Ending with a Twist, September 23, 2001

By 

Nancy Trease (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sins of the Fathers (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a much older Rendell, an Inspector Wexford from 1967. It probably seems a bit dated and therefore poorly reviewed. I see another example of Rendell's beautifully written and convoluted plots. The book that you think you are reading as you go along turns abruptly in the midst of the story, several times.

Having developed a relationship with Wexford, his family, and side-kick Michael Burden, I enjoyed the return to their antecedents. And in its totality, I enjoyed the book very much.