Customer Reviews

To Fear a Painted Devil

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I usually find Rendell an extremely predictable writer who does not so much resolve her murder mysteries as bring them to an open-ended resolution--so I was quite surprised by this early work, which is tightly constructed and offers several clever sleight of hand twists.

The story presents us with an affluent and extremely private community and centers on an unhappily married but extremely wealthy couple, Patrick and Tasmin. Almost every one in the community has good reason to dislike Patrick--and when he unexpectedly dies of what seem natural causes following Tasmin's disastrous birthday party tongues soon begin to wag. Dr. Greenleaf, goaded by the speculation, finds himself becoming an extremely reluctant detective in the matter, repeatedly attempting to silence the gossip but unable to still his own mounting questions.

One of my ongoing complaints with Rendell is that I often find it difficult to distinguish one character from another until well into the novel--and to a certain extent that holds true here. But once the characters come into focus, the story moves at a smart pace, and although Rendell provides several characters with unseen motivations they actually work within the context of the premise she establishes. While this novel has not changed my opinion of Rendells' work in general, it is nonetheless a fast and entertaining read, one that even those who generally dislike the author's work will likely enjoy.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This is one of Ruth Rendell's first suspense/mysteries and while it may not compare to what she writes today, it is still a fascinating glimpse of early Rendell as well as a look into one strata of British society circa 1965. Ruth Rendell has a remarkable talent for characterizing interesting people and than confounding us as she slowly reveals their machinations and hidden agendas. I feel lucky to have found this book @ Amazon.com.

This mystery by Ruth Rendell is one of her earlier efforts. It offers none of the well-drawn psychological portraits for which she would later become known. Instead, she offers the reader a somewhat traditional whodunit sort of mystery with a tightly woven plot that has a few twists and turns. It makes for a quick, easy read.

The plot is simple and direct. It centers around an unhappily married, wealthy couple, the dictatorial Patrick and the put upon Tamsin, who live in a well to do community. When they have an ill-advised celebration in their home to celebrate Tamsin's birthday, Patrick becomes ill after an accident involving some wasps. Lucky for him, there was a doctor in the house. So, Patrick takes to his bed, none the worse for wear, only to never wake up again. His death is later deemed to be of natural causes.

It turns out, however, that many people had reason to dislike Patrick and wish that he were out of the way: his own wife, her lover, the twin brother of his mistress, and a local business man that he was in the process of ruining. When gossip begins to churn in their close knit community, rumor has it that Patrick's death was anything but natural. Who could have done it?

That is for the reader to discover. If one is a fan of mysteries and of Ruth Rendell, one will, undoubtedly, enjoy this breezy little mystery and delight in trying to figure out who might be the killer.

This mystery by Ruth Rendell is one of her earlier efforts. It offers none of the well-drawn psychological portraits for which she would later become known. Instead, she offers the reader a somewhat traditional whodunit sort of mystery with a tightly woven plot that has a few twists and turns. It makes for a quick, easy read.

The plot is simple and direct. It centers around an unhappily married, wealthy couple, the dictatorial Patrick and the put upon Tamsin, who live in a well to do community. When they have an ill-advised celebration in their home to celebrate Tamsin's birthday, Patrick becomes ill after an accident involving some wasps. Lucky for him, there was a doctor in the house. So, Patrick takes to his bed, none the worse for wear, only to never wake up again. His death is later deemed to be of natural causes.

It turns out, however, that many people had reason to dislike Patrick and wish that he were out of the way: his own wife, her lover, the twin brother of his mistress, and a local business man that he was in the process of ruining. When gossip begins to churn in their close knit community, rumor has it that Patrick's death was anything but natural. Who could have done it?

That is for the reader to discover. If one is a fan of mysteries and of Ruth Rendell, one will, undoubtedly, enjoy this breezy little mystery and delight in trying to figure out who might be the killer.