No More Dying Then: An Inspector Wexford Mystery [Paperback]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

What kind of a person would kidnap two children?

That is the question that haunts Wexford when a five-year-old boy and a twelve-year-old girl disappear from the village of Kingsmarkham. When a child's body turns up at an abandoned country home one search turns into a murder investigation and the other turns into a race against time.  Filled with pathos and terror, passion, bitterness, and loss, No More Dying Then is Rendell at her most chillingly astute.

With her Inspector Wexford novels, Ruth Rendell, winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award, has added layers of depth, realism and unease to the classic English mystery. For the canny, tireless, and unflappable policeman is an unblinking observer of human nature, whose study has taught him that under certain circumstances the most unlikely people are capable of the most appalling crimes.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This Inspector Wexford duo debuted back-to-back in 1972. Murder finds the British sleuth defying doctor's orders and investigating the death of a young girl, while Dying (LJ 7/72) offers a baffling case of two kidnapped children. A double dose of Rendell is twice the fun.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"Mystery writing of the highest order . . . durable, complex, and affectingly human."
--The New York Times Book Review

"If there were a craft guild for writers, I'd apprentice myself to Ruth Rendell."
--Sue Grafton

"Rendell is a master of the form."
--Washington Post Book World

"Ruth Rendell is the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world."
--Time


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage Books USA (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679704892
• ISBN-13: 978-0679704898
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,705,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the Weakest Wexford Mysteries, September 14, 2010

By 

Olga Bezhanova (Edwardsville, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No More Dying Then (Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery) (Kindle Edition)

NO MORE DYING THEN is really not on the same level as the rest of Inspector Wexford series. The story drags on in the most boring way one can imagine. The introduction of clues that should point us to the solution of the mystery is so heavy-handed that it's hard not to guess what happened pretty early into the book. It seems like the mystery is completely secondary here to the detailed and unappetizing exploration of Burden's repressed sexuality.

Mike Burden is portrayed as a disgusting, hateful creep in this novel. He mistreats his lonely orphaned children, acts horribly towards his sister-in-law, and wishes that the woman he wants to marry should never recover her lost son because if she does, that will mean an extra mouth for Burden to feed. What kind of a nasty individual wishes out of greed that a mother would lose her little son forever? What kind of a creepy police officer uses the grief of a crime victim to have sex with her? Before I read this novel, I used to like Burden as a character. Now, I will never be able to read another Wexford mystery without shuddering in disgust every time Burden is mentioned.

Wexford doesn't get a lot of space in this novel. He appears a couple of times, wondering why Burden is behaving in such a nasty way, and then disappears again. His family isn't mentioned at all. The dialogues between Wexford and Burden that usually liven up the series aren't there either.

It's not a good sign when a reader puts aside a mystery novel with only 15 pages to go and forgets about it for over a week. This is exactly what I did. You know how it's going to end anyways, so it makes no difference when or whether you get to those final boring pages of a boring book. As much as I love this author, I have to say that this book is a complete waste of time.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy addition to the Wexford series, January 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: No More Dying Then: An Inspector Wexford Mystery (Paperback)

No More Dying Then is worth reading. It stands on it's own, and it is a worthy addition to the Wexford series. I've been reading Rendell for a couple of years now, primarily because Elizabeth George's work is so often compared to hers. I find the comparison complimentary to both authors. Rendell's early work, including No More Dying Then, is less complex in plot and character development than both her later work and all of George's work. Regardless, Rendell's stories are interesting, and her characters are believable. No More Dying Then is generally a satisfying work. The relationships and thought-processes are well-crafted and authentic. The red herrings are fun, and the ending is a bit of a suprise. Plus, there is enough bizarre and deviant behavior to entertain a second milennium audience without excruciating detail, for those of us who prefer not to know too much...

I have been reading Rendell's work in order of publication (a personal preference when authors are as prolific as she), and I have thoroughly enjoyed the development of both Wexford and Burden. I get the feeling that Rendell likes her main characters and cares about their lives. As a result I care about them, and want to know more about them.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and suspenseful fiction., May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: No More Dying Then: An Inspector Wexford Mystery (Paperback)

Written around 1970, this mystery about the abduction and possible murder of two children in Sussex holds up today. In fact, one major plotline reminded me of the 90s bestseller, *The Deep End of the Ocean.* Rendell's writing is often compared, justifiably, to P.D. James'; her grasp of psychology, particularly the psychology of grief and loneliness, is profound and poignant. From the characters of Inspector Burdin and his sister-in-law Grace to those of the villain(s) and victim(s), Rendell has rendered real sensate beings whose pain and terror we share.