Put On By Cunning [Import] [Paperback]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2010

Sir Manuel Camargue's death was ruled Misadventure, yet in spite of himself, Chief Inspector Wexford has niggling doubts.

Sir Manuel Camargue, one of the greatest flautists of his time, was dead. An old man, ankle-deep in snow, he lost his foothold in the dark, slipping into water to be trapped under a lid of ice. Only a glove remained to point where he lay, one of its fingers pointing up out of the drifts.

There's nothing Chief Inspector Wexford likes better than an open-and-shut case. They're so restful. And yet there are one or two niggling doubts — and the disturbing return of Camargue's daughter, now a considerable heiress, after an absence of nineteen years.

Is Wexford going to listen to that nagging inner voice of his? And if he does, what exactly does he plan to do?

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

It has been said that the dramatic works of Shakespeare were written not by the poet-impresario but by another man with the same name. This is basically the plot of this otherwise very sophisticated and very English mystery by the author of such works as The Crocodile Bird (Audio Reviews, LJ 5/15/94). The term "anticlimax" scarcely does the work justice. In addition, reader Charles Kay, though sensitive and skilled, has a rough and not-very-pleasant voice. Also, the story, set in Thatcher's London suburbs, has a more than full complement of characters, several of whom are already dead when the action begins. This is a recording strictly for Rendell's fans, and libraries should purchase accordingly.

Preston Hoffman, Shelby, N.C.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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

Review

Rendell has quite simply transformed the genre of crime writing. She displays her peerless skill in blending the mundane, commonplace aspects of life with the potent murky impulses of desire and greed, obsession and fear Sunday Times The most brilliant mystery novelist of our time Patricia Cornwell Probably the greatest living crime writer in the world Ian Rankin Through the quality of her writing she's raised the game of the crime novel in this country Peter James One of the best novelists writing today P.D. James Rendell's mesmerising capacity to shock, chill and disturb is unmatched The Times [Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age Herald

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Arrow (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099534932
• ISBN-13: 978-0099534938
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Wexford Novel, July 29, 2011

By 

Olga Bezhanova (Edwardsville, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Put On By Cunning (Kindle Edition)

Wexford gets in the the grip of one of his obsessions when he suspects a crime has been committed and the death of an older musician of international fame might not have been accidental. Nobody believes Wexford (except his trusted partner Burden, of course.) Wexford's superiors are unwilling to allow him to entertain what they believe are baseless suspicions.Wexford, however, is convinced that there is something wrong about Natalie, the late flutist's daughter, who came back unexpectedly into her father's life after almost two decades of absence. Is Natalie who she says she is? Why is she behaving so suspiciously?

The dedicated detective is so committed to finding the truth that he travels to California on his own dime to find out the truth about his case. As readers, we get the added bonus of seeing Wexford and his wife Dora travel in the US and their reactions to this country.

Wexford's search for the truth does not end in the US, though. We will also see him travel to France in his attempt to crack this difficult case. In the end, however, the readers will still be surprised by the tangled web of complexities and coincidences in one of Wexford's most challenging cases.

I believe this is one of the best novels in the Wexford/Burden series. In my opinion, though, Wexford novels are less engaging than Rendell's stand-alone mysteries. For this reason, I give the book four stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex British Mystery - How Cunning are you?, February 13, 2012

By 

Ron Chicaferro (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Put On By Cunning (Kindle Edition)

Ruth Rendell is an amazing British author with a wonderful talent for mystery writing. Put On By Cunning is in the Inspector Wexford series of books and is as good as it gets. It is a maddeningly complex murder story where you really need to focus and keep your wits about you. The clues are all there for the reader to see - nothing is hidden. Although to come up with what really happened will take some cunning - and don't be put on!