Road Rage (Inspector Wexford) [Paperback]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 1998 | Series: Inspector Wexford

From the author of SIMISOLA, a novel featuring Chief Inspector Wexford, whose wife allies herself to a protest movement when a by-pass is planned for Kingsmarkham, but the plot thickens when the lifeless body of a young woman is discovered, and people go missing, including his wife.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nobody has a better ear for the whine of the unloved and underappreciated than Ruth Rendell. Early in this Inspector Wexford adventure, a young woman who was bound and gagged during a robbery demands victim counseling; not long after, families of some people taken hostage quickly cluster themselves into a support group. The titular "road rage" is equally timely and politically correct: protestors have gathered from around the world to stop, by whatever means they can, a new motorway that will cut through some of the woods surrounding Wexford's fictional but endearing village of Kingsmarkham. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In Rendell's latest Inspector Wexford mystery, opposition to a proposed bypass escalates into the taking of hostages?including the inspector's wife.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Arrow (June 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099470616
• ISBN-13: 978-0099470618
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,059,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, December 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Road Rage (A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery) (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

When selecting a book I look for author first and then read the opening section of the first chapter. I have always found that Ruth Rendell's opening lines make me want to read more. Her characters are well crafted and you can get a sense of realism that many authors fail to achieve. This time though the book concentrates more on the feelings of Inspector Wexford and less on character & plot development. The side plots did not blend together into a seamless whole and it was hard to link the different plots together. There are times when the book is very tense but mostly it lacked the energy to keep you enthralled. I felt I wanted to get to the end of the book to see how it all fitted together but was left with a disappointing "Oh is that it?"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not her best!!, September 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Road Rage (Hardcover)

Very bad effort from a MASTER. For someone else, this would be good, but from the Queen of SUSpense, Psychology, and Mystery? Pedestrian story of greenpeace like group of malcontents, making protest, environmental issues, etc. but Rendell never does get beneath the surface headlines. Please try her other books, she is the best mystery/suspence/psychology novelist.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A typical Wexford novel - excellent!, August 22, 2007

By 

L. Toll "www.iblist.com" (Ottawa, ON) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Road Rage (Mass Market Paperback)

Rendell has done it again! This is a masterful mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Wexford's beloved Kingsmarkham is a village divided. A new bypass is scheduled to be constructed, and protesters descend on the quiet little town, causing havoc everywhere. Dora Wexford is kidnapped on the way to the train station. Within hours, it becomes apparent that four other people have been kidnapped as well, and what seemed like innocent protests take on a sinister cast.

Despite his personal involvement, Wexford is placed in charge of the investigation. Seemingly stymied, he still manages to pull off a grand unveiling of perpetrators in true Rendell style. Endless plot twists and larger-than-life characters have definitely made this my favourite of the Wexford novels.

Fans of Rendell's style of writing will be thrilled with this relatively recent effort, and if you're not yet a fan, this wouldn't be a bad place to start. I totally lost myself in this one, and I'm sorry it's over.