Vanity Dies Hard [Hardcover]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1984

Wealthy Alice Whittaker -- now Alice Fielding -- is known for her generosity, and when her friend Nesta vanishes Alice is determined to find her and help her. If that means money, well, Alice has plenty of it.

Then Alice starts to feel sick -- a virus perhaps, something she just can't shake. Her handsome husband, who is ten years younger than she is, seems determined to keep her at home. Does he just want her to feel better? Or is he trying to keep her from finding Nesta?

Ill though she is, Alice can't help asking questions. And the more she learns about Nesta's disappearance, the more certain she becomes that her own life is in peril....

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

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rendell is awfully good."--The New York Times Book Review

"Undoubtedly one of the best writers of English mysteries and chiller-killer plots".--Los Angeles Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Wealthy Alice Whittaker -- now Alice Fielding -- is known for her generosity, and when her friend Nesta vanishes Alice is determined to find her and help her. If that means money, well, Alice has plenty of it.

Then Alice starts to feel sick -- a virus perhaps, something she just can't shake. Her handsome husband, who is ten years younger than she is, seems determined to keep her at home. Does he just want her to feel better? Or is he trying to keep her from finding Nesta?

Ill though she is, Alice can't help asking questions. And the more she learns about Nesta's disappearance, the more certain she becomes that her own life is in peril.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Amereon Ltd (June 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891903747
• ISBN-13: 978-0891903741
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,300,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual - possibly not for all tastes, January 5, 2004

By 

RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: VANITY DIES HARD (Paperback)

For fans of Rendell who admire her books, the way she turns the genre on its head, this is another brilliant example of Rendell's ingenuity. For new reader who like the conventional boundaries of the genre, this may not be quite so satisfying a book...

Suffice to say, it is well-written, engaging, with a set of interesting and well-developed character. Too, here Rendell really her theme (i.e. vanity, what it can lead to, what it can cause, how it expresses itself in people) and runs with it! This is a marvellous exploration of vanity, she probes deeply into each of her characters with this interesting theme in mind.

With Vanity Dies Hard, she really confounds expectations. She turns everything we expect, everything we and the charachters assume, on its head, so that we can be sure nothing in the world of Rendell is certain...And it all makes such beautiful sense. This novel of hysteria and vanity is a unique gem from RR

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising, not disapointing, July 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Vanity Dies Hard (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of Rendell's more interesting novels, and she seems to be having a lot of fun with the conventions of the genre : in another of her novels she tells us who murdered who, when, where, how and even why in the first paragraph. Here she once again twists the rules of the mystery novel, but in another way of course and any real analysis of that twist of the rules would destroy the fun of the first read, sorry. But I have reread this novel a couple of times, with a great deal of enjoyment at how well she twists expectations and very gently pokes fun at the genre. Great novel.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not her best; somewhat engaging; dissapointing ending, April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vanity Dies Hard (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book while on a plane ride and it was engaging and a great companion. However, the ending was extremely disapointing. I imagined Ms. Rendell writing this book on a deadline from her publisher or something. Not her best work. However, been a fact that she is a Master at what she does, her worst still good enough.