The Veiled One

RENDELL, Ruth

ISBN 10: 0394572068 / ISBN 13: 9780394572062

Published by Pantheon, U.S., 1988

About this Item

This is the uncorrected proof of another ingeniously plotted Inspector Wexford novel. Getting a dead body introduced as early as possible is always a good sign in a detective novel, and Ms Rendell is pretty good at this. The first line here is: "The woman was lying dead on the floor when he came in." Anyway, this fairly roughly produced early uncorrected proof has been signed by the author on the title page and is therefore a pretty unusual and rare item. It is slightly misshapen and has a small piece of Scotch tape covering a rip in the spine. The spine itself is a little creased and concave, but this was obviously a working proof copy and is otherwise in very good condition. Interesting item for Rendell collectors.

Seller Inventory # 000737

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Veiled One
• Publisher: Pantheon, U.S.
• Publication Date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0394572068
• ISBN 13: 9780394572062
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: First U.S. edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

A terrorist bomb wounds Inspector Wexford, an ordinary Kingsmarkham housewife is murdered, Inspector Burdeu pressures a young suspect, Wexford's family is threatened, and Wexford seeks the connections

Reviews

Rendell's reputation for literary grace, ingenious plots and arresting characters is borne out again in her latest stunning mystery. Surprises abound in the case that bedevils Inspector Wexford and his partner, Mike Burden. When elderly Gwen Robson is found murdered in a shopping-mall garage, suspicion falls on Clifford, the neurotic son of widowed Dorothy Sanders, who reports the crime. At the same time, a bomb destroys Wexford's house and wounds him, leaving Burden temporarily in charge of the investigation. Later, the two detectives join forces again, but Wexford is partly distracted by worries about his actress daughter Sheila, threatened because he has protested publicly against nuclear arms. The chief inspector's psychological insights make him doubt Burden's conviction of Clifford's guilt. Wexford's questioning of the victim's family and the suspect's neighbor, along with some careful study of the agony column in a magazineamong other peculiar sourcesleads him to the truth. It's a spellbinder.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.