Simisola

Ruth Rendell

ISBN 10: 0099437317 / ISBN 13: 9780099437314

Editore: Arrow, 1995

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Simisola (1995) by Ruth Rendell (Arrow) ISBN: 0099437317 Condition: Used (politely worn, psychologically intact) as sold by Crappy Old Books Simisola is the kind of mystery that starts with a missing-person case and then slowly, stealthily, expands into a full autopsy of a community?s fears, prejudices and secrets. Ruth Rendell, who never met a psychological knot she didn?t want to tighten, sends Inspector Wexford into a case that seems straightforward until it very much is not. A young woman vanishes. Her parents ? kind, respectable, newly settled Nigerian immigrants ? are terrified. Wexford, usually confident in his ability to read people, situations and entire towns, quickly discovers that Kingsmarkham is not the polite, functional English town he thought it was. Instead, it is a simmering pot of unspoken tensions, fraying assumptions and people who would absolutely prefer not to tell the police everything they know. Or anything they know. Soon there?s more than one crime, more than one body, and more than enough moral ambiguity to fill a very stern ethics textbook. Rendell digs into race, class, bureaucracy, and the sort of social discomfort that makes British people instinctively offer someone a cup of tea. Wexford tries to follow the evidence, but the evidence keeps shape-shifting. This is crime fiction for readers who like their murders tangled with messy, very human motivations and problems you cannot solve with fingerprint dust alone. Your particular copy arrives via Crappy Old Books, a venue where paperbacks accumulate character the way Wexford accumulates headaches. Expect: A cover with honest scuffing and perhaps a faint crease or two, the sort that suggests previous readers spent time reading this on buses, in waiting rooms and in bed long after they meant to stop. A spine with distinguished reading lines, proof that someone, somewhere, turned pages faster than was strictly healthy. Corners gently rounded, like the edges of a long-held suspicion that suddenly turns out to be relevant. Inside, however, the investigation remains pristinely labyrinthine. The pages still hold every clue, misdirection, sharp observation and uncomfortable truth. The print is clean, the binding reliable, and there is no evidence (pun fully intended) of anyone highlighting the murderer in the margins. If the paper has tanned to a soft ivory, consider it atmospheric: a sepia-toned reminder that the 1990s were not nearly as simple as we now pretend. Buying Simisola in Used condition from Crappy Old Books adds its own layer of irony. You are reading about a community shaped by history, assumptions and secondhand judgments, in a book literally shaped by its secondhand life. It has been through at least one reader?s hands already, gathering its own quiet mysteries ? perhaps even a faint aroma of tea, which Rendell would surely approve of. Perfect for readers who: Like their crime fiction thoughtful and socially aware, with a sting in every chapter Enjoy watching Inspector Wexford wrestle with new truths and old habits Appreciate a murder mystery that refuses to be neatly boxed up and labelled ?solved? without forcing you to think about the world a little differently Adopt this Used copy of Simisola and let it brood on your shelf. The exterior may be a little worn, but the investigation inside still cuts deep, twists sharply and lingers long after the final page ? very much like Ruth Rendell herself intended. THIS BOOK BEARS THE CRAPPY OLD BOOKS STAMP. IF THAT IS UNDESIRABLE PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS. THE STAMP MARKS WHICH IS USUALLY TO THE FRONT AND BACK INNER PAGES SAYS SOLD BY CRAPPY OLD BOOKS WITH WEB SITE URL. IT IN NO WAY DEMINISHED FROM THE READING. IF YOU WANT A PRISTINE BOOK, PLEASE FIND ANOTHER BOOK IN BETTER CONDITION SOMEWHERE ELSE.

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Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Simisola
• Editore: Arrow
• Data di pubblicazione: 1995
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0099437317
• ISBN 13: 9780099437314
• Rilegatura: Brossura
• Condizione: Used

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

This fast-paced, pulse-pounding thriller from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell is perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon. With its climax of stunning unexpectedness, you'll be gripped to the very last page...

'The Wexford books clearly display Rendell's great mastery of storytelling at its best' -- Sunday Telegraph
'Rendell's detective fiction stands almost alone as a chronicle of the dark side of modern life...' -- Independent
'Marvellous. Kept me guessing to the end' -- ***** Reader review
'Gripping from start to end' -- ***** Reader review
'What a wonderful whodunnit!' -- ***** Reader review
'Engrossing' -- ***** Reader review
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When a young, black woman goes missing in Kingsmarkham, Wexford must respond to a test not only of his powers of deduction, but of his basic beliefs and prejudices.

Only eighteen black people live in Kingsmarkham. One of them is Wexford's new doctor, Raymond Akande. When the doctor's daughter, Melanie, goes missing, the Chief Inspector takes more than just a professional interest in the case.

Melanie, just down from university but unable to find a job, disappeared somewhere between the Benefit Office and the bus stop. Or at least no one saw her get on the bus when it came...

When the body of a young black woman is discovered, Wexford must overcome his underlying prejudices to allow his investigative skills to succeed.

Informazioni sull'autore

Ruth Rendell was an exceptional crime writer, and will be remembered as a legend in her own lifetime. Her groundbreaking debut novel, From Doon With Death, was first published in 1964 and introduced the reader to her enduring and popular detective, Inspector Reginald Wexford, who went on to feature in twenty-four of her subsequent novels.

With worldwide sales of approximately 20 million copies, Rendell was a regular Sunday Times bestseller. Her sixty bestselling novels include police procedurals, some of which have been successfully adapted for TV, stand-alone psychological mysteries, and a third strand of crime novels under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. Very much abreast of her times, the Wexford books in particular often engaged with social or political issues close to her heart.

Rendell won numerous awards, including the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for 1976’s best crime novel with A Demon in My View, a Gold Dagger award for Live Flesh in 1986, and the Sunday Times Literary Award in 1990. In 2013 she was awarded the Crime Writers’ Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence in crime writing. In 1996 she was awarded the CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer.

Ruth Rendell died in May 2015. Her final novel, Dark Corners, was published in October 2015.