Ruth Rendell

Charlie Hatton wanted fast money and conspicuous success, and he was prepared to cut any corners to get them. But before he could realize a single ambition, he was found dead at the edge of a river.

After fourteen years in prison, rapist Victor Jenner attempts to pick up the pieces of his life but finds himself involved in an awkward triangle whose conflicts resurrect the buried demons of his violent past.

A young boy dies, another goes missing, and one mother's choice will forever alter many lives   When Benet's young son dies on the operating table, she cannot be comforted-not even by her mother who cares for a young boy just about the same age. Meanwhile, another mother's son goes missing, and police circle around possible suspects in what must be murder. These three mothers-the schizophrenic Mopsa, upwardly mobile Benet, and gold-digging Carol-become...

A lump of concrete dropped deliberately from a little stone bridge over a relatively unfrequented road kills the wrong person. The driver behind is spared. But only for a while ... One particular member of the local press is gunning for the Chief Inspector, distinctly unimpressed with what he regards as old-fashioned police methods. But Wexford, with his old friend and partner, Mike Burden, along with two new recruits to the Kingsmarkham team, pursue...

Anita Margolis had vanished. There was no body, no crime, and nothing more concrete than an anonymous letter. According to headquarters, it wasn't to be considered a murder inquiry at all. But Inspector Burden saw a pattern in the case. Not only had Anita been wealthy and flighty, she had been thoroughly immoral. She also kept her money in handbags, not in the bank. Detective Burden could see exactly what had happened.