Most of the story is told from the viewpoint of Charles’s father, the Reverend Henry Archery. The elder Archery is opposed to Charles marrying Tess because she is the offspring of a criminal. I understand this is off putting to modern readers, but having read a great deal of 19th century literature, I get it. It was commonly thought that criminal tendencies were passed genetically, much like blue eyes or a large nose. This belief persisted far into the 20th century; Archery is in his 50s and this book was published in 1967 so it’s very plausible for him to hold such a view. I held my tongue and spake nothing; I kept silence, yea, even from good words; but it was pain and grief to me. As the Inspector being certain that they hung the right man for his crime, a Reverend suddenly appears unto the scene only to question the killer’s execution. For Reverend Archery’s son wants to marry the murderer’s beautiful and brilliant daughter. Desperate to find if murder breeds murder and whether his son is in jeopardy for his own decision.

Ruth Rendell has quite simply transformed the genre of crime writing. She displays her peerless skill in blending the mundane, commonplace aspects of life with the potent murky impulses of desire and greed, obsession and fear Sunday Times Chief Inspector Reginald "Reg" Wexford is a recurring character in a series of detective novels by English crime writer Ruth Rendell. He made his first appearance in the author's 1964 debut From Doon With Death, and has since been the protagonist of 23 more novels (plus some short stories). In TVS television series The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987-2000) he was played by George Baker. A firm grasp of social concerns ensure that her novels are reflective of our own times, as well as hugely absorbing. Louise Welsh, The Times Readers of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will love this gripping crime thriller full of twists and turns from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell. This edition has an introduction from Ian Rankin and an afterword by the author. In one of these podcasts, Meredith had recommended the Inspector Wexford series to Louise Penny fans. Same type of deal; a small village and developing characters throughout the series. And, great mysteries to boot.

returning to original review now, but I still recommend this novel - it's much better the second time through. -- Review of the Arrow Books 50th Anniversary Kindle* eBook edition (2014), with a Foreword by Ian Rankin and an Afterword by Ruth Rendell, of the original John Long Ltd. hardcover (1964) This is, of course, the first in the series, her debut novel written in 1964. In her afterword, written in 2013, she says that she wanted to write a detective novel just to see if she could do it, but then the popularity of it drove her to write another, then another, and realizing that if she was going to live with these characters, she was going to have to develop them going forward.

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. Margaret Parsons, a fairly ordinary housewife who, with her water board official husband Ron, has recently moved to Kingsmarkham, is found murdered in a field. Mrs. Parsons led an extremely uneventful life, being a lay preacher, but Inspector Wexford is intrigued when he is looking through her belongings and fine a number of expensive antique books all inscribed 'From Doon to Minna'.Who is Doon? In his debut outing, Chief Inspector Wexford shows none of the avuncular charm that readers have got used to in the series. At one point, he upbraids his deputy, Mike Burden, for offering him a cigarette while they wait to interview a witness in her home. “This is Sussex, not Mexico,” he thunders. When they discuss the potential guilt of Mr Parsons, Wexford makes the outrageous suggestion that any married man has a motive for killing his wife. In fairness to Rendell (and Wexford), there are far more outmoded opinions to be found in other 50-year-old novels. Wexford’s grumpiness is not endearing, though Rendell made him more likeable as the series progressed. Rendell hangs a lot of the narrative on the question of Doon’s identity, revealing something of that person’s personality to the reader in the form of short excerpts from letters that they had written to Minna as caps to the chapters. The way the book is structured, it will all build to a moment in which that identity is revealed and if the reader feels surprised it will likely result in a rush of excitement and general good feeling. I was a little less fond of the use of a trap which is used to prove a case – something that I think is usually pretty uninventive and underwhelming in these sorts of stories. Perhaps more importantly, I have seen some readers question whether this is a fair play mystery as Wexford receives some information in the form of a telephone call, the contents of which we are not privy to.Margaret wouldn’t do that, Mr. Burden. I know her and you don’t. We’ve been married nearly six years and in all that time I’ve never come home to an empty house.”

You can certainly appreciate how this novel would have shaken up readers used to the certainties of Golden Age detective fiction. Wexford is not the type of policeman to defer to the posh lawyer Douglas Quadrant, and this crime is certainly a long way from Agatha Christie’s casebook. Who would kill someone with nothing to hide? Inspector Wexford, the formidable chief of police, feels baffled -- until he discovers Margaret's dark secret: a trove of rare books, each volume breathlessly inscribed by a passionate lover identified only as Doon. As Wexford delves deeper into both Mrs. Parsons’ past and the wary community circling round her memory like wolves, the case builds with relentless momentum to a surprise finale as clever as it is blindsiding. Enter Inspector Wexford, a man who I think I am going to like. He's a poetry buff, rather like one Adam Dalgliesh of P.D. James' creation. But unlike the refined Dalgliesh, Wexford isn't above some coarse policeman's talk. That roots him in reality. With no useful clues and a victim known only for her mundane life, Chief Inspector Wexford is baffled until he discovers Margaret's dark secret - a collection of rare books, each inscribed from a secret lover and signed only as ' Doon'.This book was published in 1964, the year I was born. (Which is why I read it now, to fulfill a book bingo square :) Of course, Wexford is no pushover. He simply doesn’t let on to Inspector Mike Burden or anyone else that he’s interested. The closer Wexford comes to catching his prey the more he becomes excited.

In From Doon with Death, Ruth Rendell instantly mastered the form that would become synonymous with her name. Chilling, richly characterized, and ingeniously constructed, this is psychological suspense at its very finest. The young Rendell already has the authorial splinter of ice in the heart that enables her to portray tragedy with dispassionate prose. There’s something chilling about the passage describing Margaret Parsons’ body being discovered amidst a herd of cows by a farm worker. She had been reported missing by her husband, whose true crime hobby certainly makes him a person of interest if not a definite suspect. At the time From Doon With Death was published, it was considered ground breaking, partially for reasons pertaining to the twist in the novel. Rendell has been praised by many, for this and other works. She is considered one of the mainstays of British crime writing since the 1970s (Bradford), and she is credited with moving “both the detective and suspense genres toward serious fiction” (Rollyson). Rendell wrote over 50 books in her lifetime-she passed away in 2015, the year after the 50th anniversary of From Doon With Death. I didn't think that mystery novels had anything new for me to discover. Man, was I wrong and I'm so pleased about it. For me, the choice of murder victim in this novel stood out. Why in the world would any one go to the bother of killing and dumping a boring, plain woman like Margaret (Godfrey) Parsons? All the men in the case take one look at her photo and pretty much dismiss the most common motive. She's a dowdy housewife and her demise can't be explained by regular motives. The story suffers for having Archery as the lead. He's alternately dull and irritating, though infinitely preferable to his smug, condescending son who joins in the investigation. The two of them just happen to run into most of the primary witnesses to the crime including a hot mess of a mother and daughter act, a Stunning Beauty who inspires lust in Archery Senior's heart, and oodles of references to a local poet and playwright who died in the first flowering of youth. What do you know-this ties in, too!

Customer Reviews

While I did get into Morse in my late teens, I actually never got around to trying Rendell either in print or in the televised adaptations. Given that those starred one of my favorite actors, George Baker, I am not sure quite how I have achieved that. I probably should rectify that… In fact, it’s poetry that seems to be at the heart of this case, as inscribed volumes belonging to the victim are discovered, including The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse, The Poems of Christina Rossetti and Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. All are signed with a dedication by a certain ‘Doon’ in 1950 and so suspicion soon falls on an old boyfriend, who is given a rough time by Wexford.