Ruth Rendell

Ruth Rendell passed away at the beginning of this month. She was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. I read a LOT of her books, until I started getting creeped out by some of the darker psychological thrillers. She could really get inside a sick mind. In one of my Book Report blogs, I talked about Heartstones, a novella she wrote that I had read in my high school days. When I read it again a few years ago, I was creeped out even more than when I first read it.

The books I enjoyed the most were the Inspector Wexford mysteries. They were gruesome, but they didn’t make my soul hurt. They were very realistic, though.

The ones she wrote under the name Barbara Vine were the darkest books. I didn’t read many of them. Sarah was a big fan of those, and had several. I borrowed The Brimstone Wedding and was surprised at how much I enjoyed that one. It had a certain creep factor, but all in all, it actually had a happy ending, which was unusual.

My reading tastes have changed a lot over the years. I prefer lighter subjects. But Ms. Rendell’s books were outstanding, and I did enjoy them for a time.