No Man's Nightingale: An Inspector Wexford Novel - Softcover

"No one surpasses Ruth Rendell when it comes to stories of obsession, istability, and malignant coincidence."--Stephen King

"Unequivocally the most brilliant mystery writer of our time.--Patricia Cornwell

"Ruth Rendell is my dream writer. Her prose style...has the disquieting intimacy of an alien touch in the dark."--Marilyn Stasio "The New York Times Book Review "

"If you're unfamiliar with Ruth Rendell, if you've somehow managed to miss her sixty or so books ... then, congratulations: Your reading life is about to get infinitely richer."--Jonathan Shapiro "Los Angeles Times "

"'Subtle' is an inadequate word for Ruth Rendell. So are 'crafty, ' 'cunning, ' 'clever' and 'sly.'"--Marilyn Stasio "New York Times Book Review "

"A novel by Ruth Rendell is like none other..... The results are seldom what we expect them to be, and that is part of this author's special genius."--Robert Croan "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "

"Rendell unspools anentertaining cast of characters... Lovely touches of detail... Best of all forWexford fans, the book affords some terrific moments between the retired sleuthand [Detective Superintendent Mike] Burden."--Daneet Steffens "Boston Globe "

"It's a pleasure to report that Ruth Rendell, at the age of 82 and after publishing more than 60 books, has given us yet another gem. A pleasure but not a surprise, since Rendell has for years, along with her friend P.D. James, been bringing new sophistication and psychological depth to the traditional English mystery."--Washington Post

"The characters jump off the page. The page-to-page surprises are so clever that the reader is left agape at each twist and turn. The pieces fit together brilliantly.--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Rendell has for years, along with her friend P.D. James, been bringing new sophistication and psychological depth to the traditional English mystery."--Washington Post

INCLUDES AN EXCERPT OF RENDELL’S FINAL NOVEL, DARK CORNERS

From “one of the most remarkable novelists of her generation” (People) a “refined, probing, and intelligent” (USA TODAY) mystery in the masterful Inspector Wexford series...more enthralling than ever after fifty years.

A female vicar named Sarah Hussein is discovered strangled in her Kingsmarkham vicarage. A single mother to a teenage girl, Hussein was working in a male-dominated profession. Moreover, she was of mixed race and wanted to modernize the church. Could racism or sexism have played a factor in her murder?

Maxine, the gossipy cleaning woman who discovered the body, happens to also be in the employ of retired Chief Inspector Wexford and his wife. Wexford is intrigued by the unusual circumstances of the murder, and when he is invited by his old deputy to tag along with the investigators, he leaps at the chance.

As Wexford searches the Vicar’s house, he sees a book on her bedside table. Inside the book is a letter serving as a bookmark. Without thinking much, Wexford puts it into his pocket. Wexford soon realizes he has made a grave error in removing a piece of valuable evidence from the scene without telling anybody. Yet what he finds inside begins to illuminate the murky past of Sarah Hussein. Is there more to her than meets the eye?

No Man’s Nightingale is Ruth Rendell’s masterful twenty-fourth installment in one of the great crime series of all time, an “absorbing and rewarding” (Seattle Times) mystery that explores issues of sexism, class, and racism. As Stephen King said: “No one surpasses Ruth Rendell.”