Race Relations + Wexford’s Laws 4, 5 & 6
Review of the Audible Studios audiobook edition (May 15, 2009) narrated by Christopher Ravenscroft, of the original hardcover from Hutchinson (UK) (September 24, 1994)

‘I’m sorry to trouble you with this, Mr Wexford, but I hoped you might help me.’ Wexford waited. ‘It’s probably nothing.’
Those words, no matter how often he heard them, always caused a small shiver. In his experience, it was nearly always something and, if brought to his attention, something bad.

[A solid 4, but the narration performance kicks this up to a 5, see below for more on that]
Wexford takes a strong personal interest when his new family physician Dr. Raymond Akande and his wife report their teenage daughter as missing. The Akandes are among the few black residents of Kingsmarkham at the time and Wexford overcompensates in his efforts in providing police assistance for their distress. He blunders badly though when the body of a dead black girl is found, by assuming it must be the missing teenager. It turns out the teenager is still missing and there is now a separate murder case to deal with.

The investigation takes some very dark turns and discoveries before the answers to both mysteries are found. Several characters are portrayed as unsympathetic, leading to an increasing list of suspects and motives. The usual tiresome subplot of Wexford's daughters involved eldest daughter Sylvia and her husband Neil in financial difficulties. But Sylvia does provide Wexford with a clue that leads him to the solution to his case.

See cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Simisola.jpg
The front cover of the original Hutchinson (UK) 1994 hardcover. Image sourced from Wikipedia By http://pictures.abebooks.com/BOOKFEVER/6651360265.jpg, Fair use, Link.

This was Wexford #16 in the series of 24 novels. I had previously skipped over #15 to #18 as they were proving difficult to source. No convenient Kindle eBooks exist and the Toronto Public Library online search & hold system was struck down in October 2023 (which is still ongoing) by a ransomware attack (rumoured to be Russian based) which prevents you from locating and placing books on hold throughout the system (short of physically going around Toronto to each branch personally and searching the shelves by hand). I've decided to complete my Wexford/Rendell binge by sourcing the audiobooks which are not ideal as I am also trying to spot Wexford's personal Laws and Rules along the way. Listening on audio might cause me to miss them.

On the Berengaria Ease of Solving ScaleÂŽ I found this to be a difficult solve, a 9 out of 10, due to some quite clever misdirection. The actual culprit(s) came out of left field for me after I thought I had it all figured out.

The narration by Christopher Ravenscroft (who played DI Mike Burden in the TV series) was excellent in all voices in this edition. He was especially good at mimicking the West Country burr of actor George Baker (who played Chief Inspector Wexford in the TV series), so that actually made it sound as if both actors were performing the narration.

Wexford's Laws
There were several Wexford's Laws mentioned in this book. Wexford's Laws are quirky thoughts or observations that Wexford makes. The previous book Kissing the Gunner's Daughter (Wexford #15, 1992) had none, the book before that The Veiled One (Wexford #14, 1988) contained Wexford's Third Law. So I’ve numbered these new ones accordingly as the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Laws.

She addressed Karen, to whom she seemed to have taken a fancy. ‘He’s ninety-two, you know.’ ‘Ninety-three,’ said Mr Hammond, thus confirming Wexford’s Law that it is only when under fifteen and over ninety that people wish to add years to their true age. [Wexford's Fourth Law by my count.]

Laurette Akande shrugged and looked away. Wexford thought he might make it one of his laws – he had a mental catalogue of Wexford’s first law, second law, and so on – that if after the first two or three expressions of regret you stop apologizing to someone you have offended, they will soon start apologizing to you. [Wexford's Fifth Law by my count]

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Another of Wexford’s laws was that no truthful person ever makes this remark. It is exclusively the province of liars. [Wexford's Sixth Law by my count]

Trivia and Links
Simisola was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 9 Episodes 3 to 5 in 1996 with actor George Baker as Chief Inspector Wexford. I could not find a free posting of it on YouTube. Here in Canada it is available on the Britbox streaming service. ( )

Inspector Wexford looks into the disappearance of his doctor's daughter, Melanie, fearing the worst and not offering false hope. His investigation takes him into the world of "benefits" - unemployment and otherwise - doled out by the Benefits Office, where Melanie was last seen. When a young woman is found dead, and later, another woman associated with the Benefits Office, Wexford seizes on the idea that their deaths may have happened because of something Melanie overheard.

As he and his team go deeper, they find other connections. Because of some early experiences, Wexford finds himself questioning his attitudes about race and recognizing the racism in himself and others. It is this awareness that starts to bring the story together for him.

I enjoyed the plotting, the characters, the additional coaching on racism, as well as the details that add realism and pull it all together. ( )

I've been getting used to Ms. Rendell not revealing the source of her Inspector Wexford titles until late in each book, some later than others. For SIMISOLA, we have to wait until almost the last sentence. It's a complex mystery, but the clues were there. I missed many of them until Wexford explained them. I also fell for a few red herrings. (Hey, it beats waiting for the lead character to catch on when one has already figured it out.)

Racism and unemployment are the biggest themes in this thick entry in a good series. Detective Inspector Mike Burden's attitude about both didn't help me dislike him less. Wexford's self-revelation in one scene was something I didn't see coming at all.

Wexford's new doctor's daughter is missing. Miss Akande's movements before her disappearance are proving difficult to trace even though there aren't that many Africans (or persons of African descent) in Kingsmarkham. She's also beautiful. Why didn't she get noticed by more of the locals?

Melanie Akande has the misfortune of being the only one with average intelligence in a family of overachievers. She got her degree in the only subject in which she felt she had talent, but she can't get a job in her field. She was going to see a counselor about that. What a pity that lady became ill.

There are other young women with family troubles in this book. Can they all be sorted out? There are murders and an attempted murder to be solved. Of the mothers in this book, two don't seem to understand that they are pushing their children away by the way they treat them. One may have more of a problem than she thinks. I worry about the future of the youngest mother's child.

Finally! So often Reg and Dora's eldest and her family have been mentioned or appeared with only their first names given. This time we get their surname: Fairfax.

Sylvia and Neil's marriage has been rocky a long time. In KISSING THE GUNNER'S DAUGHTER they bought a house Sylvia loves. Now they're both out of work. Is Sylvia willing to sell? No. The couple do get to save some on food bills and electricity by taking their sons, Robin and Ben, to Reg and Dora's house for dinner a few (several?) times a week. Dora is cooking lovely meals for them. Reg is quietly simmering.

Sylvia Wexford Fairfax is a difficult person, and not just because she knows her father prefers her younger sister to her, no matter how hard Reg tries to hide the fact. Although Sylvia spends most of her page time acting in a way that makes me wish I could give her an old-fashioned 'good talking to,' she actually helps her father with this case. Surprising, yes?

Near the end, something happens to Mike Burden that isn't at all nice for him, but the reaction of the responsible party learning he's a police officer was enjoyable to read.

It's a really good book, both for the mystery and the social commentary. ( )

Another terrific thriller from Ruth Rendells, whose books for me have become as much examinations of current society as mystery stories. That's not to downplay the mystery; as usual, I was drawn on through the book by the story and the question, not just "who done it?" but "who did they do it to?". This time, Ms. Rendell focuses on the question of immigrants into Britain, black immigrants in particular. Chief Inspector Wexford's questioning of his own attitudes let me to consider my own; there may be non-racist people in the UK and the US born before 1975, but I don't think there are many. ( )

This book was intended for my Mystery Fiction class, but the professor was unable to find an easy way to procure copies for us; most publishers did not have it in print at the time. Much later, I found a copy at a used-book sale, and so I bought it on the strength of our professor's recommendation.

Thinking back on the course, this book would have been a perfect fit, and its replacement, The Laughing Policeman, touches on similar themes. This book's main story arc is that of Melanie Akande, a young woman who is part of one of the few black families in Kingsmarkham. She disappears one day, but the search for her proves to be a difficult one. Chief Inspector Wexford is called in to solve the case, not only because it is on his turf but also because Melanie's father is his GP.

Over the course of the story, Rendell touches on themes of race and class. Wexford and others on the force deal with their own attitudes to race as they solve the case -- one twist in particular, which I shall not give away, really opens Wexford's eyes on that front. Class and employment are two other important threads to the story: Melanie is the daughter of upper-middle-class parents, but she has resorted to the Job Centre to find work in her chosen field of performing arts, which her parents feel is not good enough for her. All roads lead to the Job Centre, actually, so it plays a major part in the case. It ties to Wexford's personal life, too; his daughter and son-in-law are forced to go on the dole temporarily.

The book was well written, more reminiscent of A Judgement in Stone, which is the only other Rendell novel I've read. I did read one of her books that she wrote as Barbara Vine and found it difficult to get through (I left it unfinished)... fortunately, this book is not like that. It unfolds at a decent pace, and the solution is fair, and there are several twists that I did not see coming. Also, the explanation for the title, which comes right at the end of the book, is very bittersweet. But still, this isn't one of my favourites. Perhaps having it studied in Mystery Fiction would have made it more interesting. ( )