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Who would garrote a middle-aged housewife and leave her body in the parking garage of a suburban shopping mall? Chief Inspector Wexford is no sooner on the case than a car bomb's explosion lands him in the hospital. It's now up to Mike Burden to step in and solve the case. He's got a suspect . . . but will he be able to make him talk?Tags
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As I've been reading the Inspector Wexford mysteries, I've often thought that it's lucky for the victims that Wexford is in charge of their cases, not his assitant, Inspector Burden. In The Veiled One Burden is in charge after Wexford wInds up in the hospital.
As usual, Burden is barking up the wrong tree. I dislike him enough to enjoy what happens to him after he chooses Clifford Sanders as his chief suspect. Is Clifford sane or not? If he is sane, it's certainly no thanks to his mother, Dorothy. I rather like what Clifford says about his mother's nickname, 'Dodo'. It would be rude if she were a good mother, but it's understandable in her case. What a horrible woman! Her husband, Charles, hasn't been seen since Clifford was a child. show more Big surprise there.
The cause of Wexford's injury leads to Reg and Dora temporarily living in a police house in the same neighborhood as the murder victim. How handy. Now Wexford can visit the neighbors and find out if they're witnesses, character witnesses, or the killer.
American readers accustomed to having to go without or go bankrupt if something isn't covered by one's health insurance (if one can even afford health insurance), might find it difficult to be sympathetic to the chapter 3 complaint about National Health Service waiting times.
This is book 14 in the series and it came out three years after book 13. That might be why Mark Burden, who was born during the last mystery, is now two years old.
Notes:
In chapter 6, Wexford muses about the cherry trees along the Potomac River. You may read about how they got here at this site (no mention of George Washington): http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm
The pop festival murder mentioned in chapter six refers to book 6 in this series, Some Lie and Some Die.
There's a major spoiler for Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon in chapter seven. I don't care how well-known a classic novel might be, there are bound to be persons who haven't read it yet. It's a good mystery
In chapter 10, Clifford Sanders is described as looking like a '...big child, a kind of fined-down Billy Bunter'. Billy Bunter is a fictional school boy created by Frank Richards (Charles Hamilton). Billy Bunter of Greyfriers School is available if you wish to read it. If you merely wish to find out what Billy Bunter looks like, you may search for his image online.
In chapter 13, Wexford is reading '...the new A. N. Wilson'. A. N. [Andrew Norman] Wilson is an English author (fiction and non-fiction), and newspaper columnist who has also presented TV programs.
The Veiled One, with its psychological insights into the victim and suspects, is another good entry in this British police procedural series. If you don't like Mike Burden, you'll probably enjoy him having to eat humble pie as much as I did. show less
As usual, Burden is barking up the wrong tree. I dislike him enough to enjoy what happens to him after he chooses Clifford Sanders as his chief suspect. Is Clifford sane or not? If he is sane, it's certainly no thanks to his mother, Dorothy. I rather like what Clifford says about his mother's nickname, 'Dodo'. It would be rude if she were a good mother, but it's understandable in her case. What a horrible woman! Her husband, Charles, hasn't been seen since Clifford was a child. show more Big surprise there.
The cause of Wexford's injury leads to Reg and Dora temporarily living in a police house in the same neighborhood as the murder victim. How handy. Now Wexford can visit the neighbors and find out if they're witnesses, character witnesses, or the killer.
American readers accustomed to having to go without or go bankrupt if something isn't covered by one's health insurance (if one can even afford health insurance), might find it difficult to be sympathetic to the chapter 3 complaint about National Health Service waiting times.
This is book 14 in the series and it came out three years after book 13. That might be why Mark Burden, who was born during the last mystery, is now two years old.
Notes:
In chapter 6, Wexford muses about the cherry trees along the Potomac River. You may read about how they got here at this site (no mention of George Washington): http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm
The pop festival murder mentioned in chapter six refers to book 6 in this series, Some Lie and Some Die.
There's a major spoiler for Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon in chapter seven. I don't care how well-known a classic novel might be, there are bound to be persons who haven't read it yet. It's a good mystery
In chapter 10, Clifford Sanders is described as looking like a '...big child, a kind of fined-down Billy Bunter'. Billy Bunter is a fictional school boy created by Frank Richards (Charles Hamilton). Billy Bunter of Greyfriers School is available if you wish to read it. If you merely wish to find out what Billy Bunter looks like, you may search for his image online.
In chapter 13, Wexford is reading '...the new A. N. Wilson'. A. N. [Andrew Norman] Wilson is an English author (fiction and non-fiction), and newspaper columnist who has also presented TV programs.
The Veiled One, with its psychological insights into the victim and suspects, is another good entry in this British police procedural series. If you don't like Mike Burden, you'll probably enjoy him having to eat humble pie as much as I did. show less
(5) 14th Wexford mystery. Not as good a Rendell's stand-alone horror/mystery novels. But entertaining nonetheless. They are always atmospheric with an undercurrent of something creepy, dark, shameful as a bit of a side plot. In this one some Jungian psychotherapy and a murder of an elderly housewife in a carpark of a shopping center with a garrote. Now who or why would anyone do such a thing? At the same time Wexford's actress daughter is stirring up trouble and the results are a near miss car bombing. Lots of red herrings and extraneous characters which may or may not be suspects. I did not figure it out though in retrospect...hard to believe the reader wouldn't. One of the best types of 'whodunits.'
I think this was one of the better show more installments though it took its time to get to the solution. Seemed a bit longer than it needed to be. I had a different solution cooked up and was sure I was right as Burden, Wexford, and the psychotherapist revisit the scene of the crime for the big reveal. Sigh. I will definitely finish this series - finally. maybe this year.
I have read only a few Agatha Christie's, but am well on my way through Dorothy Sayers - I think so far Rendell gets my nod as the grand dame of British mystery writers. show less
I think this was one of the better show more installments though it took its time to get to the solution. Seemed a bit longer than it needed to be. I had a different solution cooked up and was sure I was right as Burden, Wexford, and the psychotherapist revisit the scene of the crime for the big reveal. Sigh. I will definitely finish this series - finally. maybe this year.
I have read only a few Agatha Christie's, but am well on my way through Dorothy Sayers - I think so far Rendell gets my nod as the grand dame of British mystery writers. show less
Wexford’s Paradox
Review of the Arrow Books/Cornerstone Digital Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover (1988).
I didn't enjoy this Wexford as much as the others as the Chief Inspector is off the page for much of the book when he is distracted by his daughter Sheila's activism and then show more becomes injured during a botched bombing attempt. This puts Mike Burden in charge for much of the investigation which becomes a lot of tiresome re-interviews of the same characters. One of those suspects forms a bizarre attachment to Burden and begins to stalk him.
The case itself involves a murdered woman found in a shopping mall parking garage whose body has been covered with a curtain. Various witnesses become suspects as we discover that they and the victim have hidden secrets and issues. Due to Wexford's absence for much of the book we don't get as much of the usual banter and quotes from classical literature which are my favourite moments in the series.
The Veiled One continues my 2023 binge read / re-read of Ruth Rendell and this is the 14th of the Inspector Wexford series. I am mostly reading the Wexfords in chronological order, but had already re-read the 13th An Unkindness of Ravens (1985) last year through the discovery of an old paperback in a storage locker cleanout.
See cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/TheVeiledOne.jpg
Cover image for the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover edition from 1988. Image sourced from Wikipedia By http://pictures.abebooks.com/BIGGMAXX/692300592.jpg, Fair use, Link.
Other Reviews
Review at Publishers Weekly, 1988.
The Veiled One was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 3 Episode 7 in 1989 with actor George Baker as Inspector Wexford. You can watch the entire 3 episodes on YouTube here. show less
Review of the Arrow Books/Cornerstone Digital Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover (1988).
‘Have you ever heard of the Fallacy of Enkekalymmenos?’
‘The what?’
‘It means “the veiled one” and it goes something like this. “Can you recognize your mother?” “Yes.” “Can you recognize this veiled one?” “No.” “This veiled one is your mother. Hence you can recognize your mother and not recognize her.” - Wexford cites one of the 7 paradoxes of the philosopher Eubulides (4th Century BCE).
I didn't enjoy this Wexford as much as the others as the Chief Inspector is off the page for much of the book when he is distracted by his daughter Sheila's activism and then show more becomes injured during a botched bombing attempt. This puts Mike Burden in charge for much of the investigation which becomes a lot of tiresome re-interviews of the same characters. One of those suspects forms a bizarre attachment to Burden and begins to stalk him.
The case itself involves a murdered woman found in a shopping mall parking garage whose body has been covered with a curtain. Various witnesses become suspects as we discover that they and the victim have hidden secrets and issues. Due to Wexford's absence for much of the book we don't get as much of the usual banter and quotes from classical literature which are my favourite moments in the series.
The Veiled One continues my 2023 binge read / re-read of Ruth Rendell and this is the 14th of the Inspector Wexford series. I am mostly reading the Wexfords in chronological order, but had already re-read the 13th An Unkindness of Ravens (1985) last year through the discovery of an old paperback in a storage locker cleanout.
See cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/TheVeiledOne.jpg
Cover image for the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover edition from 1988. Image sourced from Wikipedia By http://pictures.abebooks.com/BIGGMAXX/692300592.jpg, Fair use, Link.
Other Reviews
Review at Publishers Weekly, 1988.
The Veiled One was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 3 Episode 7 in 1989 with actor George Baker as Inspector Wexford. You can watch the entire 3 episodes on YouTube here. show less
Took me a solid 100 pages or so to warm up to it but man this Wexford is solid. Dorothy and Clifford are some of Rendell’s best “psychological portraits”
I finally understand why Ruth Rendell is considered the "queen of crime." Her books are loaded with excellent dialogue and suspense, well drawn character arcs and an appealing protagonist in Wexford. The story's title hints at the revelation of someone's true nature that has remained hidden. A woman is found dead in a car park. She was a domestic help worker and not very well liked because she gossiped a lot and did a lot of questionable things for her clients. The plot is rather involved and complex. Each layer removed one after the other to reveal a surprising ending. Highly recommend. I didn't read any of the previous books in the series and had no problem reading this one out of order.
In The Veiled One, Chief Inspector Wexford and his longtime assistant Inspector Mike Burden investigate the murder of an older woman found strangled (or garroted) to death in a drab parking garage. Although Rendell demonstrates her usual mastery of psychology, both normal and abnormal, the plot creaks from the contrivances the writer forces on it. Simply put, too much happens by coincidence, which, in part, necessitates a long-winded denouement.
Early on, Wexford is removed from the investigation, bringing Burden front and center. Perhaps overly eager to prove his worth, Burden's prime suspect--actually his only suspect--is Clifford Sanders, a sad, obviously disturbed young man with the mother from hell. Burden pursues his quarry with a show more dogged enthusiasm that Inspector Javert might have envied. Again and again, Burden interrogates the young man for hours on end, certain that with the next interrogation, he'll finally confess. But somewhere along the way, their roles are reversed, with surprising and tragic consequences.
So despite its structural problems, the novel is worth reading, if only for those luscious scenes between Burden and Clifford.
[bookcover:The Veiled One|361611] show less
Early on, Wexford is removed from the investigation, bringing Burden front and center. Perhaps overly eager to prove his worth, Burden's prime suspect--actually his only suspect--is Clifford Sanders, a sad, obviously disturbed young man with the mother from hell. Burden pursues his quarry with a show more dogged enthusiasm that Inspector Javert might have envied. Again and again, Burden interrogates the young man for hours on end, certain that with the next interrogation, he'll finally confess. But somewhere along the way, their roles are reversed, with surprising and tragic consequences.
So despite its structural problems, the novel is worth reading, if only for those luscious scenes between Burden and Clifford.
[bookcover:The Veiled One|361611] show less
A woman is found dead in a parking garage, strangled by some kind of garotte. Before he is far into the case, Chief Inspector Wexford has to let go of the investigation when he lands in the hospital, victim of a car bomb. Mike Burden takes it on with enthusiasm. He becomes convinced that he knows who the killer is, and works hard to find evidence to prove it.
There are connections all over the place with this case, however. The woman who discovered the body is the mother of a young man with odd characteristics, and the body was covered with a curtain from her house. The dead woman used to work as a home health aid, going into others' homes, and thus has connections with many who might be suspects.
And what about that bomb? Wexler's show more actor-daughter Sheila has been active in peace demos recently. Was it meant for her? If so, how can Wexler protect her from future attacks?
Although clearly distracted by the attack, Wexler nonetheless takes the time to go over what has been done in the investigation and asks some key questions. Actually, for him it is a relief to be able to take his mind off his family part of the time.
Ultimately it's quite a messy trail with so many possibilities. show less
There are connections all over the place with this case, however. The woman who discovered the body is the mother of a young man with odd characteristics, and the body was covered with a curtain from her house. The dead woman used to work as a home health aid, going into others' homes, and thus has connections with many who might be suspects.
And what about that bomb? Wexler's show more actor-daughter Sheila has been active in peace demos recently. Was it meant for her? If so, how can Wexler protect her from future attacks?
Although clearly distracted by the attack, Wexler nonetheless takes the time to go over what has been done in the investigation and asks some key questions. Actually, for him it is a relief to be able to take his mind off his family part of the time.
Ultimately it's quite a messy trail with so many possibilities. show less
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Ruth Rendell (1930-2015) Ruth Rendell was born in Essex, England on February 17, 1930. She was educated at Loughton County High School. Rendell began her career as a journalist. She wrote six novels before sending her work in to a publisher. She writes crime novels and psychological thrillers, and is best known for her Inspector Wexford books. show more Rendell also writes under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. Rendell has received many awards for her writing, including the Silver, Gold, and Cartier Diamond Daggers from the Crime Writers' Association, three Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America, The Arts Council National Book Awards, and The Sunday Times Literary Award. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Many of her titles have been made into films and made-for-tv movies. Rendell died on May 2, 2015. She was 85 years old. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Veiled One
- Original title
- The Veiled One
- Original publication date
- 1988
- People/Characters
- Mike Burden (Detective Inspector); Reginald Wexford (Reg, Chief Inspector, Kingsmarkham CID); Dora Wexford (Reg's wife, mother of their daughters, Sylvia and Sheila); Jenny Ireland Burden (Mike's 2nd wife, former teacher, mother of his third child); John Burden (Mike's oldest child by his first wife, Jean); Mark Burden (Mike & Jenny's two-year-old son) (show all 51); Sylvia (Reg and Dora's elder daughter); Neil (Sylvia's husband); Robin (Sylvia & Neil's elder son); Ben (Sylvia & Neil's younger son); Sheila Wexford Thorverton (Reg & Dora's younger daughter, actress, activist, going to divorce Andrew); Dr. Crocker (Len); Prentiss (Wexford's Scene-of-Crimes Officer); Detective Constable Archbold; Polly Davies (Kingsmarkham police officer); Dr. Basil Sumner-Quist (pathologist, Sir Hilary Tremlett is on holiday); Charles Griswold (Chief Constable for Mid-Sussex, resembles a former French President, General Charles de Gaulle); Diana Pettit (a Kingsmarkham police officer); Detective Constable Polly Davies; Detective Constable Marian Bayliss (spelled 'Marion' in the last book); Detective Constable Davidson; Sergeant Martin; Gwen P. Robson (retired Kingsmarkham Borough Council home help, devoted wife); Ralph Robson (retired Kingsmarkham Borough Council Housing Department employee, devoted husband, needs a hip replacement); Lesley Arbel (daughter of Ralph's sister, secretary to the 'agony aunt' at 'Kim' Magazine); Dorothy Sanders ('Dodo', cold and emotionally abusive mother, of Ash Farm); Clifford Sanders (Dodo & Charles' son, a part-time teacher at Munster's, is he insane?); Serge Olson (Clifford's therapist, has a degree in psychology); Roy Carroll (Ash Farm Lodge, the Sanders' neighbor, has a bad temper & a missing wife, Margaret); Archie Greaves (a policeman's dream witness, lives across from the shopping centre); David Sedgeman (Barringdean Shopping Centre supervisor/car park supervisor); Linda Naseem (Tesco Supermarket checkout assistant); Sandra Dale (the 'agony aunt' [advice columnist] for whom Lesley Arbel works); Dita Jago (widow, superb artist with knitting, Auschwitz survivor, Robson neighbor); Nina Jago Quincy (Dita & Arthur Jago's daughter); Melanie Quincy (the older granddaughter, keeping an eye on her little sister); Hannah Quincy (does not appreciate Melanie trying to make sure she breaks nothing); Donaldson (Wexford's police driver); John Whitton (student & stay-at-home dad); Rosemary Whitton (a full-time systems analyst, more Robson neighbors); Scott Whitton (most likely the toddler rather than the baby); Trevor Morrison (another neighbor); Nicola Resnick (She and Trevor live together); Rosie Unwin (Sandra Dale's assistant at 'Kim' Magazine); Stephen Brook (Gwen Robson used to help the woman next door to his mother-in-law); Helen Brook (went into labor the same day as the murder); Ashtoreth Brook (their baby); Grace (Jenny Burden's sister); Sergeant Bray; Police Constable Savitt; Police Constable Leonard
- Important places
- Kingsmarkham, West Sussex, England, UK (village); Highlands, Kingsmarkham, West Sussex, England, UK (a neighborhood); Barringdean Centre, Kingsmarkham, West Sussex, England, UK (a new castle-shaped shopping complex); Kingsmarkham Police Station, Kingsmarkham, West Sussex, England, UK
- Related movies
- Ruth Rendell Mysteries: The Veiled One (1989 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- For Simon
- First words
- The woman was lying dead on the floor when he came in.
- Quotations
- This was no news to Wexford, that hip replacements could be carried out almost at once if the patient were prepared to pay but that the waiting time for National Health Service surgery might be very protracted. The unfairness... (show all) of this was not lost on him, but he was more intent on trying to access the genuiness of Robson's disability. (chapter 3)
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)They had begun to rebuild his house.
- Original language*
- inglise
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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