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Loading... Not in the Flesh (original 2007; edition 2007)by Ruth Rendell
Work InformationNot in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell (2007)
   Books Read in 2016 (3,677) No current Talk conversations about this book.  Margaret09 | Apr 15, 2024 |   Review of the Seal Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover (2007). I seem to be entering the area of diminishing returns with the late Wexfords. I don't know if it will be the same case with the late non-Wexford-Rendells or the Barbara Vines, as I haven't read any of them yet. The level of enjoyment is diminishing as the cast on the police side increases and the amount of quotable banter between Wexford and Burden decreases. The cases are becoming ever more complex and unrealistic and it seems that every book has to have a subplot involving one of the tiresome Wexford daughters and their current social cause. The case begins with a truffle dog unearthing a long buried skeleton in a filled in ditch. Various suspects come to light in the vicinity and soon yet another skeleton is discovered in an abandoned shed. There is a lot of tracing of previous inhabitants but the actual identity of the victims remains a mystery for the longest time. Confusion abounds as unrelated 'relatives' give DNA samples to add to the problems. A reclusive author and a bizarre household with a present and a past wife living under the same roof become the centre of the investigation and of course Wexford solves it all in the end. Not in the Flesh continues my 2023 binge read / re-read of Ruth Rendell and this is the 21st of the Inspector Wexford series. I have had to skip over Wexford #15 to #18 as I haven’t been able to source them yet. I think I'm going to give the Wexfords a rest for a while and try out some non-Wexfords for a bit. See cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/RandomHouse_Hutchinson_RuthRendel... Cover image for the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover edition from 2007. Image sourced from Wikipedia.. Wexford's Laws Wexford’s Law No. 7 appears in this book. Wexford’s Laws are occasional thoughts about quirky observations made by the Chief Inspector for which he assigns a number. In the list he kept in his head, Wexford’s Seventh Law was that while women like cold food and loved raw food, men do not. Favourite Quotes When the man had gone he said, ‘“Life is but a process for turning frisky young puppies into mangy old dogs and man but an instrument for converting the red wine of Shiraz into urine.”’ Wexford didn’t recognise the quotation. ‘Who said that?’ Other Reviews Review at Rich, Tangled and as Sharply Observed as Ever by Kirkus Reviews, June 10, 2008. Trivia and no Link Not in the Flesh was not adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as the novel was published after the series had ended. (  ) alanteder | May 11, 2023 |  ) kmajort | Feb 9, 2018 | ) featherbear | Oct 6, 2016 | ) SmithfieldJones | Jul 10, 2016 | no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesInspector Wexford (21)
Searching for truffles in a wood, a man and his dog unearth something less savoury-a human hand. The body, as Chief Inspector Wexford is informed later, has lain buried for ten years or so, wrapped in a purple cotton shroud. The post mortem cannot reveal the precise cause of death. The only clue is a crack in one of the dead man's ribs. Although the police database covers a relatively short period of time, it stores a long list of Missing Persons. So Wexford knows he is going to have a job on his hands to identify the corpse. And then, only about twenty yards away from the woodland burial site, in the cellar of a disused cottage, another body is discovered. The detection skills of Wexford, Burden, and the other investigating officers of the Kingsmarkham Police Force, are tested to the utmost to see if the murders are connected and to track down whoever is responsible. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.53)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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What holds the interest in this book is that though the plot is wholly believable, it's quite impossible to guess where it's really going until well towards the end of the book. There's a plot, and a sub-plot. There are characters who look at first as though they're there to make the numbers up. They aren't. Each has an imprtant part to play.
I think I've said enough. If you enjoy Inspector Wexford tales, this won't disappoint (