A Judgement in Stone

"Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write." There now...you want to read the novel, don't you? That first sentence certainly grabbed my attention. No mystery about whodunit, or missing children, or murderers trying to escape apprehension--just a fascinating examination of the motivation of a woman lacking education, imagination, humor or conscience. Over 150 pages we come to know and like the Coverdales, a perfectly nice (but not "perfect") family desperate for a housekeeper, who hire Eunice without asking for references, and are initially delighted with her performance. She is efficiency itself, nothing is too much trouble for her, she's satisfied with her wages and accommodations, in short, they show more consider themselves extraordinarily lucky to have her. Even when misgivings begin to creep in, they bend over backwards not to offend her, because peace, domestic comfort and a well-run home were worth almost any price. Eunice is only strange, she isn't mad; but then she falls in with a local shopkeeper and former prostitute who persuades her to join the Epiphany Brethren, an evangelical religious "camp" with some very strange notions of sanctity and vengeance. Since we know from the beginning that the Coverdales are doomed, it's bittersweet watching them go about their ordinary pleasant and privileged life, all unaware of the fate that awaits them. When Eunice's friend goes off the deep end, she pulls Eunice right along with her, but Eunice is neither surprised nor alarmed by the outcome. "A stone that breathed was Eunice, as she had always been." For psychological thrills and gold-plated irony, you can't beat Ruth Rendell. She really delivered the goods with this one. show less

I would say this is Rendell's finest: we know everything right from the beginning, all the layers are peeled very quickly so that culprit, motive, murder, weapon, all are at the forefront. Yet Rendell keeps us captivated as she unfolds the details of the story, dropping little fragments of the future here and there to keep the reader engrossed and wondering how the police will discover the murder - and will she get away with it. I loved every bit, even the tiresome Joan Smith. Brilliant!

(41) You know I just can't give this any less than a perfect rating. Shudder. I honestly think this beats Capote's 'In Cold Blood,' for its ability to haunt. Granted this is not based on a true story, but it is incredibly similar in its menacing relentless quest to bring the reader to a point they know they are going to from page 1, yet somehow you still hope it can be avoided. . .

Artistically, empirically . . this has got to be close to a perfect novella. In less than 200 pages the characterizations are deft, the setting perfectly rendered, the foreboding atmosphere exquisite. As it crept closer to Valentine's Day, I felt a cold stone in the pit of my stomach especially thinking about sweet in love Melinda and teenage Giles and his show more exuberant studies. I am no English teacher or literary critic but you could just feel the expert use of foreshadowing, dramatic tension, psychological suspense all being blended in a symphony that made for an entertaining, yet haunting and unforgettable reading experience.

I have such pathos for the imperfect Cloverdale family much like the family in 'In Cold Blood' and such horror when thinking about Edith Parchman. Such a sociopath but not overdone with a real tragic flaw. Again - shudder. read it. Superb psychological thriller. show less

This is not a mystery since the crime and the killer and her motive are explained in the first sentence. Instead, the book recounts the months leading up to this terrible killing and concludes with a few short chapters about how the police figured out what really happened. The book is impressive because of the sense of impending doom that is maintained throughout the book. The book also has a nice allusion to Don Giovanni since the murder takes place during a TV performance of the opera and the killer is described as being like stone.

Ruth Rendell opens the book with a fantastic line “Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.” The Coverdales are a wealthy family living in Lowfield Hall, a country house in Suffolk. George is manager of his family business and sees himself the local squire. His second wife Jacqueline is an indifferent housewife who, desperate for domestic help, recruits stodgy Eunice Parchman at the beginning of the book. Also living at the Hall are George’s exuberant and attractive daughter Melinda and Jacqueline’s bookish and remote son Giles.

Eunice starts out quite well and soon becomes indispensable, but within just a few months things have gone very wrong and she, along with her accomplice Joan Smith, show more kill the Coverdales with George’s shotgun on Valentine's Day. This is not a spoiler since the author herself tells you the ending in the first few pages. By the end of the second chapter we know what’s going to happen and even why. This is one of those books that made me wonder if there could be any sort of surprise in its pages. Well....this is one of the most effective suspense novels I've ever read. The tension continues to rise so gradually that by the time I got to the murders I could hardly stand it. Even knowing how it ends doesn't diminish the anxiety.

The structure is probably more like a true crime book than a work of fiction. It's a wonderfully told story and I highly recommend it. show less

How does conflict within relationships build up to the point of murder? This is the question that Ruth Rendell seeks to answer. Eunice Parchman joins the Coverdale household as a housekeeper and ends by killing her employer and relatives. But how can such a thing happen when Eunice appears to be so bland and self-effacing? The strength of this tale is the narrative built through careful description of incorrect assumptions about a person and the unfortunate misunderstandings that follow. Excellent writing supports a story that tells you in the first fifty pages the bare facts of the crime and the secret Eunice harbors, but then another 200 pages outlines how the conflict built to the point of a massacre. Almost no blood and guts on the show more page, but not by any means a cozy read. Marvelous early work by Ruth Rendell! show less

Ruth Rendell is such a good writer that she can reveal the plot ending and you still want to read the book just to find out how it all comes together. This was one of her best ones (and I've read many) - almost lyrically written and the family so lovingly drawn that I kept thinking there was no way she was going to kill them off. A great study of psychopathy fueled by illiteracy.