Murder Being Once Done

Wexford Down but Not Out
Review of the Arrow Books/Cornerstone Digital Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the original Hutchinson hardcover (1972)

Wexford viewed it grimly: two circular biscuits apparently composed of sawdust and glue, a pat of unsaturated fat, half a sugarless grapefruit, black coffee and, crowning horror, a glass of wobbly pallid substance he took to be yoghurt. - Inspector Wexford is put on a diet by his doctor.

No one but a fool follows a regimen that debilitates him while moderate indulgence makes him feel good. - Wexford’s opinion about his diet.

This continues my 2023 binge read / re-read of Ruth Rendell's (aka Barbara Vine) novels and it is the 7th in the Inspector Wexford series. Rendell keeps the series fresh by show more having Wexford forced to take a vacation and to improve his health regimen under doctor's orders. He goes to London with wife Dora to visit his nephew who is a high ranking Inspector in the police there. Wexford bristles under the doctor's diet carried through by Dora and his nephew's wife Denise. Meanwhile his nephew has been ordered to keep police work away from Wexford's orbit. A high profile case sends Wexford off on his own private investigation which he tries to hide from his family.

See cover image at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/MurderBeingOnceDone.jpg
Cover image for the original Hutchinson hardcover edition from 1972. Image sourced from Wikipedia.

It all comes out though, and Wexford is brought in as an unofficial consultant on the case. He stumbles badly though with his first proposed solution and is embarrassed in front of his nephew's police squad. Will he have to crawl back to Kingsmarkham in Sussex, having been shown up by the superior investigative forces in the city? Or will he solve the case despite all? You can guess the rest 😊.

Another favourite quote from the book:

’One doesn’t like to take a back seat, to live vicariously.’ Wexford sighed. ‘The tragedy of growing old is not that one is old but that one is young.’ - Wexford quotes Oscar Wilde.

Trivia and Links
Murder Being Once Done was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 5 Episodes 4 to 6 in 1991 with actor George Baker as Inspector Wexford. You can watch the entire 3 episodes on YouTube here. To reduce the need for extra characters in the TV adaptation, Wexford visits Mike Burden, who has been temporarily assigned to London, instead of his nephew as in the book version. show less

This series consistently provides that distinct pleasure that comes from tying up the loose ends in a well crafted police procedural. The Wexford books don't have grand aspirations. They are entertainments, not overwritten, that manage to reflect human concerns as the cases unfold.

In this book Wexford is on a rest cure following a health scare, staying in London with his nephew Howard, who also happens to be with the police. As he struggles with self-doubt triggered by the perceptions of him by others as old, infirm, and unprepared to cope with the challenges of urban crime, Wexford nevertheless gives in to his curiosity and pursues the solution to a puzzling case in Howard's bailiwick. In her usual manner Rendell provides plenty of red show more herrings to distract us (and Wexford), but also plenty of clues for those (including Wexford) who pay attention.

Although there are uncountable numbers of books (I've given up on trying to control my TBR list) in many genres that it would give me pleasure to read, I continue to find my ongoing group re-read of this series to be a good use of my time. Sometimes you don't need to be challenged or enlightened. You just need to be distracted. show less

This is a bit of a departure for Inspector Wexford. Because of a health scare, he has taken time off work and is staying at his nephew's house in London for a while. His wife Dora and nephew Howard's wife Denise are delighting in preparing him healthy meals, while Wexford is delighting in hating the food. This part of the story is familiar; Wexford always resists healthy foods and Rendell always presents foods that do not sound appetizing (a bit of a sore spot for me, because I know that healthy foods can be delicious). What is different here is Wexford's cautious, worrying approach to police work.

His doctor had said do not get involved in work. Do not follow Howard to Scotland Yard, where Howard has a prestigious position. Bucking show more doctor's orders is not unusual for Wexford, but feeling out of sorts and lacking confidence is quite different. We are used to seeing the confident Wexford, confident to a fault even. But here, when he manages to insert himself into a case with Howard's blessing (reluctant blessing because of doctor's orders), he worries about putting a foot wrong. He frets that he will be seen as a country bumpkin and fears making mistakes.

Nevertheless, Wexford cannot help getting involved and obsessing over the case. In the process he finds himself in a pub now and again, joyfully having a drink and eating something not so nutritious. Both the food and the mental stimulation don't seem to be the worst things for him. show less

Following doctor’s orders after a health scare, Chief Inspector Wexford is recuperating at his nephew’s home in London. Wexford’s nephew Howard is also a detective. Wexford is sick of being coddled by his wife and his nephew’s wife, and he’s feeling very sorry for himself. One day he reads about a murder in the newspaper, and he realizes that it’s his nephew’s case. He’s hurt that his nephew hasn’t mentioned it, let alone ask for Wexford’s advice, so Wexford sets out on his own to solve the murder before the local police.

Rendell provides plenty of clues for the reader, but the clues may be interpreted in different ways. It’s like those optical illusion puzzles where some people see a candle while others see faces.

(20) The 7th in the Inspector Wexford series. In this one Wexford is staying with his nephew, a police inspector in London. He is supposed to be taking it easy given recent health issues. But of course he gets entangled in a murder investigation. A dead body is found in a mauseleum - no a fresh dead body of a young girl - and no one reports her missing. Who is she and who killed her? I really thought I had this one figured out - followed all the clues for once. But it turned out I just took the bait as Rendell meant that I should.

I liked this one as well or perhaps a bit better than the others I have read. There were a lot of references to St Thomas Moore's 'Utopia' which I have never read that were a bit lost on me. There were a lot show more of musings about parenthood and to what degree a man or a woman would go to for a child. This was the dark theme to be brooded upon in this novel.

I was surprised by the ending but in a good way. In this mystery, I felt I should have figured it out and had noticed the clues but 'prematurely closed my argument' without considering everything. I like when a mystery gets me like that, and this seems to be the first one in the series that I felt delightfully tricked and understood all the loose ends.

I will continue to read this series - they are definitely growing on me and seem to be hitting their stride. show less

Wexford has been sent on a vacation to London by his doctor, and it's driving him nuts. In addition, his host is a nephew who is also in the police force, in London, and has an unusual case which he feels he must not discuss with his guest on doctor's orders. Nonsense, of course, and Wexford finally breaks through and assists. Poverty, sad circumstances, questionable adoptions, oppressive religious sects all factor in. I did miss the ultimate murderer, and was glad when it was revealed, as I didn't want it to be anyone else.

Chief Inspector Wexford has been ordered to take a vacation and keep to a strict diet after a health scare, so he heads off to London to stay with his nephew Howard, who happens to be a chief superintendent in London’s police force. It is not long before the body of a young woman is found in a cemetery, and of course Wexford cannot possibly avoid helping his nephew with the investigation….I had read all of Ruth Rendell’s Wexford series ages ago, except for this volume which I only found recently. Reading it completely out of context, and having long forgotten the course of the series, I thought it might be a difficult read, but it turns out that Ms. Rendell’s writing shines through whether one is familiar with the characters or show more not. I quite enjoyed the story, and now I’m considering re-reading the whole series, from the beginning! show less