End in Tears
by Ruth Rendell
Hutchinson, $261
Ruth Rendell is a writer for her times. More than 40 years since she began publishing crime fiction, her work is still fresh and contemporary, fearlessly tackling key social issues of the day.
That's true of each of her three writing styles: the general crime fiction she publishes under her own name, her Barbara Vine psychological thrillers and, in particular, the 20 books known to devotees as 'the Wexfords' - her character-driven series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Reg Wexford and his sidekick, Inspector Mike Burden.
Environmental destruction, racial tension in country towns, religious fundamentalism and domestic violence have all featured in recent Wexfords, not as some heavy-handed message from the author but woven into the fabric of the narrative.
This was a considered decision by Rendell. She decided if she was to keep writing about a detective of whom she had already written so much, one whose personal life was, for many readers, as fascinating and important as the cases he solved, she would focus on topical issues to keep the series from becoming dull and herself interested in it.
