End in Tears

There's a lot going on in this murder tale involving modern women, their menfolk, and their babies. The story encompasses three or four seemingly disparate plot lines, plus lots of trademark observation about modern manners, morals and attitudes. Two reckless young women get murdered, Wexford's daughter almost tears the family apart, a young policewoman embarks on a strange affair, and other females get themselves into all kinds of trouble, some serious, some not. Wexford and Burden soldier through the drama as usual, trying to make sense of a world in which crime sometimes seems to be an extension of ordinary cruelty and lack of care. Also familiar to Rendell fans is the why-done-it nature of the mystery and the expert handling of suspense. I can understand why some reviewers think it's a difficult read, but I think it really repays the effort. I found the coincidences in the book to be acceptable as artistic license, as well as illuminating.

Chief Inspector Wexford has been on duty since 1964's FROM DOON WITH DEATH and his adventures, penned by Ruth Rendell, are among the most acclaimed mystery novels of the last four decades. Rendell has created a thorny puzzle for her hero in the latest series entry, END IN TEARS. Wexford and Rendell are in fine form. One question --- who killed young mother Amber Marshalson? --- leads to a series of related mysteries that frustrates Wexford and his team. Meanwhile, Wexford confronts a familial controversy that threatens his relationship with his wife and daughter. A burgeoning relationship between two members of the investigative team provides the novel's other key subplot. That secondary story highlights one of the book's major concerns: the intersection of different moral worldviews. Cultural, generational and gender differences fuel a host of conflicts throughout the book, but Rendell turns many a stereotype on its ear, particularly in the romance between Detective Sergeant Hannah Goldsmith --- who seems determined to put all the conventions of the past firmly behind her --- and Detective Constable Bal Bhattacharya, who is equally determined to slow down the pace of the modern relationship. Hannah's quest to rid herself of old ways of thinking provides much of the book's comic relief: "The occupant of number one was a horror. Hannah knew she shouldn't be ageist, but really there were limits. She realized she had an irrational dislike of old men. Not old people, only men. This prejudice shouldn't be allowed to go on and perhaps she should think about having counseling for her problem. Briefly, she lifted her fingers from the computer, thinking about whether to go back to her old counselor or find one specializing in relations with the elderly." Hannah's inner life --- rife with disapproval of the attitudes of most everyone she comes into contact with --- is one of the novel's few lighter touches. In general, END IN TEARS maintains a dark tone. The tendrils of Rendell's plot snake over an impressive range of emotional territory and entangle a sizeable number of characters, many of them desperately unhappy. Rendell is a patient writer, never hurrying her story along. Indeed, the action of the novel takes place over four months, a span that lets the author's plot spin out in a variety of directions. The reader gets a clear sense of the frustrations and blind alleys of an investigation. The long path is muddy from first step to last, and even an attentive reader may be forgiven for losing the thread, especially as Rendell weaves her story together from vignettes that follow various investigators hither and yon. Any confusion felt by the reader, however, is admirably reflected in Wexford's own struggles to untangle the villainy at play. Rendell eventually brings her various storylines together in a suspenseful final act that is followed by Wexford's detailed, if convoluted, illumination of the mystery's solution. END IN TEARS is brilliantly st

Most mystery stories focus on either the detectives or the plot. End in Tears is a nice exception in that the crime context and the incidental characters are also a focus. The result is a very satisfying story that will leave you thinking deeply about the vulnerability of those who want to become mothers. Here are the three major story lines: 1. Amber Marshalson, an unwed teenage mother, is murdered by being bashed in the head as she walks home after a night out with friends. The investigation soon reveals that Amber had been a target of an earlier attempt that had led to a similar car being smashed by a weight dropped from above. Who killed Amber is Chief Inspector Wexford's first focus. The investigation turns up that Amber was involved in some seemingly illicit activity. What had she been up to? Detective Inspector Burden is convinced that it's drugs, but Wexford is skeptical. The investigation is further complicated when her seeming partner is also murdered. 2. Chief Inspector Wexford's daughter, Sylvia becomes pregnant to provide a baby for her ex-husband's girl friend, Naomi, who cannot conceive. Family relations become quite strained over this decision. 3. Detective Sergeant Hannah Goldsmith finds herself attracted to Detective Constable Baljinder Bhattacharya . . . and the feeling seems to be mutual. But there are complications. One of the best parts of the book is the way that Ms. Rendell points out the pressures on Wexford and shows how he uses small things . . . like his decisions to eat or not eat healthy foods . . . to handle the stress. Anyone who loves the Wexford series will be delighted by this book. If you haven't read any books in the series, you'll find yourself engrossed . . . and wanting to read more. Feel free to go back and enjoy 19 earlier novels!

Everyone loves a British whodunit, especially when it comes from the redoubtable pen of Ruth Rendell. This is the 20th story with Inspector General Reg Wexford as the lead character, and time hasn't dimmed his appeal. He may not be a hero to his younger colleagues at the Kingsmarkham police station in Sussex but he is to millions of listeners/readers throughout the world. One reason for his popularity may be his accessability - it's a struggle for him to follow doctor's orders, a losing battle to make him exercise regularly, he has problems with his daughter, and he's not very good at avoiding temptation, although he does sit on his hands when in a pub to avoid the tempting bowl of cashew nuts. As in previous tales he is accompanied by friend and fellow officer Mike Burden. End In Tears focuses on the killing of two young women. At first the deaths seem unrelated. In the initial fatality a hunk of concrete was shoved off an overpass onto a car beneath. Months pass and then another murder - Amber Marshalson is cruelly, almost sadistically beaten to death late at night as she returns from a round of nightspots. Her killer was seen waiting for her, but not identified. Investigation reveals that Amber was driving her car directly behind the car that was crushed. Further, the two cars closely resembled each other. It is also learned that the two women had traveled to Germany together. Burden immediately assumes that drugs are somehow involved. Wexford thinks otherwise. It is now obvious that someone had gone to great lengths to make sure that Amber was dead. But, who and why? Broadway, television and cinema actor Daniel Gerroll has an impressive list of appearances to his credit, including the films Chariots of Fire, Big Business, and 84 Charing Cross Road. British by birth he has a deft way with accents. Gerroll has the voice for this Sussex based mystery. He delivers his tale with polish and just enough world-weariness for the often perplexed Wexford. - Gail Cooke