Means of Evil and Other Stories

This review refers to the paperback edition. This is a somewhat short collection of five stories featuring Inspector Wexford, a person whose age and position are similar to Inspector Morse (as seen on PBS). Four of the stories are set in England, and one on the Adriatic coast where Inspector Wexford and his wife were on vacation. Three of the stories involve murders, one a case of switched children, and the last an attempt to reopen an older, historic case. The settings seem to be in roughly the 1970's to 1980 time frame.I personally thought that the plots were quite good for shorter stories. The stories reflect English laws and customs, so guns are not used and the violence is considerably less than in the macho, have-gun-will-travel, type novel often found in the U.S. (perhaps this is why many people like English mysteries). The characters come across well, and the plots are well developed. In one case, a guilty party is identified, but there is some question as to whether the guilt can be proven in court.

This is a very, very good short story collection. Each of the stories within is a little gem of detective fiction./ they are just as ingenious as any of her novels, the crimes just as compelling and the psychology just as accurate. the characters are well drawn and Wexford is on absolutely brilliant form. They are clever, incredibly enjoyable, and unguessable. They are an excellent showcase of all Rendell's talents, and i would reccomend this short story collection to any fan of detective fiction. Enjoyment is guaranteed.