The fourth in the Chief Inspector Wexford series, reissued in B format to tie-in with the long awaited new Wexford prequel, Monster in the Box. 20030723

Ruth Rendell has quite simply transformed the genre of crime writing. She displays her peerless skill in blending the mundane, commonplace aspects of life with the potent murky impulses of desire and greed, obsession and fear Sunday Times Rendell never fails to come up trumps, and her millions of admirers will eagerly consume this offering as they have all the others. The Irish Times This is Rendell on cracking form, with the entire accoutrements one expects from her. The Good Book Guide A firm grasp of social concerns ensure that her novels are reflective of our own times, as well as hugely absorbing. The Times One of the best novelists writing today P.D. James It's not often you pick up a book where the plot is technically perfect, where the characters all come off the page perfectly formed and the writing is so good that it's impossible to spot an unnecessary word, but which still managed to be a damn good story. I was still reading at 2 o'clock this morning... TheBookbag.co.uk Psychologically acute and extremely disturbing, Ruth Rendell's work is outstanding. The Times [Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age. The Herald

Ruth Rendell has won many awards for her writing, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for 1976's best crime novel with A Demon in My View, a Gold Dagger award for Live Flesh in 1986, the 1990 Sunday Times Literary award, and the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger. In 1996 she was awarded a CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer.