Reviews

A Guilty Thing Surprised by Ruth Rendell

hpuphd's review against another edition

4.0

This author sets an incredibly high standard with her many novels, and while this one may not be among her masterpieces, it is awfully good. Rendell excels at keeping the reader off balance in a pleasing way. You see that throughout this novel about a woman killed while on a late-night walk. All the things that come out when the police look into it . . . yikes! (The victim’s brother, who is a Wordsworth scholar, is a fine touch.)

davidlz1's review against another edition

3.0

Not a bad read. Ms. Rendell apparently improves over time with each subsequent writing. One of the nice things about her writing style is that she incorporates a number of obscure adjectives which is wonderful in expanding one's vocabulary. The story itself was full of twists and turns. The ending was completely unexpected (at least by me) and it actually provoked a combination of sadness and repulsion at the same time. Definitely worth the read. A bonus in that it is a short novel which means it will not cannibalize all your time.

nichola's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

So I feel stupid about being so chuffed with this one but I pegged this one in about the first 20 pages. 

Not sure why, but I just knew. Maybe because the incest trope is so common in UK murder mysteries. *shrugs* 

Either, quite liked the possibility of guessing this one. Didn't love the narration about Wexford and the little Dutch girl. There were some very weird statements in there, which make me uncomfortable.

vsbedford's review against another edition

3.0

Sets a great tone, but is a bit disappointing in the resolution of the central mystery. I'm always frustrated when a revelation arrives out of nowhere and the murderer revealed in the last chapter - though in this case, if the reader had familiarity with the life of Wordsworth the story may have resolved from the third chapter!

bucherca49's review against another edition

4.0

Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" provides the epigraph, title, and theme of this novel.

High instincts before which our mortal Nature
Did tremble like a guilty thing surprised:
But for those first affections,
Those shadowy recollections,
Which, be they what they may
Are yet the fountain-light of all our day, . . .

parablesarah's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

It is a tidy psychologically motivated mystery. 

ellis2's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

crazeedi73's review against another edition

4.0

I really like this one, the best so far in the series

meiklejohn's review against another edition

2.0

It's interesting to read the early Wexford books after starting with the more recent ones. Rendell doesn't quite know what to do with Wexford - she's trying to make him like Adam Dalgliesh, aloof and over-given to quoting poetry. It doesn't make him sympathetic, and the fact that he becomes a completely different character in the later books is a good thing. The "big twist" in this one was also telegraphed a mile away and the written confession was overwrought. I will probably forget that I read this one, down the road.

celiaedf12's review against another edition

3.0

An Inspector Wexford is always an enjoyable read, and I liked listening to this book while on the bus (and playing Drop7 in my iPod, which I am currently addicted to). Elizabeth, a woman who appears to have been universally liked, is killed in the woods - so of course, the Inspector needs to delve into her mysterious past. Dun dun duuuun.