Reviews

Trece Escalones = Thirteen Steps Down by Ruth Rendell

Only show reviews with written explanations

dhb1964's review against another edition

3.0

Yes, yet another Ruth Rendell book that I've read. This one didn't feature Inspector Wexford and wasn't a mystery per se, but a thriller. It was interesting and had some rather eccentric characters in it and I liked it up until the end. I'm not sure why, but the ending seemed a bit flat given everything that led up to it.

rockyc5's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Content Warnings

gemmafawn's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

votelannister's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

books about clinically insane women: quirky, fun
books about clinically insane men: not quirky, not fun, sick and twisted, dread-inducing

sardinetin's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

It's probably fairly obvious that crime fiction is by far and away my favourite genre, ever since a teenage obsession with the novels of Agatha Christie. It therefore seems almost sacrilegious to confess that I am not hugely familiar with the work of Ruth Rendell.

This novel differs wildly from the standard 'whodunit' format. Perhaps a better description would be 'whydunnit', as Rendell seeks to get inside the mind of a murderer and his motivation. From that point of view, this certainly made a refreshing and interesting change for me. Unfortunately, I felt there were three basic problems with this novel, firstly, that the main character Mix Cellini was fundamentally unlikeable, the minor supporting characters were unbelievable, and there was too little mystery to keep me guessing.

maya_kaur's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

It is the first book I have read by this author and it was better than I had expectedp (but that'snot much to go by considering I was expecting trash). Had only picked it up for an easy read but was surprised by the complexity of some characters. I particularly enjoyed Gwendolen's character and, in fact, would love to read a book centred on her life - there was so much i wanted to know about her. My criticism, however, is that it felt quite drawn out at times and had pacing issues. I feel it could have been written in about 250 pages. Overall, if you like a good crime thriller that's an easy read and you don't mind the slow pace, this one is not a bad choice...but not the best.