A review by thecommonswings
The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine, Ruth Rendell

3.0

The first whodunnit I ever solved was Christie’s The Mirror Cracked From Side to Side and there’s definitely some similarities between that book and this which, again, I managed to work out with about a hundred pages to go. It’s a fine book, as all Rendell’s Vine books are, but because the big twist is rather melodramatic and lurid she tries to hide it by making the book stately and melancholy and as such it really does drag in places. The plot about the House of Lords is fascinating, and obviously one dear to her heart, but at times seems a tad dry and although it’s purpose makes structural sense it does rather end up making the book feel rudderless and distracted at times