Ruth Rendell is one of Britain’s best known crime writers. For many years now she has been producing three different kinds of crime fiction. I’d say ‘churning out’, but that gives the idea that her books are standardised or mass produced, which certainly is not the case. She writes the Inspector Wexford stories, which are ‘police procedurals’, stories which involve crime but don’t focus on its detection, sometimes called Ruth Rendell Mark II, and psychological crime stories written under the name Barbara Vine. Her most recent Inspector Wexford story is The Monster in the Box (2009). And while it is not my favourite, fans of Inspector Reg Wexford will find much to enjoy. And if by chance you are new to Rendell’s work, a good Wexford is a good place to start.
The title comes from the idea that if you have troubling thoughts, one way to deal with them is to imagine putting them into a box and shutting them safely away. And this is what Wexford has been doing more or less successfully with his thoughts about a disquieting incident that happened when he was a young policeman. The most junior officer at the scene of a murder, he became convinced that Eric Targo, a neighbour of the murdered woman with apparently no connection to the victim, was nevertheless guilty of the crime. And he believed that Targo knew he knew, and was laughing at him. Over time, Wexford came to believe that Targo was responsible for at least two other murders, but never had the slightest evidence linking him to the crimes. Now he sees Targo again and there is another murder. Is it possible that Targo is involved? Or is the whole thing just an obsession?
In both her non-Wexford books, and in her Barbara Vine stories, Rendell is often interested in exploring the ways in which the past can affect the present. The question here for Wexford is whether the past really is relevant to the present, or whether his obsession with Targo is distorting his judgement. In telling the story of his involvement with the man, Rendell also reveals more about Wexford’s background; she tells us about his love of books, his relationships with women and how he met his wife Dora. This helps both to round out Wexford’s character, and provide a context for his earlier involvement with Targo. It also allows Rendell to comment on the changes – good and bad, that Wexford sees in Kingsmarkham, the town where he lives and works. ‘Were things better?’ he wonders. ‘The answer was always the same, some better, some worse.’
The sub plot is also about an obsession – and it concerns a subject that is another preoccupation of Rendell’s – that of race relations in England. One of Wexford’s junior colleagues, DS Hannah Goldsmith, is concerned, almost to the point of obsession, that a young Pakistani girl who might have gone on to university is instead being forced into an arranged marriage, which is a crime in Great Britain – another clash of tradition and modernity. This time it is Wexford that doesn’t believe her. So is either of them right about the potential crimes they are obsessing over?
In the previous Wexford book, Not in the Flesh, the sub plot was about female circumcision in a migrant Somali family, and racism was at the core of an earlier Wexford book, Simisola. But while concerned about racism, she acknowledges what a difficult issue it is by showing Hannah’s dilemmas in dealing with her crusade. Wexford muses that experience had taught him:
what deep waters one struggles to swim in when plunging into the traditions of another culture … Oversensitivity was likely to be Hannah’s problem, notably her propensity to bend over backwards to avoid uttering the slightest word that might be construed as criticism of some nasty (Wexford’s word) custom. He had even heard her taking great care not to condemn the Chinese process of footbinding… He wondered how acceptable it had been for a middle aged Muslim like Mohammed Rahman to be questioned by a young woman in jeans and a rather too low cut top. Hannah was sensitive only in patches.
For all that there is so much of interest in this book, I found the main plot line a little bit slow, and a little bit disappointing in its resolution. I can’t tell you why without giving the game away, but I will say that I think that in the best Wexford stories, Wexford comes to understand the motives of the villain as an extension of ordinary motives and concerns, but pushed over the edge into crime. That really isn’t the case here, and to me, the whole issue of motive remains unsatisfactory. It’s true that Wexford does a good job of reasoning out the chain of events, and it’s refreshing to have a detective that relies on good old fashioned nous rather than miracle scene of the crime technology. But remarkably little happens, beyond Wexford’s back tracking over past crimes. Nor does he seem overburdened with work, as he has a surprising amount of time to follow up on his own hunches and intuitions. Also, the British police seem to have the power to question people without a particular reason in a way I suspect would be considered harassment in Australia.
Interestingly, I have read diametrically opposing reviews of this book, and perhaps this is because some people prefer plot over character and vice versa. I enjoyed it, because I always enjoy Rendell, her social awareness and her way of describing characters, but being someone who really values a good plot, I don’t think it’s one of her best. That said, even her not so good is better than most people’s best.
If you would like to know more about Ruth Rendell click here.
What Book to Read? 
[…] though he can’t keep out of the detecting business. They include The Monster in the Box (2009) here, The Vault (2011) here and sadly the last one, No Man’s Nightingale (2013) […]
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It definitely feels to me that I’ve been at it lnoegr than almost one year, bybee. I’ve met so many people in that short time that it sort of distorts my sense of how long it’s been.I did have a rather irritating time with a political blog for about six months…that seemed liked five years in real time.
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I went to the library a lot as a kid and young man. Then I stetrad buying books and rarely went at all. Just a dozen years ago I stetrad going again, and use the library a lot.The library I used in SoCal, like the one Jeff mentions, closed for expansion and remodeling, and when it reopened it had many fewer books, many more computers and meeting rooms and such.When we got to Portland, the system here was/is much better. I don’t go to the excellent main branch often as it’s downtown and parking is an issue, but the local branch, coupled with on line catalog, allow me to get most of what I want. I do like you and others: put it on hold and pick it up. I get my book recommendations from blogs or Washington Post Book section online, or from Mystery Scene magazine. Our library usage is ten times what it was a decade ago.
Thanks for introducing a little rationality into this debate.
Absolutely, and similiarly to yours.I used to go to the Central Library in Brooklyn at Grand Army Plaza reglaurly – a couple of times a month at least. I’d look at new books but then browse the huge fiction sections plus history, etc. I haven’t been there in months.I also went to the local library (we have two) at least once a week and just looked through the shelves. The closest one to us was closed for renovation for two years and when it reopened – we had already changed our allegiance to the second, larger one – was smaller, with fewer books!In the meanwhile I’m like ytu. I see books recommended on various blogs and in magazines, put them on reserve and just go pick them up. While I’m there I might look at the shelves for a few minutes but it’s not the same.Jeff M.
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[…] to be the last of Rendell’s stories featuring Inspector Reg Wexford. You can read my review of it here. But Ruth Rendall fans, like me, can be grateful that she has relented, and given him at least one […]
Yep sure do. Saves me buying more boeevholsks Plus I pay rates so I figure I should get something nice for my money not just boring stuff like getting my rubbish picked up!Truthfully visiting the public library has always been an essential part of my life. One of the first things I’ve done when moving into a new area is sign up for a card. What can I say? I’m a cliched librarian who loves to read!
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