From Doon With Death / Ruth Rendell

 

From Doon With Death by Ruth Rendell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't think that mystery novels had anything new for me to discover. Man, was I wrong and I'm so pleased about it. For me, the choice of murder victim in this novel stood out. Why in the world would any one go to the bother of killing and dumping a boring, plain woman like Margaret (Godfrey) Parsons? All the men in the case take one look at her photo and pretty much dismiss the most common motive. She's a dowdy housewife and her demise can't be explained by regular motives.

Enter Inspector Wexford, a man who I think I am going to like. He's a poetry buff, rather like one Adam Dalgliesh of P.D. James' creation. But unlike the refined Dalgliesh, Wexford isn't above some coarse policeman's talk. That roots him in reality.

And reality seems to be what interests Rendell. The town that the Parsons live in isn't some charming little English village. It's a town that's become just like any other town, the way all cities seem homogeneous these days, with exactly the same chain stores and restaurants along any main street, defying you to know exactly where you are, Spokane or Saskatoon. The problems are those of the early 1960s, when women were just starting to extricate themselves from being exclusively housewives and starting to reach for sexual equality.

Which brings us back to Margaret, our apparently boring, somewhat religious, utterly unremarkable victim. As Wexford investigates, he discovers a slightly mysterious past. I feel this just goes to show that all of us have past indiscretions that we have papered over and attempted to forget. Next time you meet someone who seems without a single redeeming feature, muse upon what might be found out about them during a murder investigation! While they tell you (as Margaret told the grocery store clerk) what they plan to cook for supper, imagine that this person has had at least one startling relationship or impulsive action lurking in their background and your new acquaintance would be horrified if you knew about it. We all have more in us than most other people will ever appreciate.

This is the first book featuring Wexford, so I assume they will improve. I've enjoyed this one thoroughly so I very much look forward to the next investigation.


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