The Veiled One
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3.8 • 59 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Inspector Wexford searches for answers after an elderly woman is murdered in this “spellbinder” from a New York Times–bestselling author (Publishers Weekly).
When Chief Inspector Wexford enters the parking garage, the woman is already dead, slumped between two cars, concealed under a velvet shroud. The inspector doesn’t even notice her as he drives away. Only later, when he sees on the news that an old woman was garroted in the shopping mall garage, does he realize how close he was to discovering the body. In a case that starts with a hidden corpse, the truth will be dangerously elusive.
Before Wexford can sink his teeth into the elderly woman’s murder, he is nearly killed himself—by a politically motivated car bombing targeting his daughter. With the inspector in the hospital, the case falls to his partner, the intrepid Mike Burden, who must solve both mysteries before the shopping mall killer strikes again.
The winner of three Edgar Awards, Ruth Rendell was one of the finest mystery authors of the twentieth century. Inspector Wexford was one of her most beloved creations, and The Veiled One is another “stunning” entry in the series (Publishers Weekly).
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This mystery begins with the gruesome and seemingly random murder of a defenseless old woman. Who would do such a terrible thing? Ruth Rendell’s serene but savvy Inspector Wexford is determined to find out, but uncovering the truth might cost him his life—because nothing in this grim, shadowy investigation is what it seems. Rendell is a master of hairpin twists: From the creepy mama’s boy who is the chief suspect to the victim’s possible secret life, each of The Veiled One’s shocking turns sent us reeling. Rendell’s smart and incisive observations about the dark corners of human nature lingered even after the story reached its gripping conclusion. This mystery was so compelling, we immediately started downloading Wexford’s next investigation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rendell's reputation for literary grace, ingenious plots and arresting characters is borne out again in her latest stunning mystery. Surprises abound in the case that bedevils Inspector Wexford and his partner, Mike Burden. When elderly Gwen Robson is found murdered in a shopping-mall garage, suspicion falls on Clifford, the neurotic son of widowed Dorothy Sanders, who reports the crime. At the same time, a bomb destroys Wexford's house and wounds him, leaving Burden temporarily in charge of the investigation. Later, the two detectives join forces again, but Wexford is partly distracted by worries about his actress daughter Sheila, threatened because he has protested publicly against nuclear arms. The chief inspector's psychological insights make him doubt Burden's conviction of Clifford's guilt. Wexford's questioning of the victim's family and the suspect's neighbor, along with some careful study of the agony column in a magazineamong other peculiar sourcesleads him to the truth. It's a spellbinder.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful compelling read!
Finding out more about Detectives Wexford and Burdon is enlightening and exciting.
Compelling
Excellent. Very British; reminds me of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories, but much more psychologically intense. Hard to put down. Intricate plot that challenges your intellect. You can figure out part of the Who Done It, but the complexity of the whole mystery isn't revealed until the end. Great character developmemt. Excellent author. I'll definitely buy her other books!