An Unkindness of Ravens

An Inspector Wexford Mystery

By: Ruth Rendell

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Chief Inspector Wexford finds nothing unusual in the disappearance of Rodney Williams, a husband and father who likely has run off with another woman. But when the man’s car and suitcase are discovered abandoned, can a body be far behind?

Confounded by a string of violent stabbings, a strident schoolgirl clique, and the seemingly placid domesticity of his neighbors, Wexford’s detective instincts must take flight in order to bring down a murderer.

With a keen wit and even sharper plot, Rendell weaves a suspenseful web of ever-tangling secrets, double-crosses, and double-lives.Investigate more cases with Inspector Wexford.©1985 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd. (P)1990 Recorded Books, LLC

Intricate murder mystery.

This is a slow-paced, detail-oriented murder mystery with a lot of twists, turns, and dead ends. It's a bit "dated", so if you are interested in up-to-date, technological procedurals with current cultural references, this may not be your cup of tea. That said, it is interesting, well-written, and has good characterizations. The narrator does a good job with the different character voices. The ending ties up the loose ends a bit too abruptly for me, but maybe that's just the "twistiness" of the story itself.

Ravens, carrion who clean up the mess.

It's a police who done it! Full of for me the psychology of a murderer. Fast Action is needed to solve who and why as the murders continue. The Police believe they know what is going on but need more solid proof to win a case in court. This tale includes;womens lib, bigomy, incest and birth. with a bit of Froid. Think it's a too full plate? Well it actually works. Great story!.

A bit convoluted

Davina Porter is always a great Narrator and I enjoy listening to her because she does a good job distinguishing the characters. In this book however, the plot was a bit convoluted and complex with too many characters to keep track off. So for me, many of the female characters sounded alike.

This is my second Inspector Wexford book and overall it’s ok. It does a good job shedding light on police procedural and how exacting and tedious it could be going around and around in circles and following up on minute details. This however does tend to slow down the pace making the book tedious at times. And as some said in reading the book reviews, for such a complex plot, the ending was a bit rushed. As most of the reveal was done in the wrap up at the end based on offline interrogations with the suspects, where only snippets in flashback were revealed.

I was surprised that it took Inspector Wexford some time to put the pieces together. Not sure if I will listen to more of Inspector Wexford. As police procedural goes, it’s a bit bland and I find E.C.R Lorac Inspector MacDonald books more engaging.

A weirdly dispiriting story

Wow. Hard to express how, well, ugly this story is at almost every level. Ugly characters; ugly setting; plot is twisty in an ugly way; ugly denouement; grating narration. It is well written and constructed , but really an antithesis of all me too type sensibility. Even the supposedly sensitive protagonist, inspector Wexley, is amazingly obtuse.

Fascinating Plot

Wonderful read for feminists. History of women's place in British Society revealed in a fascinating serial murder case. Powerful story that keeps the listener glued to book.