by Ruth Rendell
First published 2011
Chief Inspector Reg Wexford has hung up his badge. He splits his time between Kingsmarkham and his daughter Sheila's London coachhouse, reading books and adjusting to civilian life. The quiet routine suits him, though he misses police work more than he admits. A chance encounter on a London street changes everything. Tom Ede, once a young constable under Wexford's command, now holds the rank of Detective Superintendent. He needs Wexford's expertise on a baffling case. Three bodies have turned up in the coal cellar of a St John's Wood house. Two women, one man, all without identification. The man's jacket holds a fortune in jewelry: pearl strings, diamond and sapphire necklaces worth forty thousand pounds. Wexford cannot resist the puzzle. He agrees to advise on the investigation, eager to exercise his detective skills again. The case draws him back into the world he knows best, but this return to duty will put him in mortal peril.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-detective, second-chance
Setting: Kingsmarkham, London, St John's Wood
Period: Present Day
288 pages · Hardcover · Scribner