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End in Tears: A Wexford Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,021 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The award-winning author of Babes in the Woods and The Rottweiler brings us another gripping Inspector Wexford novel. A lump of concrete dropped deliberately from a little stone bridge over a relatively unfrequented road kills the wrong person. The driver behind is spared. But only for a while... One particular member of the local press is gunning for the Chief Inspector, distinctly unimpressed with what he regards as old-fashioned police methods. But Wexford, with his old friend and partner, Mike Burden, along with two new recruits to the Kingsmarkham team, pursue their inquiries with a diligence and humanity that make Ruth Rendell’s detective stories enthralling, exciting and very touching.
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"Like all good mystery stories, this had plenty of twists and turns, including a surprise at the end. A bit like Agatha Christie in that there was a long description of who did what to whom and how and why etc towards the end. A good read, but nothing special."
— Heidi (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Meticulous and coolly malicious…Flat-out brilliant.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Within the flexible moral framework of Rendell’s world, all it takes is a murder to bring out the nastiness in everyone. She’s flat-out brilliant at using her quintessentially decent detective and his family, along with his colleagues on the Kingsmarkham police force, to test whatever issues happen to be upending the established order. While not as suspenseful as her non-series crime novels or as dark as the psychological thrillers she writes as Barbara Vine, this carefully plotted whodunit functions as both a subtle case study in the criminal aberrations of parental love and a sly object lesson in the evils of intolerance.”
— New York Times -
“Rendell casts a particularly wry eye at Wexford’s attempts to adapt to particulars of today’s world, from unwed mothers to global warming and quite a bit more. At the top of that list is Wexford’s extraordinarily politically correct subordinate, Hannah Goldsmith, ever on guard for displays of racism or sexism, who finds herself attracted to an Indian inspector whose courtship manners are strictly Old World. Goldsmith provides the mystery with humor, a touch of romance, and its inevitable hairsbreadth escape.”
— Washington Post -
“Once again Rendell provides a thoughtful mystery, persistent suspense, and a welcome return to Kingsmarkham.”
— Daily News (London) -
“Suspense and surprise…Rendell displays her incomparable skills to full effect.”
— Orlando Sentinel -
“An unpredictable denouement…Rendell is in top form here.”
— San Diego Union-Tribune -
“Against [a] sinister backdrop stands Wexford, who’s in lion-in-winter mode. He’s irked and perplexed by modern life, by the casual way young girls conceive babies, by the sprawl devouring the once-lush Sussex countryside, even by his own fractious family. But he never loses the anger and dedication that propel him to solve crimes and understand evil…Rendell fans…should be well satisfied.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Plot twists abound for those into neck-snapping plots.”
— Bookmarks magazine -
“A rich cast of characters makes up for the mechanical plot in Rendell’s twentieth Chief Inspector Wexford mystery, starring the shrewd, grandfatherly detective and his handsome, considerably younger sidekick, Burden…Prolific three-time Edgar winner Rendell proves a master at rendering the joys and sorrows of human relationships.”
— Booklist -
“Wexford emerges from an intricate web of red herrings to identify a sadly amateurish scam and a surprising killer. Average for Rendell’s distinguished list of whodunits, which makes it just a whisker below state of the art.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“John Lee’s great achievement in reading Ruth Rendell’s twentieth novel about Chief Inspector Wexford is his ability to draw the reader into the story. Lee provides a fully voiced performance of the book, differentiating the characters effectively; furthermore, his use of silence, of pace, of even his ever precise diction manages always to make the story intriguing. Lee’s accomplishment is all the more worthwhile since the novel, while as insightful about human nature as Rendell’s other Wexford books, is a bit straightforward and unsurprising in its plotting…Lee sounds truly interested in the story, and in some indefinable way that compels the listener’s attention, too. Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
Rendell knows how to make your hair stand up straight on your head
— Maeve Binchy -
Rendell’s eerie capacity to comprehend disturbed criminal minds continues to astonish
— The Times
Awards
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Long-listed for the 2007 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
End in Tears Listener Reviews
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" Good listen! I like how Ruth Rendell really leaves you hanging until the very end and mixes in lots of irrelevant details to keep you thinking. "
— Jill, 2/19/2014 -
" not ruth's best, but certainly not bad "
— medi, 2/5/2014 -
" Two years ago, I've read my first Ruth Rendell novel. Yesterday, I finished End in Tears, another powerful Wexford mystery set in England, when it starts off with a murder of a teenage girl, and what kind of life she led before her death, and then another teens turns up missing, when she ended up dead. There's a connection between the two girls, when the links fall into place, and a shocking twist right into the end you won't believe. Plus, there's a possible blooming romance between two of Wexford's colleagues, and Wexford's daughter Sylvia's surprising third pregnancy. A good novel all the way around. "
— Kristen, 1/26/2014 -
" Not her best read but a good one. Able to put it down and read other things in between so no page turner but I love her twists. This one has a bit too much moralizing in the theme. "
— Sylvia, 1/17/2014 -
" Much more complex and nuanced than many of her novels. "
— Sharon, 1/11/2014 -
" Ruth Rendell makes my beloved Agatha Christie seem hopelessly out of date and fusty! I'm very interested to read more. Though I didn't end up loving this book so much, I thought it was really well done. "
— Sonia, 1/6/2014 -
" Disappointed couldn't get into it not enough character development to be intrigued and storyline was too jumpy. "
— Linda, 12/25/2013 -
" I hadn't read a Ruth Rendell in many years, and this has been at Cynthia's forever. I finally picked it up to read at the lake cabin when I'd finished the two books I took with me. Gotta look for more Wexford mysteries! "
— Sallie, 11/19/2013 -
" good addition to the inspector Wexford collection--but not as good as the previous one--she is a good writer "
— Catherine, 11/4/2013 -
" Not one of her best. And disturbingly misogynistic, come to think of it. Why did I give it three stars again? "
— Susie, 10/17/2013 -
" Not Rendell's best. The concidences of family and murdered subjects are not credible. The ending is too pat. "
— Connie, 10/1/2013 -
" Rendell does it again. I LOVE the Inspector Wexford series. Good story, but I hated the new detective, Hannah Goldsmith, though. Her character was a distraction. Excellent read throughout (save for Goldsmith) due to the complex web of motives, possibilities, and wrong-turns. "
— Ronnie, 7/19/2013 -
" adequate English mystery "
— Mary, 3/6/2013 -
" Another great whodunnit from Rendell who keeps you guessing right to the end. I liked the way Wexford's personal life linked in with the case he was working on. "
— Cerys, 12/25/2012 -
" This was an excellent murder mystery. Had me guessing right up to the end. "
— Temple, 11/20/2012 -
" no more wexfords! "
— Shirley, 10/22/2012 -
" A mystery to the very last page!! "
— Mary, 8/22/2012 -
" Classic Rendell "
— Gerda, 9/14/2011 -
" Listened in the car. Pretty good, although not as good as many of her others- there were a lot of red herrings in the case itself on which the story spent an awful lot of time, while it seemed that the real explanation of what happened was less well-developed. "
— Ann, 8/24/2011 -
" I enjoyed the book but I had some issues with the story. The woman who traded this book to me said that the author in general is great but that this one wasn't her best. I will definitely read Rendell's other books. "
— Ruth, 8/12/2011 -
" Nice to see comfortable characters Wexford, Dora and Burden but the plot stretches credulity. "
— Lynn, 6/4/2011 -
" Another Wexford mystery. OK but a lot of characters to keep up with. And in the end, I didn't really care 'who done it'. "
— Maura, 5/16/2011 -
" too many characters involved, getting confusing - didn't really gripped by it "
— The, 5/15/2011 -
" Glad I gave this author/series another shot to 'read' on my commute. Did enjoy this title much better as it seemed more tightly woven then the previous one. Had a big reveal at the end with a surprise murderer so I just may try it again. <br/> "
— Jodi, 4/14/2011 -
" Inspector Wexford explores the death of a girl who is involved in a surrogacy scam. The plot thickens when another girl, Megan, is also killed. "
— Carolynne, 4/13/2011 -
" A mystery to the very last page!! "
— Mary, 4/12/2011 -
" Having now read several of the Wexford series, this has been my favorite one so far. It was full of twists, unexpected happenings, and interesting personalities. "
— Jacque, 3/28/2011 -
" Nice to see comfortable characters Wexford, Dora and Burden but the plot stretches credulity. "
— Lynn, 12/30/2010 -
" not ruth's best, but certainly not bad "
— medi, 10/13/2010 -
" This book was very blah... "
— Jessica, 10/12/2010 -
" definitely not one of her best. halfway through i actually forgot why i was interested in the first place. Do not let this book put you off other ruth rendell books however, because most are brilliant "
— Poppy, 10/9/2010 -
" Ruth Rendell at her worst is better than most. This was middling for Rendell, which is to say, not a bad book. I found the ultra PC detective sargeant a bit annoying, and I didn't care for the way the multiple storylines all climaxed together, but overall enjoyed it. "
— Margie, 8/27/2010 -
" I hadn't read a Ruth Rendell in many years, and this has been at Cynthia's forever. I finally picked it up to read at the lake cabin when I'd finished the two books I took with me. Gotta look for more Wexford mysteries! "
— Sallie, 8/15/2010 -
" Amber Marshallson’s battered body leads Wexford & his colleagues to investigate surrogacy. "
— Kitty, 8/5/2010 -
" Not Rendell's best. The concidences of family and murdered subjects are not credible. The ending is too pat. "
— Connie, 7/10/2010 -
" The longing to have a baby can be so very strong. In this book it leads to two murders, one of a family member. There is also a sub plot going on of a surrogacy scam and some romance between two of the police investigators. In the end, Wexford figures it all out by interpreting a glance. "
— Carmen, 12/28/2009 -
" I have read many mysteries by Ruth Rendell. Literate and very readable, she is one of the best of the mystery writers. I like British mysteries and really enjoyed this one. "
— Mary, 12/1/2009
About Ruth Rendell
Ruth Rendell (1930–2015) wrote more than sixty novels in a career spanning fifty years. She won numerous awards for her writing, including three Edgars—the highest accolade from Mystery Writers of America—as well as four Gold Daggers and a Diamond Dagger for outstanding contribution to the genre from England’s prestigious Crime Writer’s Association. She was also the winner of the MWA Grand Master Award. A longtime member of the House of Lords, she lived in London.
About John Lee
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.