A new Chief Inspector Wexford mystery from the author who Time magazine has called “the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world.” When the truffle-hunting dog starts to dig furiously, his master’s first reaction is delight at the size of the clump the dog has unearthed: at the going rate, this one truffle might be worth several hundred pounds. Then the dirt falls away to reveal not a precious mushroom but the bones and tendons of what is clearly a human hand. In Not in the Flesh, Chief Inspector Wexford tries to piece together events that took place eleven years earlier, a time when someone was secretly interred in a secluded patch of English countryside. Now Wexford and his team will need to interrogate everyone who lives nearby to see if they can turn up a match for the dead man among the eighty-five people in this part of England who have disappeared over the past decade. Then, when a second body is discovered nearby, Wexford experiences a feeling that’s become a rarity for the veteran policeman: surprise. As Wexford painstakingly moves to resolve these multiple mysteries, long-buried secrets are brought to daylight, and Ruth Rendell once again proves why she has been hailed as our greatest living mystery writer.
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"This is a typical Ruth Rendell book. She is very cunning at beginning slowly and then building the reader's interest to a culminating peak of interest and curiosity, to see "who dun it." I enjoy her books very much and this one is a "keeper"."
— MaryMagoon (4 out of 5 stars)
" This was good; funny to have a detective named "Barry Vine"; and I couldn't begin to guess the outcome of the mystery. I like her writing as Barbara Vine in "The Birthday Present" even better, but either way her books are always engrossing and entertaining. "
— Liz, 2/18/2014" Really good book. Now I'm on to Monster in the Box, also by Ruth Rendell. "
— Buffy, 2/9/2014" as the stars say...... it was ok "
— Olddognewtricks, 2/8/2014" Not quite as good as other Wexford novels. "
— Nina, 2/1/2014" This Rendell was okay, some wild characters. But I'd skip this and go right to THE ST. ZITA SOCIETY (just finished) or PORTOBELLO (reading now). "
— Jane, 1/30/2014" nicely written...it reads really well...much better than the usual writing for this genre...the characters actually seem real as does their conversation...nothing seems contrived. "
— Natalia, 1/21/2014" I found the first hundred pages of this book quite boring and the pace of the story very slow. I have put the book aside and am not sure that I will pick it up again. So glad it is a borrowed copy! "
— Chana, 1/16/2014" This was somewhat dissapointing, convoluted and the end was not that big a revelation. "
— Katy, 1/11/2014" I just discovered the Inspector Wexford series and I love them! "
— Michelle, 1/8/2014" Great mystery and part of the Wexford series. Set in England in current times. "
— Angie, 12/20/2013" I have started this Dectictive Wexford book. I like any crime books that are set in England. I am almost on chapter 3 and I started this book on 1/24/12. More to come later. I was losing interest in this book. Anyhow I might try back later. "
— Emily, 12/10/2013Ruth 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.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.