Senta Pelham is a mirror image of Flora, the lovely marble bust Philip fanaticized about for so long. But life, like art, is not always what its mere surface suggests. And Senta's strange world of make-believe, where truth and falsehood are eerily interchangeable, soon draws Philip into a shadowy cloister of vague and uncertain terror.
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"One of her most compelling suspense novels. The characters are so well drawn, the dialogue so natural, you really think you might know these people. But thank God you don't because ...Well, I'd better not say anything more. If you love psychological suspense, you will love Ruth Rendell. "
— Helen (5 out of 5 stars)
" Home to Hickory Hollow books have yet to let me down! I have enjoyed listening to each of them. This was the 2nd book from Home to Hickory Hollow that I purchased and I was hooked until the end. "
— MCL0411, 4/25/2017" Really liked it -until the ending. I don't remember what happened because I read it so long ago, but I definitely remember throwing it against the wall after the last page. "
— Kari, 2/15/2014" I have yet to read a poor Ruth Rendell mystery. in fact I have enjoyed reading them all. Not all at once but over the years. "
— Lili, 2/7/2014" This is a page turner. Riveting and strange. "
— Joanne, 1/21/2014" This was the first Rendell book I read. She has become one of my favorite authors. "
— Cyd, 1/17/2014" what a disappointing ending! :( really good write here+there,especially philip's state of feelings in the end,but plot-wise kind of disappointing... "
— Jana, 1/15/2014" 99% of a riveting novel, let down 100% by a totally sloppy ending. I love Rendell/Vine, but this novel was such a disappointment to me, only because I felt the ending was a total cheat. Not happy. Not happy at all. "
— Lyn, 1/8/2014" Very slow read. Also, I pretty much figured out what was going to happen. Usually when I read a book like this, I can't put it down and finish it in one sitting. It took me almost a week to read it. It just didn't keep me interested. "
— GG, 1/8/2014" Ruth Rendell is the queen of the psychological mystery. Senta Pelham is one of the most sublimely creepy characters ever. "
— Andrea, 11/2/2013" Fantastic book! Rendell really crafts some great characters with this one - dark, suspenseful, psychological... yeah, it's well worth the read, definite page-turner. "
— Matt, 10/30/2013" This book just made me feel a bit queasy. Thank God it was only fiction! Seriously creepy, just a little bit weird, and once again Ruth Rendell delves into her book of weird character names. "
— Jayne, 10/13/2013Ruth 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.
Barbara Rosenblat, one of the most awarded narrators in the business, was selected by AudioFile magazine as one of the Golden Voices of the Twentieth Century. She has received the prestigious Audie Award multiple times and has earned more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has also appeared in film, television, and theater, both in London’s West End and on Broadway.