Updated 7/23/2008

Ruth Rendell Mysteries

I started out to feature Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford on my website. I found that many of the television productions based on this character are not available on DVD. However, Ruth Rendell like her close friend P.D. James, who I already feature on my site, has written may other great mystery stories. Many of those stories have been produced for television and are available on DVD. The stories fall into two categories: mysteries and psychological crime thrillers. Some of the programs were adapted from short stories. I will continue to look for more of her works. As I find them, I will add them to the summaries below. If you would like to see what DVDs and books are available, see the links near the bottom of this page.

1994

"Master of The Moor"

This psychological thriller focuses on a quiet furniture maker and part-time journalist, Stephen Whalby, played by Colin Firth. Stephen is married but spends many hours a day on the moor each day. This life long habit plus other short comings has lead to a lonely existence for his wife. Stephen works with his father who is still bitter and constantly tormented by being deserted by his wife, Stephen's mother, 20 years before. Stephen's life is turned upside down when he finds the body of a murdered woman on the moor. A police inspector who was recently transferred from London to the village because of personal problems is assigned the case. The inspector views Stephen as his prime suspect and is ruthless in his attempts to get Stephen to confess.

1995

"Vanity Dies Hard"

This mystery revolves around the live's of two women, Alice Fielding and Nesta Drage. Although wealthy, Alice got a bad start on life by making some bad choices when young. However, life has turned around for her. She marries a younger man who adores her. She moves into the house she has always loved. Her closest friend is Nesta Drage. Unlike Alice, her life is going badly. Her florist business is not doing well. She is a widow and her love life is a mess. Nesta needs to get away. She plans to move away from the town of Salstead for a while. Although the move is well planned, Alice finds that Nesta has disappeared completely. As Alice comes obsessed with finding her friend, she begins to fear the worst. In addition, she fears that someone is trying to kill her to stop her investigation.

1996

"The Secret House of Death"

In this mystery thriller, Susan Townsend, a divorced mother with a young son, finds herself involved in the mystery surrounding the death of a neighbor and the neighbor's suspected lover. In a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone else's business, it does not go unnoticed that she is becoming involved with the husband of the dead woman. What starts as sympathy for his loss becomes an attraction that she tries to resist. Although attracted to this man, she is haunted by the deaths of his wife and her lover. She decides to investigate the relationship between the victims to try and discover what lead to their deaths. This investigation puts her life in danger.

"A Case of Coincidence"

A serial killer is on the loose in a small town. Four women have been murdered. Then a fifth woman is found murdered in a similar fashion. The press and the Home Office are pressuring the local police to find the killer quickly. A suspect is arrested and at first glance the he appears to have murdered all five; however, there are issues surrounding the fifth murder that bothers one of the detectives enough to continue to pursue the investigation.

1997

"The Double"

This dark sometimes erotic short story is about a superstitious young woman and the belief that if one sees his or her Doppelganger (evil twin), it is an omen of death.

"Bribery & Corruption"

A middle aged woman who was in a loveless marriage and had been having an affair is found murdered floating near a pier. A young man who also had a crush on the victim since he was in his teens finds out his father was the victim's lover and also a suspect in the murder. The young man's girlfriend recalls that she may have seen the murderer the night of the crime and decides to use this information for personal gain.

"Front Seat"

Against her husband's wishes, an overbearing woman buys a summer house in the town where they grew up. The wife's father had been a councilman there and she longs for the prestige that once brought her. The woman meets an old boyfriend who her husband despised. She also discovers that an old seaside bench honoring her father was maliciously destroyed years ago and replaced with bench honoring a man who was accused of killing his wife. The bench is occupied everyday by a woman the councilman's daughter believes was involved in the wife's death many years ago. The councilman's daughter and her old boyfriend set out to discredit the woman on the bench.

"A Dark Blue Perfume"

A woman who husband recently passed away finds herself strongly attracted to a man who recently moved in across the lane. Although the man claims to have never lived in the town before, an acquaintance of the woman believes he is not telling the truth and he could be dangerous. The man is obsessed with finding someone from his past to bring closure to a past relationship. The widow is in love with him and wants to help him resolve whatever it is that is bothering him. Maybe she should have heeded the advice of others and distanced herself from him?

"May & June"

May is the older and less favored sister. The younger June is beautiful and smart. June steals away the most important thing in May's life and goes on the to lead a storybook life. June has wonderful husband, travels the world, becomes wealthy and has high standing in the community. May on the other hand remains single and lives a modest life caring for their parents until their death. When June's husband dies from illness, the sisters are reunited. Will the sisters be able to make piece with each other or will May get her revenge?

1998

"Going Wrong"

Guy and Leonora meet as teenagers. Guy and his two other friends are engaged in drugs, petty larceny and vandalism. Leonora is from a middle class background but finds being apart of the group exciting. She falls in love with Guy. When tragic accident related to drugs takes place, Leonora decides to move on with her life. Years later Guy and Leonora meet again. Guy is obsessed with rekindling their relationship. When he finds out she loves another his obsession turns dangerous.

"You Can't Be Too Careful"

This short physiological thriller is about a single woman moving into a new apartment. The woman, a manager at the company where she works, is considered by those she works with as odd. She is controlling and excessive compulsive. The woman has trouble in relationships with men. In order to afford the apartment, she must find a roommate. Another woman from the office moves in. The roommate is the exact opposite of the office manager which leads to a thrilling conclusion to this story.

"The Orchard Walls"

To escape the blitz in London for the summer, a young girl goes to the country to stay with her aunt. The aunt is a young woman who's husband is in the army in North Africa and she is staying on her husband's family farm with her brother-in-law and husband's mother. The young girl immediately feels the tension in the house. Her aunt seems distracted.

1999

"The Lake of Darkness"

In this thriller, a young accountant leading a dull mundane life wins the lottery. Feeling good that this may signify a change in his life, he decides to give some of the money away to some less fortunate people hoping to bring change to their lives also. He also meets a new mysterious woman who brings passion to his life. But this woman and his philanthropy will lead to an unexpected turn of events.

"The Fallen Curtain"

A short story about a young boy who stops to play on his way to grandmother's house and gets into a car with a strange man. His parents call the police, but he wonders home later that evening. He cannot remember a thing, but his parents are sure he was molested. Over the next ten years the incident has a profound effect on him. What really happen that day?

Stories with Inspector Wexford

1996

"Simisola"

Chief Inspector Wexford gets involved in looking for a missing young woman. When the police go to interview one of the last people to see the missing girl, the person is found murdered. There appears to be a connection between an employment agency, the missing girl and the murder victim. The body of a young woman matching the description of the missing girl is found in a shallow grave. Is this the missing girl?

1998

"Road Rage"

A new highway bypass is being constructed. The plan will require the destruction of old forest and disfigure the countryside in the view of many people. A group of activists have camped out in the forest doing everything possible to disrupt and potentially halt construction. The protests have turned violent. Chief Inspector Wexford is struggling to keep things under control while also involved in the search for a missing German girl who was passing through. The situation becomes worse when five hostages are taken by a mysterious environmental activist group. One hostage is Wexford’s wife.

2000

"Harm Done"

Chief Inspector Wexford is investigating the abduction of two teenage girls. He is also investigating the disappearance of a three year old girl who has gone missing from her bed. While these activities are going on, Wexford is trying to quell the unrest in a neighborhood where a recently released pedophile has come to live with his daughter. As these cases unfold, DCI Wexford is beginning to wonder whether the law is doing more harm the good and to question his judgment.

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Ruth Rendell Mysteries

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Based on the novels of Ruth Rendell