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THE MONSTER IN THE BOX: RUTH RENDELL

COMPELLING: Why Wexford is thinking outside of the box

Friday November 6,2009

By Barr Forshaw

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IF YOU think the human race is basically kind-hearted and that we are a perfectible species, then perhaps the dyspeptic Ruth Rendell is not the author for you.

But for those of us with a more cold-eyed view of life Rendell’s books are bracing confirmations of what we all secretly know: that many of us are capable of the most appalling actions given the right circumstances and the right motivation.

That’s not to say that her books are depressing – quite the contrary – and the criminal here in her latest offering is one who (thankfully) very few of us could find ourselves identifying with. The eponymous box here is a metaphorical one, used by Rendell’s long-term protagonist, the resourceful Inspector Wexford.

The notion is to imagine a box in which you can file away the most unacceptable incidents from the past and shut them off. When Wexford was a young copper he encountered Eric Targo, a man whose love of animals was not reflected in his attitude to human beings. Targo was prepared to commit the most terrible domestic violence.

Wexford’s feeling that he was dealing with a psychopathic monster was not echoed by his superiors and he was obliged to file away the case. But now he comes into contact with Targo again. Targo has by now acquired a menagerie of animals. Is Wexford correct in thinking he is dealing with a serial killer he should have brought to justice years ago?

Fans argue about which are her best books – the long-running Wexford series or her dark, stand-alone novels. The Monster In The Box combines elements from both . Wexford is as strongly characterised as ever but the darkness of the narrative plunges into uncomfortable territory .

It is the detail that makes it so compelling, even when Rendell is scoring points.

She clearly loathes political correctness and with the hyper-PC Hannah Goldsmith, Rendell misses not a single rapier thrust.

Her fans need not hesitate.

Hutchinson, £18.99