About
Ruth Rendell
Ruth Rendell (1930-2015) was an English crime writer renowned for her psychological thrillers and for creating the memorable characters of Chief Inspector Reg Wexford and Inspector Barbara Vine. Born in London, Rendell worked as a journalist and a teacher before publishing her first novel in 1964. Her prolific career spanned over 60 novels, including the Inspector Wexford series, the standalone thrillers, and the Barbara Vine books (written under a pseudonym). Rendell's works garnered critical acclaim and multiple awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award three times, the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and a nomination for the Man Booker Prize. Her novels have been praised for their complex characters, intricate plots, and exploration of human nature's dark side. Rendell's writing has been translated into over 20 languages and has been adapted for television and film.
Book Series by Ruth Rendell
Inspector Wexford Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| From Doon With Death | 1964 | Buy on Amazon |
| Sins of the Fathers / A New Lease of Death | 1967 | Buy on Amazon |
| Wolf to the Slaughter | 1967 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Best Man to Die | 1969 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Guilty Thing Surprised | 1970 | Buy on Amazon |
| No More Dying Then | 1971 | Buy on Amazon |
| Murder Being Once Done | 1972 | Buy on Amazon |
| Some Lie and Some Die | 1973 | Buy on Amazon |
| Shake Hands Forever | 1975 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Sleeping Life | 1978 | Buy on Amazon |
| Death Notes / Put On By Cunning | 1981 | Buy on Amazon |
| Speaker of Mandarin | 1983 | Buy on Amazon |
| An Unkindness of Ravens | 1985 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Veiled One | 1988 | Buy on Amazon |
| Kissing the Gunner's Daughter | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ginger and the Kingsmarkham | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| Simisola | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| Road Rage | 1997 | Buy on Amazon |
| Harm Done | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Babes in the Wood | 2002 | Buy on Amazon |
| End in Tears | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| Not in the Flesh | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Monster in the Box | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Vault | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| No Man's Nightingale | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
Inspector Wexford Collections Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Means of Evil | 1979 | Buy on Amazon |
Ruth Rendell Other Novels
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| To Fear a Painted Devil | 1965 | Buy on Amazon |
| Vanity Dies Hard | 1966 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Secret House Of Death | 1968 | Buy on Amazon |
| One Across, Two Down | 1971 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Face of Trespass | 1974 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Demon in My View | 1976 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Judgement in Stone | 1977 | Buy on Amazon |
| Make Death Love Me | 1979 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Lake of Darkness | 1980 | Buy on Amazon |
| Master of the Moor | 1982 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Killing Doll | 1984 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Tree of Hands | 1984 | Buy on Amazon |
| Live Flesh | 1986 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Dark-Adapted Eye (As: Barbara Vine) | 1986 | Buy on Amazon |
| Talking to Strange Men | 1987 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Fatal Inversion (As: Barbara Vine) | 1987 | Buy on Amazon |
| The House of Stairs (As: Barbara Vine) | 1988 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Bridesmaid | 1989 | Buy on Amazon |
| Going Wrong | 1990 | Buy on Amazon |
| Gallowglass (As: Barbara Vine) | 1990 | Buy on Amazon |
| King Solomon's Carpet (As: Barbara Vine) | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Crocodile Bird | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| Asta's Book / Anna's Book (As: Barbara Vine) | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| No Night Is Too Long (As: Barbara Vine) | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| In the Time of His Prosperity (Short Story) (As: Barbara Vine) | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Brimstone Wedding (As: Barbara Vine) | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Keys to the Street | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Sight for Sore Eyes | 1998 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Chimney Sweeper's Boy (As: Barbara Vine) | 1998 | Buy on Amazon |
| Grasshopper (As: Barbara Vine) | 2000 | Buy on Amazon |
| Adam and Eve and Pinch Me | 2001 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Blood Doctor (As: Barbara Vine) | 2002 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Rottweiler | 2003 | Buy on Amazon |
| 13 Steps Down | 2004 | Buy on Amazon |
| Minotaur (As: Barbara Vine) | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Water's Lovely | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| Birthday Present (As: Barbara Vine) | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| Portobello | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| Tigerlily's Orchids | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Saint Zita Society | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Child's Child (As: Barbara Vine) | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Girl Next Door | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| Dark Corners | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
Ruth Rendell Short Stories/Novellas
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Convolvulus Clock (Short Story) | 1985 | Buy on Amazon |
| Heartstones (Short Story) | 1987 | Buy on Amazon |
| Long Live The Queen (Short Story) | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| Thornapple (Short Story) | 1998 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Thief (Short Story) | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
Ruth Rendell Short Story Collections
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Fallen Curtain | 1976 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Fever Tree | 1982 | Buy on Amazon |
| The New Girlfriend | 1985 | Buy on Amazon |
| Collected Short Stories | 1989 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Copper Peacock and Other Stories | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| Blood Lines | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
| Piranha to Scurfy | 2000 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ruth Rendell: Short Stories | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| Collected Stories Vol 1 | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Spot of Folly | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
Ruth Rendell Children's Books
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Archie and Archie (Short Story) | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
Ruth Rendell Non-Fiction Books
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Ruth Rendell's Suffolk | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Reason Why | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
Ruth Rendell Anthologies
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Simply The Best Mysteries, Edgar Award Winners And Front Runners | 1970 | Buy on Amazon |
| The 23rd Pan Book of Horror Stories | 1982 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Web She Weaves | 1983 | Buy on Amazon |
| Murder in the Dark | 1983 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ready or Not: Here Come Fourteen Frightening Stories! | 1987 | Buy on Amazon |
| English Country House Murders | 1988 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Picador Book of the New Gothic | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| Mystery Cats | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| 1st Culprit | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Man Who... | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| Women of Mystery | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1992 | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| Fifty Best Mysteries | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3rd Culprit | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| Women of Mystery II | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: November 1994 | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993 | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| Murder Intercontinental | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| Murder by the Book | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| Win, Lose or Die | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| Women of Mystery III | 1998 | Buy on Amazon |
| Crime After Crime | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
| Crime Never Pays | 2001 | Buy on Amazon |
| The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 | 2002 | Buy on Amazon |
| Murder On The Railways | 2003 | Buy on Amazon |
| Feline Felonies | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| Unforgettable Ghost Stories by Women Writers | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| Great Modern Stories | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| Midsummer Nights | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| Short Stories: The Thoroughly Modern Collection | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| Murder in Midsummer: Classic Mysteries for the Holidays | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
| Murder Takes a Holiday: Classic Crime Stories for Summer | 2021 | Buy on Amazon |
As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.