Not in the Flesh

A Wexford Novel

By: Ruth Rendell

Narrated by: Simon Vance

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 11 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 85 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.

©2007 Ruth Rendell (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

“Ghoulish fun....The height of her malevolent powers. Rendell can do whatever she likes and still get away with it.” (The New York Times)

“To call Ruth Rendell prolific is akin to calling the Grand Canyon a slight dip in the landscape..Not in the Flesh is the work of a writer who continues to command respect and satisfy her legion of writers.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

“Vivid and witty. Wexford is his usual smart, compassionate self as he unravels a web of lies and deception larger than any of the characters realize.” (Los Angeles Times)

Plot overload

The twists and turns were contrived and multiple plots were clumsily interwoven with the sole reason of attempting to present a crossword puzzle for the reader to solve and with the intent of proving them wrong.
Characters no-one could possible care about and a sub-plot ( female genital mutilation), that emanated directly from the author’s soapbox.
The famed inspector was made to look like a country bumpkin whose inability to grasp new technology and concepts placed him firmly on an ageist redundancy list.
Vance’s narration was the only reason I kept going with this ludicrous mishmash. Once again, he proved he is a master of his craft.

Excellent

love it very intriguing excellent narrator Simon Vance he narrates some of my favorite books

A good British MYSTERY, with a twist...

This is a Ruth Rendall mystery. It's high funny, British snobbery, but with a limey on the side. Rendell's skulking characters, and a rather befuddled Inspector Wexford turn up. Bodies are everywhere. RR makes me laugh but the "lime is in the details."

A Disappointing Experience

Ruth Rendell’s Inspector Wexford was a favorite of mine in the early years. This book reminded me why I quit following the series. Slow and very unsympathetic characters. The sideline issue didn’t enhance the mystery at all. I suggest anyone interested in this book read the reviews on Amazon before buying the Audible edition.

Simon Vance is one of my favorite narrators but even he couldn’t overcome the mediocre writing in this particular book.