Shelf Control is a weekly meme hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies, giving book junkies like me a chance to highlight some of the lingering titles in our TBR stacks!
What it's about (from the back of the book):
Faith Severn has grown up with the dark cloud of murder looming over her family. Her aunt Vera Hillyard, a rigidly respectable woman, was convicted and hanged for the crime, but the reason for her desperate deed died with her. Thirty years later, a probing journalist pushes Faith to look back on the day when her aunt took the knife in hand and walked into a child's nursery. Through the eyes of a woman trying to understand the unspeakable, inexplicable family tragedy, Barbara Vine leads us through a shadow land of illicit lust, intimate sins, and unspoken passions - to a shattering and illuminating climax, as inevitable as it is expected. In this enthralling masterpiece, a great crime writer has achieved both a flawlessly crafted novel of psychological suspense and a deeply probing work of literary art.
How I got it:
Though I do believe this one is still in print, I found my copy at one of our local used bookstores.
When I got it:
Four years ago. Yikes! Thanks, Goodreads, for letting me know how tardy I am in reading this one.
Why I want to read it:
I actually discovered Ruth Rendell back in 2004 with the release of Thirteen Steps Down, a fantastic psychological suspense that I highly recommend to anyone in search of a truly twisted read. Rendell - and this is actually one of her Barbara Vine titles - is the author of a police procedural series and a number of stand alones including her pseudonymous Vine titles. I started buying them as I came across them in the wake of reading Thirteen Steps Down, but this one in particular was recommended in an author's note/afterword of one of Kate Morton's books (I think). Possibly The House at Riverton. I'm not 100% sure about the exact title at this stage but I do know it was on Morton's recommendation that I searched out the book.
I should note, too, in case Morton's recommendation isn't enough, that Rendell was awarded an Edgar for best mystery in 1987 for Dark-Adapted Eye.
I should note, too, in case Morton's recommendation isn't enough, that Rendell was awarded an Edgar for best mystery in 1987 for Dark-Adapted Eye.
2 comments:
Oh, this sounds good! I've only read one Vine book (The Minotaur), but ended up picking up a couple of others at a book sale a couple of years ago. She's one of those authors whose works I feel like I should know!
Oh, I read this years back and loved it! Good book! Hope you can get to it soon.
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