Kissing the Gunner's Daughter - Ruth Rendell

Introduction I am a huge fan of Ruth Rendell's books, particularly the Wexford novels. She writes well, with very few exceptions sucks you in from the beginning and her books usually have a good ending. On the whole, I enjoyed this book very much and think it compares well with her other books. I've already read it three times. The author Most people know who Ruth Rendell is, so I'll keep this brief. She has written huge numbers of crime fiction novels, starting in the 60s. Her (in my opinion) best books are probably the Wexford novels, although she has also written a number of 'one-off' crime ... more

Before I review, I will satisfy your curiousity and explain that kissing the Gunner's daughter was not the happy experience it sounds - it was a 18 / 19 century Royal Navy practice of spread-eagling lads deemed too young to be properly flogged over the cannon for a beating! Now read on .... This is a long novel, and while longevity isn't at all a bad quality, Ruth Rendell has proven repeatedly that her tight, densely structured mysteries function best in shorter, more compact versions. Contrast "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter," a massive 380-page novel with earlier Wexfords like "Shake Hands ... more