Books Set in Europe: England

The Monster in the Box, by Ruth Rendell (2009)

I find Ruth Randell’s writings to be either very, very good, or not so good. This mystery novel was not so good.

The Monster in the Box is in her Inspector Wexford series. (Maybe I am just not a fan of this Inspector.). Early in his career, Inspector Wexford was investigating the murder of a woman who’s husband was ultimately convicted of the crime. At the time of the investigation, Wexford recalled seeing a man on the street wearing a scarf to cover his birthmark. Wexford was convinced the man had something to do with the murder, but being a novice police officer, he kept his thoughts to himself.

Fast forward to the twilight of Wexford’s career, while investigating another murder, he once again runs into the mysterious Eric Targo. Now, however, he has had his birthmark removed, but he still lingers around murder scenes. Until now, Wexford has had nothing to link Targo to numerous unsolved murders around the country.

Wexford’s partner is Mike Burden, whose young wife, Jenny, contacted Hannah Goldsmith, a police officer the department’s liaison officer for various immigrant groups. Jenny, who is a teacher, is concerned that 16-year old Tamima Rahman is being denied a higher education because of her Moslem, Pakistani family’s customs. She is concerned that Tamima will not be able to continue seeing her boyfriend and that Tamima’s family will either force her into an arranged marriage, or will kill her. (Rendell quaintly refers to the Rahman family as “Asian.” Perhaps that is a British thing.) The author seems to use this family to explore Moslem-British prejudices.

Rendell goes off on tangents that are unrelated to the main theme of the book. Wexford thinks back on an old fiancée, how he broke off the engagement, was best man at a near-stranger’s wedding, and the nearly career-killing encounter with a woman who tried to frame him for rape. I found these side stories distracting to the mystery, which already had too many tangents

Finally, about half-way through the book, a crime is committed. Wexford’s gardener his murdered and Targo is the main suspect. As Wexford begins to gather evidence, Targo has gone missing. Finally, Wexford has a reason to delve into Targo’s past. He seeks out Targo’s former wives to build his case. Ultimately, Rendell ties both Targo’s story with Tamima’s.

I was left unsatisfied by the ending. What was it that made Targo the man that he was? Was Tamima’s life really in danger and was she forced into the path she chose? I didn’t care enough about the characters to ponder these questions.


Read: July 19, 2010