I presumed Rendell wrote in the vein of the classic/ golden age mystery novel, but ‘No Man’s Nightingale’ didn’t seem to fit into this vein.

Next time you meet someone who seems without a single redeeming feature, muse upon what might be found out about them during a murder investigation! It isn’t as brilliant as A Dark-Adapted Eye, for example, but it’s a solid detective murder mystery and I enjoyed it.I must confess that as I reached the 40% marker or so, I was worried that this might get a bit dull and disuade me from the series. When someone frames it as being of wider sociological interest to do the exact thing I already love, you know I cannot resist.

First edition, first impression, of the author's first book, and the first of the Inspector Wexford thrillers.

I always say that a little flattery of the reader by an author is a surefire way to gain a readership.

Margaret Parsons was a shy, unexceptional woman who lived a Spartan existence with her dour husband in a decrepit Victorian house.From Doon with Death (the origin of the 'Doon' nickname is never explained in the book as far as I noticed) was quite a clever mystery with a radical (for its time) twist in its reveal ending. This was written in 1964 and my dad would have been 43 and Wexford was 52 so they were close in age. Margaret Parsons appears to have no enemies and seems to live a quiet life with very little excitement.

I kind of get a kick out of reading books that have Shocking Content (for their time), but because of the way society has evolved, the content that was shocking before is no longer shocking and indeed has become sort of — you know. It then says that a read-through of Rendell’s oeuvre is like reading a social history of England from 1964 to the present. There is a strong sociological commentary throughout, in this book in particular as far as class differences and sexual politics go and author's attitude is stunningly, notably progressive for the time. The way the book is structured, it will all build to a moment in which that identity is revealed and if the reader feels surprised it will likely result in a rush of excitement and general good feeling.While it is a manipulative move designed to try to add power to his explanation at the end, I think that information is only needed if something does not occur to the reader that they might figure out for themselves. Means of Evil → When Wexford and Burden attend wholefood fanatic Axel Kingman's wedding, they never suspect that they will shortly be investigating the new bride's death.