Ruth Rendell Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Inspector Wexford Books
From Doon With Death | (1964) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Sins of the Fathers / A New Lease of Death | (1967) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Wolf to the Slaughter | (1967) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Best Man to Die | (1969) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Guilty Thing Surprised | (1970) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
No More Dying Then | (1971) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Murder Being Once Done | (1972) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Some Lie and Some Die | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shake Hands Forever | (1975) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Sleeping Life | (1978) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Death Notes / Put On By Cunning | (1981) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Speaker of Mandarin | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
An Unkindness of Ravens | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Veiled One | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kissing the Gunner's Daughter | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Simisola | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Road Rage | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Harm Done | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Babes in the Wood | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
End in Tears | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Not in the Flesh | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Monster in the Box | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Vault | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
No Man's Nightingale | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Inspector Wexford Collections Books
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
To Fear a Painted Devil | (1965) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Vanity Dies Hard | (1966) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Secret House Of Death | (1968) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
One Across, Two Down | (1971) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Face of Trespass | (1974) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Demon in My View | (1976) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Judgement in Stone | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Make Death Love Me | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Lake of Darkness | (1980) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Master of the Moor | (1982) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Killing Doll | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Tree of Hands | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Live Flesh | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Dark-Adapted Eye | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Talking to Strange Men | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Fatal Inversion | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The House of Stairs | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Bridesmaid | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Going Wrong | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Gallowglass | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
King Solomon's Carpet | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Crocodile Bird | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Asta's Book / Anna's Book | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
No Night Is Too Long | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In the Time of His Prosperity | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Brimstone Wedding | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Keys to the Street | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Sight for Sore Eyes | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Chimney Sweeper's Boy | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Grasshopper | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Adam and Eve and Pinch Me | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Blood Doctor | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Rottweiler | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
13 Steps Down | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Minotaur | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Water's Lovely | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Portobello | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Birthday Present | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tigerlily's Orchids | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Saint Zita Society | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Child's Child | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Girl Next Door | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dark Corners | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
The Convolvulus Clock | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Heartstones | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Long Live The Queen | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Thornapple | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Thief | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Short Story Collections
The Fallen Curtain | (1976) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Fever Tree | (1982) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The New Girlfriend | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Collected Short Stories | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Copper Peacock and Other Stories | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Blood Lines | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Piranha to Scurfy | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ruth Rendell: Short Stories | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Collected Stories Vol 1 | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Spot of Folly | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Children's Books
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
Ruth Rendell's Suffolk | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Reason Why | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Pan Book of Horror Stories Books
The Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1959) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The First Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1959) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Second Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1960) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Third Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1962) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Fifth Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1964) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Sixth Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1965) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 7th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1966) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Eighth Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1967) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Ninth Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1968) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Tenth Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1969) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Eleventh Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1970) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Twelfth Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1971) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 13th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1972) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 14th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 15th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1974) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 16th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1975) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 17th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1976) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 18th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 19th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1978) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 20th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 21st Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1980) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 22nd Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1981) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 24th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 25th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1984) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 28th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 30th Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Anthology series. |
Publication Order of Anthologies
Murder in the Dark | (0) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The 23rd Pan Book of Horror Stories | (1982) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Web She Weaves | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
English Country House Murders | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Picador Book of the New Gothic | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mystery Cats | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
1st Culprit | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Man Who... | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Women of Mystery | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1992 | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fifty Best Mysteries | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
3rd Culprit | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tales of Obsession | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993 | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Murder Intercontinental | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Murder by the Book | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Win, Lose or Die | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Women of Mystery III | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crime After Crime | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crime Never Pays | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Murder On The Railways | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Unforgettable Ghost Stories by Women Writers | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Midsummer Nights | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Great Modern Stories | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Short Stories: The Thoroughly Modern Collection | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime Volume 10. | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Murder in Midsummer: Classic Mysteries for the Holidays | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Murder Takes a Holiday: Classic Crime Stories for Summer | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Born on February 17, 1930 in South Woodford, London, Ruth Barbara Grasemann, is an English author who focuses on the genres of thriller and psychological murder mysteries. At age 83, Ruth has already completed a vast library of books including 24 novels in the Inspector Wexford series, 26 standalone novels, two novellas, 14 novels written under the pen name Barbara Vine, nine short-story collections, one uncollected short story, one children’s fiction, and three nonfiction novels.
Ruth attended high school at Loughton County High School in Essex. After she graduated from Loughton County High, Ruth attempted to be a feature reporter for the local newspaper, The Chigwell Times, but that career was short-lived after a couple of mishaps due to her irresistible urge to make up fictional stories.
During her career as a news writer, Ruth met her husband, Don Rendell. After getting married at the age of twenty, they had a son, named Simon. In 1975, after 25 years of marriage, they divorced only to remarry two years later.
The Beginning of Inspector Wexford
Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford is a fictional character and is claimed to be an intelligent sensitive man. His wife’s name is Dora, and he has two daughters named Sheila and Sylvia with whom he has a difficult time getting along with. The famous Wexford series begins with Ruth’s novel, From Doon with Death which was published in 1964. In this novel, that later became a movie in 1988, Inspector Wexford investigates the death of Margaret Parsons, after discovering a number of letters from the mysterious Doon. Since this publication, Inspector Wexford has gone on to star in more than 20 other novels by Ruth, however; he did not play a role in her second novel, To Fear a Painted Devil, which was published a year after From Doon with Death. In the television series of From Doon with Death, Inspector Wexford is played by George Baker.
The 60’s
During the 1960’s, Along with her first and second novel, Ruth was also able to write five others. These included three more additions to the Wexford series; A New Lease of Death and Wolf to Slaughter in 1967, and The Best Man To Die which was published in 1969. In 1965, Ruth also published Vanity Dies Hard, and The Secret House of Death in 1968.
The 70’s
During the 1970’s Ruth was able to complete six more Wexford novels, five more standalone novels, and two short story collections. In 1975 Ruth received the Mystery Writers of America Best Short Story Edgar for The Fallen Curtain; the first of many awards she would receive in the future. In 1976 she completed A Demon in My View, for which she won the Crime Writers’ Association Macallan Gold Daggar for Fiction. In 1979, Ruth also received a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for A Sleeping Life. In 1976, the adaptation of Diary of the Dead, from Ruth’s novel, One Across, Two Down was filmed.
The 80’s
The 1980’s seemed to be a peak time in Ruth’s writing career. During this time she was able to complete 19 titles. These included four additions to the Wexford series, seven more standalone novels, her first novella, her first three novels written under the pen name Barbara Vine, two more short story collections, and her first two nonfiction pieces, including, Ruth Rendell’s Suffolk and Undermining the Central Line: giving government back to the people. The 1980’s also began the Ruth Rendell Mysteries on television, and the filming of A Judgment in Stone, La Ceremonie in 1986. Ruth also received several awards throughout the 1980’s. In fact, Ruth received more awards during the 1980’s than any other two decades combined. In 1980, she received both the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award and the Martin Beck Award for Make Death Love Me. In 1981, Ruth received the Arts Council National Book Award for Genre fiction for The Lake of Darkness. In1984, she received the Silver Dagger for Fiction for The Tree of Hands, and the Mystery Writers of America Best Short Story Edgar for The New Girlfriend. Ruth received three awards in 1986 including, the Gold Dagger for Fiction for Live Flesh, the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for The Tree of Hands, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for An Unkindness of Ravens. Ruth went on in 1987 to receive another Mystery Writers of America Award for A Dark-Adapted Eye, a Golden Dagger for Fiction for A Fatal Inversion, and an Angel Award for Fiction for The House of Stairs.
The 90’s
The 1990’s came in at a close second for achievements for Ruth. During this time period she was able to complete 17 novels including four more Wexford novels, four standalone novels, six more novels written under the pen name Barbara Vine, two more short story collections, and her third nonfiction novel in 1995, titled The Reason Why: An Anthology of the Murderous Mind. In 1995, A Judgment in Stone, La Ceremonie was re-filmed. In addition, Live Flesh, and The Tree of Hands were also brought to film. In 1990, Ruth received the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence. In 1991, she received the Golden Dagger for Fiction for King Solomon’s Carpet, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger for a Lifetime’s Achievement in the Field. In 1996, Ruth was awarded the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), and in 1997, a Life Peerage was conferred on her as Baroness Rendell of Babergh. During this year she would also receive the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award.
The New Millennium
Throughout the beginning of this new millennium, Ruth has completed 23 more titles including, six more Wexford novels, seven more standalone novels, her second novella, five novels written under the pen name of Barbara Vine, three more short story collections, and one children’s fiction titled Archie and Archie; published in 2013. La Demoiselle d’honneur, based on Ruth’s novel, The Bridesmaid, was filmed in 2004 and another version of The Tree of Hands was filmed in 2001. In 2004, Ruth received the Mystery Ink Gumshoe Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2005, she received the CWA Dagger of Daggers for A Fatal Inversion. In 2007 she won both the Gumshoe Award for Best Crime Novel for The Minotaur, and Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award for End in Tears. Her most recent award, received in 2010, was the Lost Man Booker Prize for A Guilty Thing Surprised.
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