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Ruth Rendell Books In Order

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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

Means of Evil (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

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 (As: Barbara Vine) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Talking to Strange Men (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
A Fatal Inversion (As: Barbara Vine) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The House of Stairs (As: Barbara Vine) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Bridesmaid (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Going Wrong (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Gallowglass (As: Barbara Vine) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
King Solomon's Carpet (As: Barbara Vine) (1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Crocodile Bird (1993)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Asta's Book / Anna's Book (As: Barbara Vine) (1993)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
No Night Is Too Long (As: Barbara Vine) (1994)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
In the Time of His Prosperity (As: Barbara Vine) (1995)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Brimstone Wedding (As: Barbara Vine) (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 (As: Barbara Vine) (1998)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Grasshopper (As: Barbara Vine) (2000)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Adam and Eve and Pinch Me (2001)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Blood Doctor (As: Barbara Vine) (2002)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Rottweiler (2003)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
13 Steps Down (2004)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Minotaur (As: Barbara Vine) (2005)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Water's Lovely (2006)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Portobello (2008)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Birthday Present (As: Barbara Vine) (2008)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Tigerlily's Orchids (2010)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Saint Zita Society (2012)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Child's Child (As: Barbara Vine) (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

Archie and Archie (2013)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

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.

Book Series In Order » Authors » Ruth Rendell

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