Crime and mystery novelist Ruth Rendell dies aged 85
Print Edition
MYSTERY writer Ruth Rendell, who brought psychological insight and social conscience to the classic British detective story, has died aged 85.
Publisher Penguin Random House said Rendell — best known for the Inspector Wexford series of novels — died yesterday morning in London. The cause of death was not announced, but Rendell had suffered a serious stroke in January.
Gail Rebuck, chair of Penguin Random House UK, said the author had been “an insightful and elegant observer of society” whose work “highlighted the causes she cared so deeply about.”
“Ruth was a great writer, a campaigner for social justice, a proud mother and grandmother, a generous and loyal friend,” she said.
Rendell was one of Britain’s most popular crime novelists and wrote dozens of books, including many under the pen name Barbara Vine.
She was also a major influence on other writers. Stephen King tweeted that her death was “a huge loss.”
Born Ruth Grasemann in London in 1930, Rendell began her career as a journalist on a local newspaper, but had to resign after reporting on a sports club’s dinner without attending — thus missing the moment the after-dinner speaker dropped dead.
Rendell said in 2005 that she started her literary efforts by writing some “very bad” novels that were never published. After these false starts, she found that “suspense and a sort of tension and a sort of mystery was my forte.”
Once she found her way, Rendell produced novels at an astonishing pace — more than 60 books over four decades, including 20 featuring the liberal, literary small-town detective Chief Inspector Wexford.
The Wexford books were made into a popular TV series, “The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.”
A lifelong socialist, Rendell anchored her thrillers in a modern landscape, introducing issues including environmentalism, politics, mental health and celebrity culture.
In 1997, she was appointed to the House of Lords, becoming Baroness Rendell of Babergh.
She took the work seriously and frequently attended Parliamentary sessions. She was especially involved in the fight to stop female genital mutilation, Rebuck said.
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