An Unkindness of Ravens is a murder-mystery novel, part of the Inspector Wexford series (#13).     It is a tale of well-developed characters, most with secrets.   Ruth Rendell’s books lean toward a sub-genre she established – psychological thrillers.    There are a variety of suspects and the whole story of the murder requires understanding the “whys” as much as the facts (who, when, where, and how), the building blocks of solving a mystery.

This is a well-paced story with an injection of poignant thematic material, mostly revolving around women’s issues, abuse, neglect, trust, responsibility, and emotional damage.    The storyline is unpredictable.   Wexford takes many wrong turns and there are no big breakthroughs until the end.      He inches closer over time, working out the hidden truth in small pieces, and the solutions go from fragmented and obscure to a satisfactory ending, confirming some of our own suspicions.    Ruth Rendell is a master of her craft and An Unkindness of Ravens is one of her best.

Recommended – 4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5

An audiobook excerpt of the book: