Shake Hands Forever is a crime/mystery novel by Ruth Rendell, the 9th book (of 24) in the Inspector Wexford series.  The author had written over 50 books in all, mostly psychological mysteries and thrillers.   She had won many awards and had sold over 20 million copies.    I have been reading her books for 40 years, completing about 22 to date.

Shake Hands Forever starts with a murder of a woman in her own home.   As Wexford investigates,  he faces resistance, but he fosters strong suspicion that the husband was involved, but he can’t piece together how it was done.    He chases a number of possible leads, but he is told to back off by his superior.    Wexford seems obsessed,  so he continues to follow his suspect and over a period of 14 months, he starts to come to some conclusions.    At the last moment before the suspect leaves the country, he and his accomplices put the pieces together, and are all surprised by the facts.    For readers, there is a plot twist at the end, but on reflection, it is a satisfying one.

What works well is that the plot is not conventional.    The middle part of the book moves slowly as Wexford uses plodding methods.    He is neither brilliant, nor lucky.   Many months of unofficial perseverance lead to small clues and a unified story.

Recommended, but some patience may be needed – 4.3 stars/5