Tree of Hands is a psychological thriller about three people, each with his/her own story, but there is a small connection between them that results in an unpredictable ending.     The main story is about a child kidnapping, an act by an unstable grandmother to help her own daughter who lost a child to illness.   In Ruth Rendell’s books there are many shades of grey, and even this crime may have some redeeming aspects.     The other stories are of a love-smitten man with a woman of poor character (the kidnapped child’s mother) and of a man swindling his partner of her assets while she is away.

The story is an unusual one, but the storytelling, as usual, is excellent.    The book is moody, atmospheric, and creepy, but there is also pathos, redemption, and hope.     The characters are ordinary people, but are well-developed, though not necessarily likeable.   In the end there are two flights from predicaments and two deaths.     The story appeared to have no possible satisfactory ending and so the final chapters feel somewhat contrived by the author, but even with that fault, I was happy to have read this book.   This is not the author’s best book, but her books meet a high standard,  so it is the body of her work that brings me back to read one more.

Recommended, but not for everyone.   4.3 out of 5.0 stars4.3