 First edition (publ. Hutchinson) | |
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | 4 November 2014 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4767-8432-8 |
The Girl Next Door is a 2014 novel by British crime author Ruth Rendell. [1] [2] [3] It was the last of her novels published in her lifetime. [4]
During World War II, a group of children in Loughton, Essex, United Kingdom, which is where Rendell herself grew up, play in tunnels (in reality, the foundations of an uncompleted house) they discovered under a hill. In the present day they are reunited after the discovery of two hands in a tin box when the tunnels are dug up for construction work. [5] The novel deals frankly with changes and interrelationships of the characters and social changes generally, over seven decades.
In a review in The Observer , it was noted that instead of focusing on the crime, the novel dealt with the lives of the now elderly people in the present. [6]
In Marilyn Stasio's review for The New York Times , the novel's effective use of a split time frame was noted. [7]
Patricia Cornwell is an American crime writer. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders in Richmond, Virginia, where most of the stories are set. The plots are notable for their emphasis on forensic science, which has influenced later TV treatments of police work. Cornwell has also initiated new research into the Jack the Ripper killings, incriminating the popular British artist Walter Sickert. Her books have sold more than 120 million copies.
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries.
Arnaldur Indriðason is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur.
The CWA Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.
Chief Inspector Reginald "Reg" Wexford is a recurring character in a series of detective novels by English crime writer Ruth Rendell. He made his first appearance in the author's 1964 debut From Doon With Death, and has since been the protagonist of 23 more novels. In the TVS television series The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987-2000), he was played by George Baker.
The Babes in the Wood is a 2002 novel by British crime-writer Ruth Rendell. It is the 19th entry in the popular Inspector Wexford series, and is set, as usual, in Kingsmarkham. In 2003, it was selected by The New York Times as one of the top five crime novels of the year.
The Brimstone Wedding is a 1996 mystery novel by British writer Ruth Rendell, written under the name Barbara Vine.
A Darker Domain is a 2008 psychological thriller novel by Scottish crime writer Val McDermid. Reviewers often noted the fast paced style of the novel as it flashes back and forth between two plot lines, a contemporary crime in 2007 and the investigation of a cold case from 1984. The novel is set during the UK miners' strike of 1984–1985 in Fife. Her accounts of the strike are particularly pointed, exploring the effects of the strikes on the emotions of the people involved and their community. McDermid was raised in Fife, and one reviewer credits her accurate review of the strikes to her experiences earlier in her life. The reviews of the book were generally good, many of the reviewers comparing the book to her previous novels. The New York Times named the book one of the "Notable Crime Books of 2009."
Marilyn Stasio is a New York City author, writer and literary critic. She has been the "Crime Columnist" for The New York Times Book Review since about 1988, having written over 650 reviews as of January 2009. She says she reads "a few" crime books a year professionally and many more for pleasure. She also writes for Variety, The New York Post, New York magazine and others. She has served as a dramaturg at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
David Stout was a journalist and author of mystery novels, two of which have been turned into TV movies, and of non-fiction about violent crime. For his first novel, Carolina Skeletons, he won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel.
Stuart Neville is a Northern Irish author best known for his novel The Twelve or, as it is known in the United States, The Ghosts of Belfast. He was born and grew up in Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Tigerlily's Orchids is a 2010 book by the British crime-writer Ruth Rendell. It is her 60th published novel.
The Saint Zita Society is the 62nd novel by British crime-writer Ruth Rendell, a standalone novel. It is not part of her popular Inspector Wexford series.
The Child's Child is the 14th novel written by Ruth Rendell under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, and the first such novel in 4 years, since 2008's The Birthday Present. The novel was published in the United States in December 2012 and in the UK by Penguin Viking in March 2013. In a number of interviews Rendell has intimated that this will be the last novel she writes under the Vine pseudonym.
Christopher Grabenstein is an American author. He published his first novel in 2005. Since then he has written novels for both adults and children, the latter often with frequent collaborator James Patterson. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1977 with a degree from the College of Communication and Information. In the 1980s he performed with the improvisational group "First Amendment Comedy".
Life or Death (2014) is a crime novel by Australian author Michael Robotham. It won the 2015 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award. This is his first book to not involve either of his two main characters; Joe O'Loughlin and Vincent Ruiz.
Bad Country is an American mystery novel written by C. B. McKenzie.
William Boyle is an American author of character-driven literary crime fiction. Boyle is a native of Brooklyn, New York and the borough forms the backdrop for much of his work.
The Glorious Heresies is a novel by Irish author Lisa McInerney, first published 9 April 2015 in the United Kingdom by John Murray.
Tom Bouman is an American author, editor and musician.