8 Pulse-Racing Mysteries by Ruth Rendell

Twice-adapted for the screen (once, in 1989 and then in 2001 as Alias Betty), The Tree of Hands introduces Rendell’s brand of psychological whodunits. Distraught over the death of her two-year-old son, single mom Benet Archdale receives consolation from the worst person possible: her mentally unstable mother, Mopsa. As if her arrival arrival isn’t enough, a local child suddenly goes missing—drawing both mother and daughter into a deadly web of secrets, violence, and insanity that opens wounds best left untouched. 

In her 13th Inspector Wexford novel (and fourth time as an Edgar Award finalist), Rendell weaves what The New Yorker calls a “mystery of the highest order.” Though Mr. Rodney Williams has disappeared, his unseemly track record eases Wexford’s concern: As a serial cheater, the man has likely left town with his newest mistress. But after a series of stabbings further disrupts Rodney’s quiet Sussex neighborhood, Wexford begins to question if the neighbors aren't as innocent as they seem.

Rendell’s first novel under the Barbara Vine pseudonym, A Dark-Adapted Eye stars society lady Faith Severn, whose wealthy family has become the subject of an upcoming true crime story. As she journeys back to the dark days of World War II, Faith learns shocking truths about the relationship between her Aunt Vera and the sister Vera murdered in cold blood. 

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Winner of the coveted Gold Dagger Award, Rendell’s portrait of a disturbed but repentant criminal was brought to the screen by legendary Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar. In the midst of a sexual assault, Victor Jenner accidentally shoots and paralyzes David, a police officer. But a ten-year prison sentence does little to tame Victor's impulses, and shortly after his release, he develops a fatal fascination with David’s girlfriend. Though he dreams of a normal and crime-free life, Victor will find that resisting his sadistic compulsions grows more and more difficult… 

While playing a roleplay game modeled after Cold War spy novels, two teenagers leave encrypted messages along the Thames. Inadvertently, they’re intercepted by bitter divorcée John Creevey, who’s still reeling from the dissolution of his marriage. Desperately in need of a distraction from his heartbreak, John becomes fixated on the boys’ fake codes, believing they’re traces of authentic espionage. His obsessive quest to unravel the mystery sets off a chain of events that will turn this innocent misunderstanding into a grave and terrible tragedy.

Lizzie has agreed to let Bell, a friend recently freed from prison, return to the Notting Hill boarding house where she committed her crime. At first, Lizzie believes she’s acting out of compassion—why shouldn’t her friend get the chance to start over?—but Bell’s arrival soon raises doubts in her mind. As Lizzie’s long-suppressed memories begin to resurface, she must face the fact that her motivations are much more sinister than she’s willing to admit.

Related: 10 Suspense Books That Will Leave You Reeling 

Ruth Rendell’s eighth Barbara Vine novel introduces us to a woman named Jenny and her favorite nursing home patient, Stella. The pair bonds over their shared secrets and misfortune: Trapped in a loveless marriage, Jenny has become involved in a turbulent affair. Stella, on the other hand, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer—but she, too, once had a lover outside of marriage. Their innocent friendship takes a strange turn when Stella offers up the key to her house, pushing Jenny down a path that will change the women’s lives forever. 

Famed author Gerald Candless has died, and his eldest daughter, Sarah, has been approached to write a biography on his mysterious life. When Sarah steps up to the challenge and digs into her family’s past, she uncovers her father’s eccentricities and his chilly relationship with her estranged mother...But of all the disturbing things she finds, there is one secret that stands out from all the rest: Sarah’s father wasn’t Gerald Candless at all.