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Inspector Wexford #17
Road Rage
A by-pass is planned in the sleepy village of Kingsmarkham, a move that would destroy its peace and natural habitat forever. Wexford's wife Dora joins the protest movement, but Wexford must be more circumspect. Trouble is expected.
Before the protesters even have a chance to make their presence felt, the badly decomposed body of a young woman is discovered. Burden believes he knows the identity of the murderer, but Wexford is not convinced.
Just as Wexford is about to investigate the murder, a number of people disappear - including Dora Wexford. The Chief Inspector must battle with his powerful emotions and solve the case immediately, before his wife is placed in any mortal danger ...
Before the protesters even have a chance to make their presence felt, the badly decomposed body of a young woman is discovered. Burden believes he knows the identity of the murderer, but Wexford is not convinced.
Just as Wexford is about to investigate the murder, a number of people disappear - including Dora Wexford. The Chief Inspector must battle with his powerful emotions and solve the case immediately, before his wife is placed in any mortal danger ...
404 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 1997
293 people are currently reading
974 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Rendell
457 books1,626 followersA.K.A. Barbara Vine
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, who also wrote under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, was an acclaimed English crime writer, known for her many psychological thrillers and murder mysteries and above all for Inspector Wexford.
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, who also wrote under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, was an acclaimed English crime writer, known for her many psychological thrillers and murder mysteries and above all for Inspector Wexford.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
September 17, 2015
Read by.................. Nigel Anthony
Total Runtime......... 11 Hours 23 Mins
Description: The woods outside of Kingsmarkham were lovely, dark, and deep. And they were about to vanish forever when the new highway cut through them. While Chief Inspector Wexford privately despaired about the loss of his hiking grounds, local residents and outsiders were organizing a massive protest. Some of them were desperate enough to kidnap five hostages and threaten to kill them. One hostage was Wexford's wife, Dora. Now, combining high technology with his extraordinary detecting skills, Wexford and his team race to find the kidnappers' whereabouts. Because someone has crossed from political belief to fanaticism, and as the first body is found, good intentions may become Wexford's personal path to hell.
Here we have environmental activists living in trees to stop a bypass being built, a dodgy cab company, a winnebago, and a string of pearls.3* From Doon With Death (Inspector Wexford, #1)
3* A New Lease of Death (Inspector Wexford, #2)
3* Wolf to the Slaughter (Inspector Wexford, #3)
2* The Best Man to Die (Inspector Wexford, #4)
3* A Guilty Thing Suprised #5
3* No More Dying Then (Inspector Wexford, #6)
3* Murder Being Once Done (Inspector Wexford, #7)
3* Some Lie and Some Die (Inspector Wexford, #8)
3* Shake Hands Forever (Inspector Wexford, #9)
3* A Sleeping Life (Inspector Wexford, #10)
3* Put on by Cunning (Inspector Wexford #11)
1* Speaker of Mandarin (Inspector Wexford, #12)
3* An Unkindness of Ravens (Inspector Wexford, #13)
3* The Veiled One (Inspector Wexford, #14)
3* Kissing the Gunner's Daughter (Inspector Wexford, #15)
3* Road Rage (Inspector Wexford, #17)
3* Not in the Flesh (Inspector Wexford, #21)
2* The Vault (Inspector Wexford, #23)
February 1, 2024
Dora Kidnapped (with no Wexford Law, but a Dora Axiom)
Review of the Audible Studios audiobook edition (May 4, 2009) narrated by Nigel Anthony, of the original hardcover from Hutchinson (UK) (December 12, 1997)
There is a major road works planned in Kingsmarkham with a highway by-pass construction. The residents are organizing to protest the disruption and destruction of the area wildlife and nature along with the possible loss to area business. Dora and Reg Wexford are sympathetic to the cause. But then some activists kidnap several local people and threaten to kill them if the highway construction is not stopped. Among the kidnap victims is Dora Wexford.
With few clues to go on, Wexford and his associates seek answers in order to save the victims, but then the first body turns up. Can the other victims be saved and will the culprits be brought to justice? There is a subplot of an earlier murder which eventually ties into the main plot. The Wexford daughters' subplot this time is at least a joyous one, as actress daughter Sheila gives birth to a grandchild for the Wexfords.
The front cover of the original Hutchinson (UK) 1997 hardcover. Image sourced from Cover to Cover.
This was Wexford #17 in the series of 24 novels. I had previously skipped over #15 to #18 as they were proving difficult to source. No convenient Kindle eBooks exist and the Toronto Public Library online search & hold system was struck down in October 2023 (which is still ongoing, but the latest update is that they hope to restore online holds in February 2024) by a ransomware attack (rumoured to be Russian based) which prevents you from locating and placing books on hold throughout the system (short of physically going around Toronto to each branch personally and searching the shelves by hand). I've decided to complete my Wexford/Rendell binge by sourcing the audiobooks which are not ideal as I am also trying to spot Wexford's personal Laws and Rules along the way. Listening on audio might cause me to miss them.
I can’t properly rate this on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® as I already knew the culprits ahead of time, having watched the TV adaptation. I do think it might be a difficult solve otherwise though.
The narration by Nigel Anthony was excellent in all voices in this edition. As with Christopher Ravenscroft in the previous novel’s audiobook, Anthony was excellent at mimicking the deep-voice gravitas and the West Country burr of actor George Baker (who played Chief Inspector Wexford in the TV series).
Wexford's Laws
There were no Wexford's Laws mentioned in this book. But there was a new category of Dora’s Axioms.
There was one observation by Wexford which was the type of thing which might be considered a Wexford Law, but it was not labelled as such:
Trivia and Links
Road Rage was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 11 Episodes 4 to 5 in 1998 with actor George Baker as Chief Inspector Wexford. There is a very faulty copy of Episode 5 (i.e. Part 2) available on YouTube here. Episode 4 is not posted, but it is recapped at the start. Otherwise, here in Canada it is available on the Britbox streaming service.
Review of the Audible Studios audiobook edition (May 4, 2009) narrated by Nigel Anthony, of the original hardcover from Hutchinson (UK) (December 12, 1997)
“I don’t want to remember it in a way because it’s so—well, isn’t it awful in our society, the way people with morals and high ideals and courage get labeled as subversive and terrorists? The way that happens and other people who never did a thing in their lives for peace or the environment or against cruelty, they’re the ones that are respected?”
There is a major road works planned in Kingsmarkham with a highway by-pass construction. The residents are organizing to protest the disruption and destruction of the area wildlife and nature along with the possible loss to area business. Dora and Reg Wexford are sympathetic to the cause. But then some activists kidnap several local people and threaten to kill them if the highway construction is not stopped. Among the kidnap victims is Dora Wexford.
With few clues to go on, Wexford and his associates seek answers in order to save the victims, but then the first body turns up. Can the other victims be saved and will the culprits be brought to justice? There is a subplot of an earlier murder which eventually ties into the main plot. The Wexford daughters' subplot this time is at least a joyous one, as actress daughter Sheila gives birth to a grandchild for the Wexfords.
The front cover of the original Hutchinson (UK) 1997 hardcover. Image sourced from Cover to Cover.
This was Wexford #17 in the series of 24 novels. I had previously skipped over #15 to #18 as they were proving difficult to source. No convenient Kindle eBooks exist and the Toronto Public Library online search & hold system was struck down in October 2023 (which is still ongoing, but the latest update is that they hope to restore online holds in February 2024) by a ransomware attack (rumoured to be Russian based) which prevents you from locating and placing books on hold throughout the system (short of physically going around Toronto to each branch personally and searching the shelves by hand). I've decided to complete my Wexford/Rendell binge by sourcing the audiobooks which are not ideal as I am also trying to spot Wexford's personal Laws and Rules along the way. Listening on audio might cause me to miss them.
I can’t properly rate this on the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® as I already knew the culprits ahead of time, having watched the TV adaptation. I do think it might be a difficult solve otherwise though.
The narration by Nigel Anthony was excellent in all voices in this edition. As with Christopher Ravenscroft in the previous novel’s audiobook, Anthony was excellent at mimicking the deep-voice gravitas and the West Country burr of actor George Baker (who played Chief Inspector Wexford in the TV series).
Wexford's Laws
There were no Wexford's Laws mentioned in this book. But there was a new category of Dora’s Axioms.
“Most of the things you have worried about,” he said to Dora on the evening of September 1, “have never happened.”
“I know,” she said, “I taught you that axiom,” and as she spoke the phone rang.
There was one observation by Wexford which was the type of thing which might be considered a Wexford Law, but it was not labelled as such:
And as if following a stage direction on the same script, each reached out and they closed together in an embrace, they fell into each other’s arms.
Men would never do that, he thought. So much of awkwardness, of embarrassment, had been left out of women.
Trivia and Links
Road Rage was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 11 Episodes 4 to 5 in 1998 with actor George Baker as Chief Inspector Wexford. There is a very faulty copy of Episode 5 (i.e. Part 2) available on YouTube here. Episode 4 is not posted, but it is recapped at the start. Otherwise, here in Canada it is available on the Britbox streaming service.
March 20, 2019
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. This one must be the first one I liked. Usually, I find Ruth Rendell just bores me to death. This is especially true of the Wexford series. The same boring elements were there in Road Rage too but they were downplayed and some interesting themes were opened up, so I rather enjoyed the mystery. Nevertheless, this is not something I would reread as I generally do with great mysteries.
A body is found in the woods and the police have started enquiries. It was a young German woman called Ulrike Ranke who was on her way to meet a friend. But at the same time, a bypass being built in the vicinity is attracting loads of required protests and unwanted vandalism. When Wexford's wife, Dora is kidnapped along with a bunch of others, the story forgets poor Ulrike and we begin to follow the hunt for Dora and the other people.
I was very interested in the ecological theme and especially the nature lecture Rendell gave through the book. The protesters were depicted as practically being hippies with odd clothes and strange way of life. I thought this theme would eventually tie up with the murder of Ulrike. Instead, that just lay there untouched until suddenly it gets solved. The kidnapping got all the footage instead. Though the theme was interesting, I would not have chosen to read about a high-profile kidnapping when I wanted to read a murder mystery! I felt cheated.
One of the reasons this book is probably better is because very little time is spent on Wexford's dull personal life. The antics of his boring family is also cut down. Instead, with Dora kidnapped, she takes centre stage in the story, but in a more contributing manner. So that was a positive. I was not very pleased with the solution, though. It was just so random and unrealistic! But with such a theme, it was probably the most possible solution unless you really wanted to explore political ramifications. And THAT would just about have killed the book.
Frankly, I just feel these mysteries go on and on and explore this theme and that theme when all they have to do is solve a murder, provide criminal insight, and allow us to enjoy a crime. I don't really want to think about environment and its destruction when reading a mystery. This is perhaps why I prefer Agatha Christie over most of these more modern mystery authors. There is no charm to these stories.
Despite all my moaning, this was a pretty readable mystery if you don't mind the endless waffling over family and social issues and far too much attention to what Wexford is feeling.
A body is found in the woods and the police have started enquiries. It was a young German woman called Ulrike Ranke who was on her way to meet a friend. But at the same time, a bypass being built in the vicinity is attracting loads of required protests and unwanted vandalism. When Wexford's wife, Dora is kidnapped along with a bunch of others, the story forgets poor Ulrike and we begin to follow the hunt for Dora and the other people.
I was very interested in the ecological theme and especially the nature lecture Rendell gave through the book. The protesters were depicted as practically being hippies with odd clothes and strange way of life. I thought this theme would eventually tie up with the murder of Ulrike. Instead, that just lay there untouched until suddenly it gets solved. The kidnapping got all the footage instead. Though the theme was interesting, I would not have chosen to read about a high-profile kidnapping when I wanted to read a murder mystery! I felt cheated.
One of the reasons this book is probably better is because very little time is spent on Wexford's dull personal life. The antics of his boring family is also cut down. Instead, with Dora kidnapped, she takes centre stage in the story, but in a more contributing manner. So that was a positive. I was not very pleased with the solution, though. It was just so random and unrealistic! But with such a theme, it was probably the most possible solution unless you really wanted to explore political ramifications. And THAT would just about have killed the book.
Frankly, I just feel these mysteries go on and on and explore this theme and that theme when all they have to do is solve a murder, provide criminal insight, and allow us to enjoy a crime. I don't really want to think about environment and its destruction when reading a mystery. This is perhaps why I prefer Agatha Christie over most of these more modern mystery authors. There is no charm to these stories.
Despite all my moaning, this was a pretty readable mystery if you don't mind the endless waffling over family and social issues and far too much attention to what Wexford is feeling.
July 2, 2021
Road Rage (1997) by Ruth Rendell focuses on the unrest that takes over the Kingsmarkham area when a beautiful valley is destined to be broken up to make way for a new highway. Environmentalist groups of all sorts descend on Kingsmarkham for protests and some of the groups set up camps in the wooded area and even construct tree houses to live in. In the midst of all this, the body of a young German woman who had gone missing some time ago is discovered in the brambles destined for the bulldozer. She had been raped and strangled and Inspector Mike Burden is convinced that one of the drivers for Contemporary Cars, a new taxi service, is the culprit, but he and Chief Inspector Wexford are unable to find enough evidence to make a charge stick.
Later that summer, Contemporary Cars is again in the police eye when a group calling themselves the "Sacred Globe" take over the taxi service for a few hours and take five prospective passengers as hostages. Their demands are simple--give them plenty of publicity and stop the construction of the highway. A hostage situation is bad enough, but it's made worse for Wexford because one of the hostages is his wife Dora. Wexford and his team are in a race against time to find out where the hostages are kept before the Sacred Globe makes good on their promise to kill the hostages one by one if their demands are not met.
When the group finally lets Dora go, Wexford's team gets a great deal of information. Since Dora is the wife of a policeman, she was well aware of the type of details she needed to pay attention to. Even though she was prevented from seeing where she was being taken, she tried to glean every bit of detail she could and was able to give a limited description of her captors even though they were hooded. To enhance her memories, she agrees to hypnosis which brings out a few more details about her surroundings. There are also clues found on her clothes and the police have many leads to follow up. But just how clever are the kidnappers? Have they managed to lay a few false trails and, if so, will Wexford's team be able to sift through the red herrings to find true answer?
This is one of the more suspenseful of the Wexford novels. Generally, Rendell's suspense novels are stand-alones, with the Wexford novels following more standard police procedural lines. Of course, a great deal of the suspense is conveyed to the reader through Wexford and his doubled concern for the hostages with his wife being among their number. It has been quite some time since read Rendell on a regular basis, but it's my sense that this one the better novels in her later works. It's a good solid mystery with some clever plotting and it gives a good look at the environmentalist groups and protests of the late 1980s and 1990s. ★★★ and 1/2. [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Later that summer, Contemporary Cars is again in the police eye when a group calling themselves the "Sacred Globe" take over the taxi service for a few hours and take five prospective passengers as hostages. Their demands are simple--give them plenty of publicity and stop the construction of the highway. A hostage situation is bad enough, but it's made worse for Wexford because one of the hostages is his wife Dora. Wexford and his team are in a race against time to find out where the hostages are kept before the Sacred Globe makes good on their promise to kill the hostages one by one if their demands are not met.
When the group finally lets Dora go, Wexford's team gets a great deal of information. Since Dora is the wife of a policeman, she was well aware of the type of details she needed to pay attention to. Even though she was prevented from seeing where she was being taken, she tried to glean every bit of detail she could and was able to give a limited description of her captors even though they were hooded. To enhance her memories, she agrees to hypnosis which brings out a few more details about her surroundings. There are also clues found on her clothes and the police have many leads to follow up. But just how clever are the kidnappers? Have they managed to lay a few false trails and, if so, will Wexford's team be able to sift through the red herrings to find true answer?
This is one of the more suspenseful of the Wexford novels. Generally, Rendell's suspense novels are stand-alones, with the Wexford novels following more standard police procedural lines. Of course, a great deal of the suspense is conveyed to the reader through Wexford and his doubled concern for the hostages with his wife being among their number. It has been quite some time since read Rendell on a regular basis, but it's my sense that this one the better novels in her later works. It's a good solid mystery with some clever plotting and it gives a good look at the environmentalist groups and protests of the late 1980s and 1990s. ★★★ and 1/2. [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
September 20, 2015
This one took me longer than usual to read. I am an Inspector Wexford series fan.
Fat book for a mystery, and especially for a Ruth Rendell mystery. Most of her Wexford books are fairly slim; this was one around 350+ pages. And the title can be misleading. This is NOT a case of two people arguing, fighting or shooting each other because one bumped the other's car fender. This book, written in 1997, is about the 'rage' over a new highway being built through a particularly picturesque and pristine English countryside. This rage is generated by various environmental and other social groups which are protesting this new road.
The story itself - several people are kidnapped, held hostage and threatened with death unless the government cancels the road project. One of those hostages is Inspector Wexford's wife, Dora.
The reason it got five stars from me? The sheer delight of reading the book. The amount and variety of characters which Rendell can cook up - so many of them just awful, miserable, police-baiting, anti-social people - are amazing. I loved it. Every time Wexford or one of his staff, esp. Mike Burden, goes to interview someone it's a good chance that someone is going to be rude and disrespectful, close-mouthed and angry about something or anything, and an altogether colorful creation. (There were two notable exceptions; a married couple who love food and anything to do with it. They were rather pleasant.)
There are clues galore, red herrings of course, and for once - yes once! - I figured it out about halfway through. I knew who the 'culprits' were and why. This did not diminish the enjoyment I got from reading this robust and solid mystery. The descriptions of the English countryside, and the various reactions characters had to its inevitable destruction, were also very well done.
Five stars.
Fat book for a mystery, and especially for a Ruth Rendell mystery. Most of her Wexford books are fairly slim; this was one around 350+ pages. And the title can be misleading. This is NOT a case of two people arguing, fighting or shooting each other because one bumped the other's car fender. This book, written in 1997, is about the 'rage' over a new highway being built through a particularly picturesque and pristine English countryside. This rage is generated by various environmental and other social groups which are protesting this new road.
The story itself - several people are kidnapped, held hostage and threatened with death unless the government cancels the road project. One of those hostages is Inspector Wexford's wife, Dora.
The reason it got five stars from me? The sheer delight of reading the book. The amount and variety of characters which Rendell can cook up - so many of them just awful, miserable, police-baiting, anti-social people - are amazing. I loved it. Every time Wexford or one of his staff, esp. Mike Burden, goes to interview someone it's a good chance that someone is going to be rude and disrespectful, close-mouthed and angry about something or anything, and an altogether colorful creation. (There were two notable exceptions; a married couple who love food and anything to do with it. They were rather pleasant.)
There are clues galore, red herrings of course, and for once - yes once! - I figured it out about halfway through. I knew who the 'culprits' were and why. This did not diminish the enjoyment I got from reading this robust and solid mystery. The descriptions of the English countryside, and the various reactions characters had to its inevitable destruction, were also very well done.
Five stars.
June 30, 2020
3 Stars. Enjoyable but not exciting. My first Ruth Rendell; if I had a choice of one author on a long flight, I'd look elsewhere. Yet I want to come back - my experience is that earlier volumes in a series are often better. Chief Inspector Reg Wexford plods and shuffles. Not intentionally, it just feels that way. Things seem to happen to him, not because of him. And then he turns on a dime. You'll catch it. He loves the beautiful natural area near Kingsmarkham; unfortunately a new bypass is going to cut right through the valley and woods. Of course the environmental protesters arrive - all the groups, Kabal, Species and Sacred Globe. We meet some of the characters, Gary, Quilla, and Conrad Tarling, their King. Even Wexford's wife Dora marches against the bypass. Just at this point, the body of a teenage girl from Germany is found in one of the fields, but that's soon to be overshadowed by the kidnapping of five locals booking a cab! One of them is Dora; could that be accidental? The ransom? Stop the bypass, save the environment. Now you have the picture. Nearer the end I could feel the resolution - that's not good. (May 2020)
June 24, 2024
This book was one of many being passed around the homeless community around Bath, England years ago when I was one of the community. It centers on motorway protests. I met many in the UK who participated in these protests (including a prim old lady sipping tea and smiling, talking about her arrest.) The descriptions of protests and protesters seemed accurate.
How good was it? The book helped to distract me from being homeless. Here is a cover picture for you:
The mystery was difficult to figure out.
That being said, this is typical Ruth Rendell in that it is a very grim, deeply detailed police procedural. This was the first Inspector Wexford book I'd read. I'm still not entirely sure that I like the character. He's not enigmatic like Sherlock Holmes or righteously cute like Brother Cadfael. Although this was a gripping read for me, it'll be a while before I can tackle another Inspector Wexford book because of the emotional roller-coaster they can put me through.
How good was it? The book helped to distract me from being homeless. Here is a cover picture for you:
The mystery was difficult to figure out.
That being said, this is typical Ruth Rendell in that it is a very grim, deeply detailed police procedural. This was the first Inspector Wexford book I'd read. I'm still not entirely sure that I like the character. He's not enigmatic like Sherlock Holmes or righteously cute like Brother Cadfael. Although this was a gripping read for me, it'll be a while before I can tackle another Inspector Wexford book because of the emotional roller-coaster they can put me through.
October 27, 2020
Disappointing because I’ve liked Rendell in the past. Too much jumping around without clarity of how much time has passed or which character is now the subject of the paragraph. Also, moon phasing completely out of whack in the passage of time.
October 8, 2014
This was an okay read but I have been quite disappointed by Rendell lately. I hadn't read any of her books in a long time and although I still enjoy her writing style, her plots always take ages to develop. Road rage is very very slow paced. I almost gave up reading but kept on going as the action picked up about halfway through the book. Still, the plot wasn't very interesting and none of the characters proved quite likeable. A disappointing read.
August 31, 2017
I'm a huge fan of Ruth Rendell, especially her Barbara Vine titles, but this one was not one of her best. But it was entertaining and I finished it.
January 22, 2016
I usually really like Ruth Rendell but this was so dull I couldn't get through it.
December 5, 2017
Road Rage
Author: Ruth Rendell
Publisher: Dell
Copyright: 1998
ISBN: 0-440-22602-3
Author Ruth Rendell is a prolific novelist who has written more than a dozen Inspector Wexford cases, as well as more than a score of other crime novels. She is a master of her craft and Road Rage is no exception. Even for a reader new to this series, one is immediately drawn to the characters. And not just Inspector Wexford and his wife Dora, but to the surrounding members of the constabulary and the community of Kingsmarkham. These quickly become people we care about, would associate with, are passingly interested in, avoid if at all possible, and there are still others we would cheerfully debate long into the night over a mug of stout, though not at any time call friend.
Rendell's definition of road rage is different from that here in North America. In this case, the English Highway authority has determined that spreading urbanism requires the building of a new highway bypass, a bypass that will pass through significant undeveloped, rural areas, including a favorite forest patch of Inspector Wexford's. Including an ancient Roman fort. And, while Wexford is deeply disappointed that the meadows and trees of Framhurst Great Wood will soon give way to concrete and asphalt, he is fully prepared to uphold the law when splinter environmental protest groups congregate in Kingsmarkham.
There are confrontations over rare species, over archeology, and then, over kidnapping. Someone lifts five citizens of the community and threatens more than mere bodily harm unless the bypass is stopped. The situation takes a more menacing turn when it is learned that one of the kidnapped victims is indeed, Dora, wife of Chief Inspector Wexford.
As is frequently the case in Rendell novels, the accuracy of details and procedure is impeccable and compelling. Road Rage is another in Rendell's legacy of fine, enduring English Police Procedurals, and one to be strongly recommended.
Author: Ruth Rendell
Publisher: Dell
Copyright: 1998
ISBN: 0-440-22602-3
Author Ruth Rendell is a prolific novelist who has written more than a dozen Inspector Wexford cases, as well as more than a score of other crime novels. She is a master of her craft and Road Rage is no exception. Even for a reader new to this series, one is immediately drawn to the characters. And not just Inspector Wexford and his wife Dora, but to the surrounding members of the constabulary and the community of Kingsmarkham. These quickly become people we care about, would associate with, are passingly interested in, avoid if at all possible, and there are still others we would cheerfully debate long into the night over a mug of stout, though not at any time call friend.
Rendell's definition of road rage is different from that here in North America. In this case, the English Highway authority has determined that spreading urbanism requires the building of a new highway bypass, a bypass that will pass through significant undeveloped, rural areas, including a favorite forest patch of Inspector Wexford's. Including an ancient Roman fort. And, while Wexford is deeply disappointed that the meadows and trees of Framhurst Great Wood will soon give way to concrete and asphalt, he is fully prepared to uphold the law when splinter environmental protest groups congregate in Kingsmarkham.
There are confrontations over rare species, over archeology, and then, over kidnapping. Someone lifts five citizens of the community and threatens more than mere bodily harm unless the bypass is stopped. The situation takes a more menacing turn when it is learned that one of the kidnapped victims is indeed, Dora, wife of Chief Inspector Wexford.
As is frequently the case in Rendell novels, the accuracy of details and procedure is impeccable and compelling. Road Rage is another in Rendell's legacy of fine, enduring English Police Procedurals, and one to be strongly recommended.
February 22, 2017
This was just okay--nothing fabulous, not terrible. The pacing was incredibly slow and the plot was uneven, but the main characters helped to make up for that. It's such a refreshing change of pace to read a mystery novel in which the protagonist is actually a good person with a stable home life, no real issues with superior officers, no traumatic backstory, etc. (See also: Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series.) The ending was a bit of a cop-out, and the secondary plot (that of the German girl's murder) was unnecessary.
If you enjoy slow-paced, village-focused English quasi-procedurals, this series might be for you. I didn't like it enough to consider reading others in the series, but I hear that Rendell's standalone novels might be more enjoyable, like The Girl Next Door.
If you enjoy slow-paced, village-focused English quasi-procedurals, this series might be for you. I didn't like it enough to consider reading others in the series, but I hear that Rendell's standalone novels might be more enjoyable, like The Girl Next Door.
November 14, 2017
Construction of a long ago planned by-pass near Kingsmarkham is being implemented. The activists have arrived in an effort to stop the clearing of the trees and destruction of habitat. Wexford's wife, Dora, is kidnapped - along with 4 others . Their kidnappers promise to begin killing their hostages if the by-pass is not permanently stopped. And if that is not enough, the body of a murdered German girl is found in the woods.
Found this a bit of a slog to finish. Inclusion of the German girl's murder didn't really work. Slow unfolding for a rather predictable end.
Found this a bit of a slog to finish. Inclusion of the German girl's murder didn't really work. Slow unfolding for a rather predictable end.
July 10, 2016
SPOILERS
The only people who die are young women, and I wasn't happy with that. While the first death sets up the story, the second was unwarranted, and ultimately it did not serve narrative purpose: Rendell only touches on race relations (a critically depicted upper-class woman calls the second victim "the colored girl") but she does not examine them. When you have a complex (for detective stories) half-Indian young woman with great aspirations and her whole life ahead of her, why kill her?
The only people who die are young women, and I wasn't happy with that. While the first death sets up the story, the second was unwarranted, and ultimately it did not serve narrative purpose: Rendell only touches on race relations (a critically depicted upper-class woman calls the second victim "the colored girl") but she does not examine them. When you have a complex (for detective stories) half-Indian young woman with great aspirations and her whole life ahead of her, why kill her?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 24, 2018Ruth Rendell is described on the blurb as "one of the world's great writers" or some such rubbish. She was instrumental in setting up the University of East Anglia's creative writing department that has produced several great talents, so a salute for that. But this little potboiler is a dated throwback to the anti-bypass demonstrations of the 1980s, one of which I took part in. It's written with typical English clarity, something I value, and is nevertheless worth picking up.
March 1, 2019
This is one of my favorite Ruth Rendell stories, and it is one I knew because I saw the film version before I read the book. But that didn't make it any less exciting. Eco-terrorists. Kidnapping. A crime that didn't go as it was supposed to go. Strange taxi drivers. Dead immigrant girl. What's not to like?
December 28, 2017
An intriguing plot with interesting characters. This is this the first Inspector Wexford novel I've read and I look forward to reading others.
May 8, 2018
I struggled with this book - it was well written, but just not exciting and fast-paced enough to keep my full attention.
November 19, 2019
Skimmed. Too much extraneous info.
September 20, 2025
I was really disappointed with this novel, having previously read and enjoyed other Inspector Wexford mysteries. This one seemed ponderous, slow and lacking in any kind of energy.
The story-telling style felt part of the problem. Wexford's wife is caught up in the kidnapping and too much wordage is given over to her ramblings of what she remembered, some of which is unnecessary trivia. The writing also felt clunky in places, punctuation either missing or in the wrong place. I frequently had to re-read passages to see why my mind wasn't correctly adding emphasis in the right places.
About half way through I knew I wasn't enjoying it and my concentration was slipping. By two-thirds, I just wanted to race to the end and get it over with. The conclusion was cleanly written but it only served to act as a contrast to the rest of the book. A shame because other books in the series are far better in my view. Ultimately I think the plot is the problem - protesters up in arms against the building of a bypass and the police following lots of individuals around without ever discovering anything.
The story-telling style felt part of the problem. Wexford's wife is caught up in the kidnapping and too much wordage is given over to her ramblings of what she remembered, some of which is unnecessary trivia. The writing also felt clunky in places, punctuation either missing or in the wrong place. I frequently had to re-read passages to see why my mind wasn't correctly adding emphasis in the right places.
About half way through I knew I wasn't enjoying it and my concentration was slipping. By two-thirds, I just wanted to race to the end and get it over with. The conclusion was cleanly written but it only served to act as a contrast to the rest of the book. A shame because other books in the series are far better in my view. Ultimately I think the plot is the problem - protesters up in arms against the building of a bypass and the police following lots of individuals around without ever discovering anything.
January 8, 2024
An interesting tale of eco warriors who are protecting their own interests rather than those of nature herself. The words of Burns sprang to mind with the best laid plans going wrong despite careful planning , ultimately greed is punished but , for me, the death of an innocent victim and ensnaring of another was far too high a price to pay. The idea of eco terrorists in Kingsmarkham seemed surreal but I shouldn’t have doubted Rendell’s ability to spin a tale.
Wexford is , as ever, sometimes thoroughly dislikable , sometimes irritatingly omniscient but always thorough and very human.
The descriptions of woods and countryside soon to vanish under tarmac were brilliantly evocative as were the mothers whose lives will never be the same.
Wexford is , as ever, sometimes thoroughly dislikable , sometimes irritatingly omniscient but always thorough and very human.
The descriptions of woods and countryside soon to vanish under tarmac were brilliantly evocative as were the mothers whose lives will never be the same.
February 15, 2025
I would have rated this 4 stars, but this author went absolutely nuts with her fat phobia. She portrayed all the fat characters as eating constantly, jiggling when they laughed like a bowl full of jelly and just about every horrible thing you can think of. It's like she's never even seen a real fat person, much less known one. News for the author: FAT PEOPLE ARE JUST LIKE THE REST OF US! They don't eat constantly and they don't actually jiggle like jelly.
That said this book was gripping. Almost too exciting for my mood, if I'm being honest. So if they would remove all the ridiculous crap about fat people, this would be a solid 4 star book.
That said this book was gripping. Almost too exciting for my mood, if I'm being honest. So if they would remove all the ridiculous crap about fat people, this would be a solid 4 star book.
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November 15, 2025I was surprised by the identity of the miscreants in this one. I don't know if everyone would've been surprised. I had my suspicions formed early and they were, as they so often are in reading detective fiction, entirely wrong. One very interesting twist with respect to a character death; brings up the question of what constitutes murder.
August 18, 2021
The title is somewhat misleading, however, it makes an interesting play on words, as it is also quite accurate. This is a classic Rendell, mystery, crime novel. Wexford is at his best, and you are led on a chase of clues and twists, leading to what I started to suspect, but only partially, and only after well into it.
February 22, 2024
A good, not too violent police procedural which retained plenty of tension, twists, and red herring.
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May 7, 2022One of her best, IMHO. Perfect for a voyage on the Queen Mary 2.
December 11, 2025
This 1997 book was vaguely familiar, I may have read it before, and its a compelling mystery, though its hard to remember how things were before everyone had a mobile phone.
January 10, 2021
Well most of the book was very interesting but also kind of weird. The kidnapers were really odd and left me wondering what their real reason was since they knew that there was no way the road was not going to be built. The whole bit with the people living up in the trees was strange? Celtic? nuts?
I am not sure about England but I do not think you would find forests here where people could just build tents or better up in the trees. So Maybe it was some fantasy along with the reality of the mystery.
I did finish the book and found the end disappointing but I enjoyed reading it.
I am not sure about England but I do not think you would find forests here where people could just build tents or better up in the trees. So Maybe it was some fantasy along with the reality of the mystery.
I did finish the book and found the end disappointing but I enjoyed reading it.
August 2, 2018
Road Rage is a solid mystery told with some clever writing. It’s about a bypass through the English countryside that has environmentalists up in arms. Some people are kidnapped in an attempt to stop the bypass and Wexford must track them down.
This is my first book by Ruth Rendell, but I generally found the writing to be high quality. The dry humor is excellent, particularly in the back half. There are multiple shifts in perspective and location but the writing effortlessly transitions without confusion. Descriptions of characters are usually done via a short list of traits, but sometimes multiple characters are described together and this ends up being messy.
There is a long interview in the book, spread across about 80 pages, with other events in between. Ordinarily this would be too long but it stands up well due to delivery and placement. There is a desire to know more most of the time. The story bombards the reader with a lot of extraneous details, but that’s part of the genre.
It ends in a fairly satisfying way, although it wasn’t too surprising. The last action scene was somewhat dubious, but it’s a small price to pay for a decent thriller. Book felt longer than it was, so it could have been tightened up. Good standalone read and would be tempted by another novel from the author.
This is my first book by Ruth Rendell, but I generally found the writing to be high quality. The dry humor is excellent, particularly in the back half. There are multiple shifts in perspective and location but the writing effortlessly transitions without confusion. Descriptions of characters are usually done via a short list of traits, but sometimes multiple characters are described together and this ends up being messy.
There is a long interview in the book, spread across about 80 pages, with other events in between. Ordinarily this would be too long but it stands up well due to delivery and placement. There is a desire to know more most of the time. The story bombards the reader with a lot of extraneous details, but that’s part of the genre.
It ends in a fairly satisfying way, although it wasn’t too surprising. The last action scene was somewhat dubious, but it’s a small price to pay for a decent thriller. Book felt longer than it was, so it could have been tightened up. Good standalone read and would be tempted by another novel from the author.
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