A Sleeping Life

Inspector Wexford #10

by Ruth Rendell

The middle-aged woman lying on the footpath is biggish and unattractive. Yet even in death her eyes hold a defiant look. Everyone in this Kingsmarkham neighborhood knew her name was Rhoda Comfrey and that she was down from London visiting her invalid father. But when Inspector Wexford looks further, he finds Miss Comfrey's life for the past twenty years is a complete mystery. She leaves behind no address, no job, no banker, no friends. Wexford's only clue to her killer is an elegant wallet from a posh London shop...but his instinct tells him that behind this murder lies a tangled web of the most sordid sort.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, British Literature, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

193 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

A.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.

Reviews

[Barbara K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of my favorites in the Wexford series. The primary focus is on Wexford and his family, with his Kingsmarkham and London staff involved only as they are needed in their roles as his support team. That was a pleasant change, part of a nice balance across the length of the series.

I was struck on this re-read (just as I was when I first read it long ago) at how successful this book is at reflecting social conditions of the time. Rendell's effort to incorporate issues related to the then-contemporary rock culture in Some Lie and Some Die seem dated now, but not so with the women's equality issues she tackles in this book.

Of course, it could be that it's just me, remembering the feeling of feminism at that time, and also sensitive to the ongoing nature of the struggle for women to achieve parity in their work and home lives. But I don't really think that's it.

The book is just really well plotted, the characters realistic, and the settings well developed. I love the way Wexford's personality develops logically over time, and the way he is open to accepting the validity of cultural change.

There is no question that this series is like comfort food for me. It's nice knowing that there are a dozen more left to re-read!

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 10th book in the Inspector Wexford series by author Ruth Rendell. I have read a few from this series but never in any order and I can honestly say that it has not spoilt my enjoyment in anyway.
A middle aged woman's body is found under an hedge and there is nothing to give Detective Chief Inspector Wexford her address, her occupation or even her identity. The woman is identified as Rhoda Comfrey but no one knows her real name, occupation, or address and there are no leads to who would want to kill her. A wallet found in Comfrey's handbag leads Inspector Wexford to Mr. Grenville West, a writer whose current whereabouts are unclear.
A good solid British murder mystery, lots of twists and turns and good interaction between the regular characters.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed grumpy Wexford and his long suffering cohort Mike Burden. A woman is found murdered. Rhoda is her name but they cannot find where she lives in London. The twist at the end was good. I failed to see it.

There is also a lot with Sylvia, Wexford’s daughter feeling she has no life outside her marriage and wants a career. The book is a product of its time and dated.

SPOILERS AHEAD

We are led along with a few red herrings especially with the woman who they think is the victim turns out to be alive. The murderer turns out to be Polly who finds out the man she loves is in fact Rhoda a woman. Rhoda took her disabled cousins male identity and became a successful male author. Poor Polly finds out after following him/her and kills Rhoda in a fit of rage. Good story.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read by................ Nigel Anthony
Total Runtime......... 5 Hours 52 Mins

Description: A body is found in a rural town outside London, and the townsfolk easily identify the victim. Yet, who was she, really? No one knows her real name, occupation, or address, much less who would want to kill her. Rhoda Comfrey's death seemed unremarkable; the real mystery was her life. A wallet found in Comfrey's handbag leads Inspector Wexford to Mr. Grenville West, a writer whose plots revel in the blood, thunder, and passion of dramas of old; whose current whereabouts are unclear; and whose curious secretary - the plain Polly Flinders provides the Inspector with more questions than answers. And when a second Grenville West comes to light, Wexford faces a dizzying array of possible scenarios--and suspects--behind the Comfrey murder.

Having just found all the TV series of Rendell's Wexford on youtube this morning, also discovered a young Colin Firth in Master of the Moor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ez0...

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* Not in the Flesh (Inspector Wexford, #21)
2* The Vault (Inspector Wexford, #23)

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wexford Awakes
Review of the Arrow Books/Cornerstone Digital Kindle eBook edition (2010) of the original Hutchinson (UK) hardcover (1978)

The woman was dead, but death by murder is in a way not an end but a beginning. The lives of the naturally dead may be buried with them. Hers would now gradually be exposed, event after event, obscure though she had been, until it took on the character of a celebrity’s biography. - The investigators ponder the consequences of murder.

This was an easy 5-star rating, I think my first of the Chief Inspector Wexford series, which are usually solid 3s or 4s at least (I do have a later 1 or 2 rating coming up though). A Sleeping Life has quite an incredible twist ending, but in an interesting way it is likely more guessable in the present day than it was when originally released in the 1970s. Saying anything more about that would be a spoiler though.

The body of a middle-aged woman named Rhoda Comfrey is found stabbed to death in Kingsmarkham. She was on a visit to her ailing father from her home in London. As Wexford and Burden being to investigate they find there is very little known about the woman after she left home for big city life. Clues found on the body lead them to investigate an historical fiction author named Grenville West and his typist/secretary Polly Flinders. But the solution of the case eludes them until Wexford makes a breakthrough and explains all in the end.

A Sleeping Life continues my 2023 binge read / re-read of Ruth Rendell (aka Barbara Vine and this is the 10th of the Inspector Wexford series.


Cover image for the original Hutchinson hardcover edition from 1978. Image sourced from Wikipedia. By http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=11560886237, Fair use, Link

Favourite Quotes
There were plenty of Wexford's quotes and allusions to classic literature in this one. Some favourites below:

In English law one can call oneself what one likes. What you call yourself is your name. People think you have to change your name by deed poll but you don’t. I could call myself Waterford tomorrow and you could call yourself Fardel without infringing a hairsbreadth of the law.’ Looking puzzled, Burden said, ‘I suppose so. Look, I see the Waterford thing, but why Fardel?’ ‘You grunt and sweat under a weary life, don’t you? - Wexford quotes from Hamlet

Burden looked injured, and when they had said good-bye and were crossing the Circus to Parish Oak station, remarked that Clements was a very nice chap. ‘Very true,’ sneered Wexford with Miss Austen, ‘and this is a very nice day and we are taking a very nice walk.’ - Wexford quotes from Northanger Abbey

Loring who was a romantic young man thought that it was in just such a tone that the Shunamite had said to the watchmen: Have ye seen him whom my soul loveth? - The Bible - Song of Solomon.

Burden went to the window and said wonderingly, ‘There’s a cloud up there.’ ‘No bigger than a man’s hand, I daresay.’ ‘Bigger than that,’ said Burden, not recognizing this quotation from the Book of Kings. - The Bible.

‘Now where shall I begin?’ ‘At the beginning,’ said Wexford with perfect gravity. ‘Go on to the end and then stop.’ - Wexford quotes from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass.

Trivia and Links
A Sleeping Life was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 3 Episodes 4 to 6 in 1989 with actor George Baker as Inspector Wexford. You can watch the entire 3 episodes on YouTube here.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful, snaky plot! A woman is dead, and we know who she is...but she seems to not exist anywhere but in the part of Kingsmarkham where she grew up; we are led to believe that she is successful, but seems to have no job, no home, and no friends in London, where she's lived for twenty years. Who is Rhoda Comfrey? I was delighted that I guessed a tiny piece of the puzzle that lies at the heart of this mystery.

As with all of Ruth Rendell's novels, of course, I found myself marvelling at the beauty of her prose; even people who aren't mystery fans would appreciate her magnificent writing, which is spare, articulate, and literary. The epigraph (and its origin) to this novel is key not only to the title but to the plot:

Those have most power to hurt us, that we love;
We lay our sleeping lives within their arms.
O, thou hast raised up mischief to his height,
And found one to outname thy other faults.
-Beaumont and Fletcher, The Maid's Tragedy

Brilliant.

As with her older novels (at least the ones I've read), however, be prepared for a far cry from 21st-century political correctness; there are moments that make me gasp before I remember it's 196x or 197x, or whatever year it is. These novels have not been updated with a 21st-century sensibility, but this has never kept me from appreciating Rendell. Still my favorite writer.

[Owlsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best in this series, so far. With few clues to follow, DCI Wexford decides on a path forward, only to have it dead-end, as does the next, and the next. Eventually, a chance comment from his daughter, using an unfamiliar word, ferments long enough in his mind to bring forth the final solution.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always nice to visit with Wexford though I found the mystery somewhat easy to figure out. Still an enjoyable quick read.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a good story here, albeit one which I solved way ahead of Wexford and co, but the attitudes and social commentary feel very old-fashioned for a book published originally in 1979. Was it really the case that the idea of a woman wanting to do more with her life than simply be a mother and housewife was so radical? That an author could be thought to be blackmailed for being gay? That a mentally- and physically disabled child could be horribly described as a 'Mongol'?

This is the second Rendell audio-book I've listened to and both feel dated in the extreme.

[Deb Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neither author Ruth Rendell or her character, Inspector Wexford, ever disappoint. Character-driven, wonderful story-telling.

[Kirsti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I figured out the mystery on page 51 of a 180-page novel. I didn't know whodunit, but I knew why, and that was the really interesting part. It was well-written, though, and as usual with Rendell I learned a lot of new words and phrases--stertorous, bedizen, the curate's egg, fingerspitzengefuhl. I'd heard my cousin use the phrase "needs must," but I didn't know that the entire phrase is "needs must when the devil drives."

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Ruth Rendell and think she is one of the doyennes of the modern mystery story. Her continuing characters of DI Wexford and his supercilious bag man, Mike Burden are a good team since they are polar opposites and their verbal exchanges add humor to otherwise dark tales of murder. Unfortunately, this book, for me, did not hold up as well as the majority of her other books. A woman is murdered and her identity and life are totally confusing to the police.....what is her real name, where does she really live, and what does she do for a living. So far, so good. Then the story starts to spin out of control as too many people get involved, too many people are lying for no apparent reason, and too many coincidences occur. Wexford and Burden are totally on the wrong track until the last few pages and then the conclusion is a bit off-the-wall. I liked the book but was not as impressed as I have been with the rest of her work........but I will keep reading her stories which are head and shoulders above most modern detective stories.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed my re-read of THE VEILED ONE, and it left me wanting more Wexford, so I've settled on a re-read of A SLEEPING LIFE, which I've already read twice. Although I don't remember much about the particulars of the story, I do remember the murder victim's peculiar 'sleeping' life. During the course of the Wexfords Rendell came up with several unusual traits or situations for her characters - in addition to this one, A GUILTY THING SURPRISED and THE BABES IN THE WOOD come to mind.

6/06: Interesting that although I remembered particular details about the murder victim that led to her murder, I didn't remember who did it or why. Wexford is a very literate man, and this is probably one of the more 'literary' Wexford novels. An interesting aspect of this novel is that it points up the way disabled or imperfect children were dealt with not so very long ago: they were often shut away in institutions and seldom referred to by family members or friends.

[Patricia (Irishcharmer) Yarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this. Did like it -it's been a while since I read any of her work! Captivating almost to the end! Then knew who the culprit was! Enjoyed reading this! You will too -quick read and a break from any heavy reading you may be doing!---😀P/

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

You don't often find a book that contains both the words duenna and eland.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“No signs of disease, no abnormalities. Except one. I think in these days you could call it an abnormality.' 'What d'you mean?' said Crocker. 'She was a virgin.'

It’s the mid 1970s and a middle-aged woman has been found, murdered. Enter, Inspector Wexford, to solve the crime. Those who’ve read Rendell’s books, or seen them on TV can feel confident that the case is in good hands.
I thought I had it all figured out and then …whoa! This is a jaw-dropper of a police procedural, traditional in style but cleverly unpredictable.
I would’ve given it five stars if I hadn’t felt uncomfortable with some of the language and attitudes that, admittedly, wouldn’t have been unusual for the times. It’s a shame because I know, later in life, Rendell worked for social justice and I believe her later books would reflect this more.

[Jaksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one.

Another in the long line of the Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexford crime-mystery series. In this one there's a huge problem: Where the heck did the dead woman found in the bushes off the path come from? She's identified early on, but has no address, no home, no friends who seem to miss her. Just one relative who lived next door to her father. But she has NO address. When her photo is posted in the papers, no one comes forward to say she's my neighbor; she works for me; I work for her; oh, yeah, I know who she is.

Most of the novel deals with this. (It helps to have some background on the victim in order to solve the crime.) The one related person, an ornery old woman who is stuck in her adolescence - as far as fashion sense and taste in men goes - doesn't have a clue where the dead woman lived. All she really knows is who she is.

There are twists and turns everywhere, the usual smattering of Burden and his stuck-up, old-fashioned prejudices (and he's the younger one of the Wexford-Burden duo), as well as a host of characters, none of which are stereotyped and IMO is one of Rendell's greatest strengths as a writer. She can delineate a person, or a personality, in one or two lines.

Rendell can also set a time and place with piercing accuracy. Okay, of course she's writing the book AT the time it takes place, and in this case it's the early 1980's. But just the same, her attention to detail is perfect. (How many times have I read a book or seen a movie or TV show set in 1982 and people are doing or saying things that just hadn't arrived yet? Too many. I got my first microwave in 1983 and it was a big deal. Almost no one had them, yet I read a book where they were heating up sandwiches in one in the early 70's. Okay, so move on...)

The novel circles around and around about where the women came from, what her background and history are. She's middle-aged, heavy-set, not particularly attractive, apparently never married and on no official registers, etc. And no one is missing her. However, there is a connection to her and a distant cousin, who just so happens to be a well-known writer. But even that connection is shaky and tentative.

Well the answer was staring right at me the whole time. Can't believe I missed it. It's a great, not-too-long mystery, perfect for a day's reading when the weather is miserably hot and no one really wants to move very much. Bring on the lemonade and a good Rendell mystery. :D

Loved it.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Sleeping Life is Ruth Rendell's tenth mystery featuring Chief Inspector Wexford and Inspector Burden. The story begins with what seems to be a very simple murder. A lonely, middle-aged woman stabbed to death on a path running between the bus stop and her father's home. Her body is discovered by a small boy on his way home with his dad. But when Wexford and Burden arrive, they find that things are more mysterious than they seem. The woman has no identification on her--the only items in her purse are a set of keys and a wallet with money. Once she has been identified as Rhoda Comfrey things remain a mystery. No one in the village where she grew up knows where she's been living. And every lead the police manage to find takes them nowhere. Finally, the wallet provides a connection to Grenville West, a writer whose works are based upon Elizabethan-era plays. But even that seems to be a dead end--West is abroad in France on a holiday and his secretary has a postcard to prove it. There are many questions and few answers....and Wexford learns that a sleeping life can hide many secrets.

Rendell is a masterful storyteller--so much so that it did not matter that I knew long before Wexford where to find Grenville West and what the connection between him and the dead woman was. She weaves her tale with such skill that I was swept along, following Wexford and Burden down every blind alley until they knew what I knew. Her characters are lively, interesting, and believable and the murder rings true for its time. Readers should remember that they are visiting the world of the late 70s...times have changed a bit since then. Three and half stars.

This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good narrator matched with engaging mystery with a surprise twist at the end that I didn’t really see coming at all!

[Raquel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

De uma das grandes autores do policial Britânico, um livro com uma trama inteligente e incomum e um fim inesperado.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this cover on my review because the cover of the edition I’m reading gives away the mystery. The story itself is clever and satisfying—a little dated, but what can you do? Spoiler warning: don’t look up the word that Wexford doesn’t recognize.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Rendell's writing is beautiful at times and very perceptive; I think this often gets overlooked because of the genre.

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, although not as much as I usually like Rendell's mysteries. Wexler is a little slow on the uptake. But nonetheless a mystery by Rendell is almost always worth reading.

I'm going to challenge the comments of others that this mystery is homophobic and anti-trans. The characters are all products of their time, and not ours. What they say reflects much of the way people talked and thought at the time, grappling with issues and ideas we still haven't figured out how to deal with.


Homosexuality was a crime in Britain until 1967. So it makes no sense to complain that the average policeman from 40 years ago doesn't have the same level of sophistication about LGBTQ people that we would expect of a reasonably educated and tolerant person today. At the time this book was written, it was just starting to be common to say "gay" instead of "queer." And attitudes about LGBTQ issues have changed far more rapidly than views on other social issues such as the ERA and abortion. In a way the plot makes the point that the main characters refute. We have a woman who found it necessary to pretend to be a man to escape the constraints foisted on her when she was female.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

No time for more than a quick note . . .

I've always preferred Rendell's psychological thrillers (under either name) to her Wexford mysteries, and this is an example of why. Although the book's an entertaining enough read (mind you, someone might have checked the use of commas, which is appalling), I didn't feel by the end of it that I'd gone anywhere, as it were. Of course, it's not demanded of a detective novel that one should be pulled out of oneself. Yet I didn't feel that the book worked tremendously well as a mystery, either. One of the most important plot points (a clue that it takes Wexford a while to realize he's been given) is highly contrived, while the motive of the victim to have led the life she did (the "sleeping life" of the title) seems pretty thin -- in fact, Rendell's own career would seem to give the lie to it.

As I type this, Rendell is in hospital having suffered a major stroke. My good wishes and hopes go out to her for a speedy and complete recovery. I've had so much pleasure from so many of her books that it pains me to think she should be suffering in this way.

[Cher Staite · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a few of her books and enjoyed most of them other than her describing all women characters based on their weight, wardrobe, age and degree of attractiveness—annoying.

I'm stuck with e books due to "social distancing" and the closures of all libraries during the pandemic and perhaps this affected my enjoyment. I find reading on a tablet extremely awkward in that I like to put tiny post its in places I may want to flip back to in order to clarify something or look up a new word or reference.

This time I had to flip back to see what year it was published. Far too recent to be that misogynistic, racist and downright homophobic. I get it that she may be sticking to a character trait of some old man but it was, at times, more than I could stomach.

Perhaps I should avoid the "Inspector Wexford" series.

[Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three Ruth Rendell novels I have read, this is the weakest. She was definitely a learned and literate writer with a mastery of plotting.

In this book, however, she tries too hard to show off her erudition, and some of the passages discussing etymology are very slow going.

I also was disappointed by the way Rendell used an extremely unlikely coincidence as a pivotal clue.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would have been better as a non-Wexford novel, written perhaps from the perspective of Rhoda Comfrey. There are all sorts of interesting things going on here about identity and gender that aren't developed fully. A good mystery but better as one of her stand-alones.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as satisfying as other entries in this series.

[Lyda Van Den Bos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vond hem tegenvallen. Vrij langdradig en voorspelbaar.

[Clare Snow · Rating 2 out of 5]

As did many other Goodreaders, I guessed the plot twist. I was getting annoyed with how long it took Wexford to work it out.

And more homophobia to drive the narrative - this time anti gay and trans.

I may be getting over Rendell's outdated views. Perhaps I should skip to the 1990s books.