I've been doing quite a bit of reading over the summer, but our campground doesn't have very good WiFi. It is only available at the office, so I haven't been posting my reviews. So over the next few days (or weeks), I'm going to be playing catch up on my reviews!
The first of my reviews is for Ruth Rendell's One Across Two Down. It was published in 1971, and takes place in London.
I hadn't read anything by Rendell that I can recall, but knew she had a great reputation. I can see why.
The main characters are Stanley and his wife,Vera . Living with them after having a stroke is Vera's mother, Maud. Vera is the buffer between two opposing forces--her mother, who wants Vera to leave her husband, and Stanley, who wants Maud to hurry up and die so Vera will inherit her wealth and Stanley can put one of his get-rich-quick schemes into action. Vera is also the only one who is working out, and doing all the housework and cooking at home. Stanley spends his time doing crossword puzzles, and planning out Maud's death. Maud is busy playing up her illness, and planning ways to get Vera to dump Stanley.
The book was hard to put down when I started. The characters were interesting, the conflicts understandable, but the way everything played out was riveting. One thing seemed to somehow lead to another, and everyone seemed to get what they wanted, although not quite the way they had anticipated. I really enjoyed this book, and will be reading more by Ruth Rendell.
This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO--Silver--I--Book With Number in the Title
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