The Best Man to Die
People who bought this also bought...
-
Wolf to the Slaughter
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 3
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Robin Bailey
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 108
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 106
Anita Margolis had vanished. There was no body, no crime, nothing more concrete than an anonymous letter and a name. A pattern soon emerged to the investigation. Not only had Anita been wealthy and flighty, she had been thoroughly immortal, too.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Throroughly Enjoyable Mystery!
- By Sarah on 05-11-15
-
From Doon with Death
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 1 (Unabridged)
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Terrence Hardiman
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 447
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 339
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 339
The first case for DCI Reg Wexford. When Margaret Parsons disappears, it's assumed that she's run off with another man. But then the missing woman's body is found and a startling discovery is made when Mr. Parsons lets the police into his home...
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
It's worth starting here
- By connie on 03-12-11
-
Some Lie and Some Die
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 8
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 67
For a while the music Festival in Kingsmarkham was going well. The sun shone, the groups played and everyone - except a few angry neighbours - seemed to enjoy themselves. Then the weather changed, and a young couple made a gruesome discovery.In spite of dire predictions, the rock festival in Kingsmarkham seemed to be going off without a hitch, that is, until a hideously disfigured body is discovered in the nearby quarry.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Complex and compelling
- By Sarah on 05-11-15
-
Shake Hands For Ever
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 9
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 54
This case is proving a difficult one for Chief Inspector Wexford. All he has to go on is his own intuitive suspicions. Was he becoming cynical and untrusting or was this one of the most ingenious crimes he had ever tackled?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Ruth Rendell Does Not Fail You For A Good Read
- By Electic Chef on 07-09-12
-
The Speaker of Mandarin
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 12 (Unabridged)
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Michael Bryant
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 85
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
There were some things about Chief Inspector Wexford's trip to China that he could never have dreamt of: That an old woman would haunt him from one city to the next. That a man would be tragically drowned. Or that, back in England, he would be investigating the murder of one of his fellow tourists.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Under-appreciated gem of mystery writing
- By Constance on 05-16-15
-
The Veiled One
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 14
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Robin Bailey
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 102
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
Concealed by a shroud of dirty brown velvet was what looked like a heap of rags. In a desolate subterranean car park of a Shopping Centre, Dorothy Sanders pulled back the velvet curtain revealing the grim discovery of a woman’s body. Inspector Michael Burden, for a while conducting the investigation without the help of Wexford’s intuitive genius, blunders down a number of blind alleys before uncovering the truth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
5/5*
- By Mark Miller on 05-29-15
-
Wolf to the Slaughter
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 3
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Robin Bailey
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 108
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 106
Anita Margolis had vanished. There was no body, no crime, nothing more concrete than an anonymous letter and a name. A pattern soon emerged to the investigation. Not only had Anita been wealthy and flighty, she had been thoroughly immortal, too.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Throroughly Enjoyable Mystery!
- By Sarah on 05-11-15
-
From Doon with Death
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 1 (Unabridged)
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Terrence Hardiman
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 447
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 339
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 339
The first case for DCI Reg Wexford. When Margaret Parsons disappears, it's assumed that she's run off with another man. But then the missing woman's body is found and a startling discovery is made when Mr. Parsons lets the police into his home...
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
It's worth starting here
- By connie on 03-12-11
-
Some Lie and Some Die
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 8
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 67
For a while the music Festival in Kingsmarkham was going well. The sun shone, the groups played and everyone - except a few angry neighbours - seemed to enjoy themselves. Then the weather changed, and a young couple made a gruesome discovery.In spite of dire predictions, the rock festival in Kingsmarkham seemed to be going off without a hitch, that is, until a hideously disfigured body is discovered in the nearby quarry.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Complex and compelling
- By Sarah on 05-11-15
-
Shake Hands For Ever
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 9
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 54
This case is proving a difficult one for Chief Inspector Wexford. All he has to go on is his own intuitive suspicions. Was he becoming cynical and untrusting or was this one of the most ingenious crimes he had ever tackled?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Ruth Rendell Does Not Fail You For A Good Read
- By Electic Chef on 07-09-12
-
The Speaker of Mandarin
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 12 (Unabridged)
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Michael Bryant
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 85
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
There were some things about Chief Inspector Wexford's trip to China that he could never have dreamt of: That an old woman would haunt him from one city to the next. That a man would be tragically drowned. Or that, back in England, he would be investigating the murder of one of his fellow tourists.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Under-appreciated gem of mystery writing
- By Constance on 05-16-15
-
The Veiled One
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 14
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Robin Bailey
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 102
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
Concealed by a shroud of dirty brown velvet was what looked like a heap of rags. In a desolate subterranean car park of a Shopping Centre, Dorothy Sanders pulled back the velvet curtain revealing the grim discovery of a woman’s body. Inspector Michael Burden, for a while conducting the investigation without the help of Wexford’s intuitive genius, blunders down a number of blind alleys before uncovering the truth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
5/5*
- By Mark Miller on 05-29-15
-
A Sleeping Life
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 10
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 109
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 83
The body found under the hedge was that of a middle-aged woman. With nothing more to go on than what appeared to be a sardonic gleam in the wide and staring eyes of the victim, It’s time for Wexford and his team to get pro-active. From a seemingly unremarkable death comes an intricate web of lies and deception.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
chapters are repeated
- By Linda on 08-19-10
-
An Unkindness of Ravens
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 13
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Michael Bryant
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 68
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 41
Rodney Williams's disappearance seems typical to Chief Inspector Wexford - a simple case of a man running off with a woman other than his wife. But when another woman reports that her husband is missing, the case turns unpleasantly complex.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliantly written and very entertaining
- By Marilyn on 06-02-09
-
Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 49
Wexford is horrified by the carnage he encounters at Tancred Manor, home of a famous anthropologist, but he is determined to do all that he can for 17-year-old Daisy, the only survivor of the mass murders that obliterated her family.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Entertaining but predictable with rushed ending
- By Customer on 08-17-12
-
Death Notes
- An Inspector Wexford Mystery
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 34
Inspector Wexford and his assistant Burden unravel the threads connecting the drowning of an elderly, world-renowned flautist and the murder of a woman whose identity confounds them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
loved it very exciting I love multiple twist
- By Thrones for ever on 01-29-20
-
The Babes in the Wood
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 19
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 231
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 117
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 117
With floods threatening both the town of Kingsmarkham and his own home and no end to the rain in sight, Chief Inspector Wexford already has his hands full when he learns that two local teenagers have gone missing along with their sitter, Joanna Troy.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
as good as anything Rendell has written
- By connie on 03-13-11
-
Put on by Cunning
- A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 11
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Charles Kay
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 54
Sir Manual Camargue had just announced his intention of taking a second wife, 50 years his junior. On the same cold winter's day, he died as a result of what was surely a tragic accident. But Wexford doubts that Camargue's death came by misadventure.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the Best Mysteries I Have Ever Read
- By Paul and Courtney on 01-05-12
-
End in Tears
- A Wexford Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 156
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 73
A lump of concrete dropped deliberately from a little stone bridge over a relatively unfrequented road kills the wrong person. The driver behind is spared. But only for a while.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Intriguing & complicated story
- By Susan B. on 08-02-06
-
Road Rage
- An Inspector Wexford Mystery
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 54
A proposed highway through a forest near Kingsmarkham has caused loud cries of protest. One group has taken more drastic measures. It will risk everything—including the lives of five hostages—to halt construction. When Inspector Wexford learns that one of the hostages is his wife, Dora, he is caught in a spiral of frustration and fear. The gripping drama of his search takes on added intensity through Davina Porter’s crisp narration.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Dragged
- By George on 12-07-16
-
Harm Done
- An Inspector Wexford Mystery
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 54
Harm Done presents the inspector with a most volatile challenge: the various guises of domestic abuse. The residents of a shabby housing complex in the London suburb of Kingsmarkham are furious. A convicted pedophile, released from prison, has returned to their community. At the same time, two young women disappear, each returning several days later with little memory of where she has been. As Wexford investigates, Kingsmarkham is rocked by violence and murder. To prevent further harm, the inspector must coax some surprising motives from the reluctant suspects.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Has Detective Wexford gone senile?
- By Julie Jones on 07-05-15
-
Not in the Flesh
- A Wexford Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 58
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 44
When the truffle-hunting dog starts to dig furiously, his master's first reaction is delight at the size of the clump the dog has unearthed: at the going rate, this one truffle might be worth several hundred pounds. Then the dirt falls away to reveal not a precious mushroom but the bones and tendons of what is clearly a human hand.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating storytelling.
- By Sherry on 12-20-11
-
No Man's Nightingale
- An Inspector Wexford Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 136
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 119
A female vicar named Sarah Hussain is discovered strangled in her Kingsmarkham vicarage. Maxine, the gossipy cleaning woman who finds the body, happens to also be in the employ of former Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford and his wife. When called on by his old deputy, Wexford, who has taken to reading The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire as a retirement project, leaps at the chance to tag along with the investigators. Wexford is intrigued by the unusual circumstances of the murder, but he's also desperate to escape the chatty Maxine.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Perfect audiobook
- By Deborah on 06-18-14
-
The Monster in the Box
- An Inspector Wexford Novel
- By: Ruth Rendell
- Narrated by: Nicolas Coster
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 47
In this enthralling new audiobook, Rendell, "the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world" ( Time), takes Inspector Wexford back to his days as a young policeman, and to the man he has long suspected of murder - serial murder.Outside the house where Wexford investigated his first murder case - a woman found strangled in her bedroom - he noticed a short, muscular man wearing a scarf and walking a dog. He gave Wexford an unnerving stare....
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Wrong narrator
- By Catherine Redlich on 03-18-10
Publisher's Summary
Who could have suspected that the exciting stag party for the groom would be the prelude to the murder of his close friend Charlie Hatton? And Charlie's death was only the first in a string of puzzling murders involving small-time gangsters, cheating husbands, and loose women. Now Chief Inspector Wexford and his assistant join forces with the groom to track down a killer....
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars51
-
4 Stars41
-
3 Stars22
-
2 Stars6
-
1 Stars2
Performance
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars57
-
4 Stars35
-
3 Stars8
-
2 Stars3
-
1 Stars1
Story
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars41
-
4 Stars34
-
3 Stars21
-
2 Stars6
-
1 Stars2
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kathi
- 02-24-13
Classic who-dunnit
What did you love best about The Best Man to Die?
Ruth Rendell writes in the classic mystery style, where the clues get revealed progressively with solid good work by the police. inspector Wexford is an old-fashioned inspector who solves the mystery through getting to understand the suspects' lives and motives. In this one, there are two cases which don't initially seem to have anything in common, though of course, they do.
I would also like to say that Davina Porter was great as narrator. I've listened to a couple that I felt she didn't do as well, so was not sure if I would enjoy this one. But she was perfect! Great job bringing life and interest to the reading and also differentiating the voices. This could have been a dull book read by someone less talented. I'm really happy that I can sing her praises here. The ones I heard and didn't care for so much must (I'm delighted to say) have just been flukes.
Highly recommend both book and reader!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- DEBRA
- 11-29-11
Wexford is back again and in fine form!
Inspector Wexford is back again and in fine form! Along with his ever present, righteously repressed, dour partner Burden, they plod along to solve yet another puzzling murder. For Wexford fans its a must "listen."
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-10-15
Formulaic British Murder Mystery
Would you try another book from Ruth Rendell and/or Davina Porter?
No
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Make the main characters more interesting
Do you think The Best Man to Die needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No. This is a crime formula book, a modern day Hercule Poirot without the panache and flair