Country United States Publisher Hutchinson Originally published 8 October 1979 Preceded by The Vault ISBN 0-09-139630-1 | Language English Publication date 8 October 1979 Followed by No Man's Nightingale | |
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Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback) Pages 174 pp (first edition, hardback) Similar Ruth Rendell books, Other books | ||
Means of Evil is a collection of short stories by British writer Ruth Rendell. All the stories feature her popular protagonist Inspector Wexford, and fill in important gaps in the chronology of the series, such as Inspector Burden's second marriage. They are not considered part of the novel series, but are certainly necessary for fans. The stories were often published first in places such as Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, so the events of stories do not actually fit between the next Wexford novel (Put on by Cunning, 1981) and the previous, (A Sleeping Life, 1979), but before.
Contents
The collection contains five stories, all featuring Wexford:
- "Means of Evil"
- "Old Wives Tales"
- "Ginger and the Kingsmarkham Chalk Circle"
- "Achilles Heel"
- "When the Wedding Was Over"
Of these short stories, three were the basis of episodes in the Inspector Wexford television series - Means of Evil, Ginger and the Kingsmarkham Chalk Circle (filmed as No Crying He Makes) and Achilles Heel.