Going back to read this Inspector Wexford mystery, written in 1970, was rather odd. I've come to know Wexford and Burden as much different, more fully developed characters. I liked them much less in this story.Rendell has obviously grown quite a bit as a writer. There are bits that are a bit wooden and not at all nuanced. It's not a bad story, and in a way it makes me want to go back and read the entire arc of the Wexford storyline. But definitely not as good as the more recent books.
