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A Judgement in Stone
A Judgement in Stone
Author: Ruth Rendell
Four members of the Coverdale family -- George, Jacqueline, Melinda and Giles -- died in the space of fifteen minutes on the 14th February, St Valentine's Day. — Eunice Parchman, the housekeeper shot them down on a Sunday evening while they were watching opera on television. Two weeks later she was arrested for the crime. — But the tragedy neithe...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780099171409
ISBN-10: 0099171406
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 191
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 5

3.6 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Arrow
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

ccwriter avatar reviewed A Judgement in Stone on + 186 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is an excellent book with a very unsettling premise -- about the consequences of functional illeteracy. In fact, the first sentence of this class Rendell mystery tells you the murders happened because the killer (a young woman) couldn't read or write. I'm loath to part with this book, but I have only so much room!

"A classic."--The London Times

What on earth could have provoked a modern day St. Valentine's Day massacre?

On Valentine's Day, four members of the Coverdale family--George, Jacqueline, Melinda and Giles--were murdered in the space of 15 minutes. Their housekeeper, Eunice Parchman, shot them, one by one, in the blue light of a televised performance of Don Giovanni. When Detective Chief Superintendent William Vetch arrests Miss Parchman two weeks later, he discovers a second tragedy: the key to the Valentine's Day massacre hidden within a private humiliation Eunice Parchman has guarded all her life. A brilliant rendering of character, motive, and the heady discovery of truth, A Judgement in Stone is among Ruth Rendell's finest psychological thrillers.

"It will be an amazing achievement if [Rendell] ever writes a better book."--London Daily Express

"Ruth Rendell is the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world."--Time
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doatylucky avatar reviewed A Judgement in Stone on + 23 more book reviews
I'm reading all of Ms. Rendell's books. This is the best one so far. Her characters are so vivid you feel you know them as your neighbors. The crime is random for the characters but well thought out by the author. She leads us to this crime, baiting us along the way with well informed reasoning. It was an excellent read I could not put down.


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