Ginette B. (Niteowl7) reviewed on 4/22/2006 + 242 more book reviews

One of Ruth Rendell's best. Writing as Barbara Vine, Rendell masterfully brings together a variety of characters as they reveal their part in a murder that encompasses the past, present and future. In the beginning of the story, we know a murder has been committed. The rest of the book shows how this came about. The house is called the "house of stairs" because the house is 5 stories and has 106 stairs. Each floor has a bedroom or living space that different people move in and out of. Cosette, the owner of the house allows room for whoever wants to live there. The story evokes the 1970's; a time when people felt free to live in others' houses, smoked pot with their wine just about every day; and naively believed that others had the same good intentions as they did. At times, Cosette has no idea who's living in her house. When Bell moves in, she chooses to live on the top floor where she can easily hide. It is Bell's inner darkness that sets in motion the tragic events. An excellent psychological suspense book, "The House of Stairs" was hard to put down.

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