I've been a fan of English mystery writer Ruth Rendell since devouring one of her books lent to me by a friend years ago, "A Demon in My View." It is one of Rendell's excellent psychological thrillers. She also writes more conventional mysteries starring Inspector Wexford.
I have just about all of her books, including those written under her pseudonym Barbara Vine, but I must admit that the last few haven't been quite up to par. In fact, I never finished one of them, "The Blood Doctor."
So I was happy to pick up a copy of "The Water's Lovely" after reading some good reviews.
The story begins with the memory of a murder (of course). Ismay (really, where does she get these names) and Heather's father died nine years earlier, apparently drowning in the bathtub. While the police concluded the drowning was accidental, Ismay has always suspected Heather killed him.
Now that Heather is seriously involved with a man, Ismay wonders if it's time to share her suspicions.
In true Rendell tradition, there are several story lines going at once -- a murderer is on the loose in the city's park, a caregiver plots ways to secure her clients' money and then poison them -- and you know that eventually all of these characters' lives will collide.
"The Water's Lovely" is a good Ruth Rendell, but not a great Ruth Rendell. For that, I recommend "One Across, Two Down" or "Anna's Book."
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