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Synopsis

Mix Cellini (which he pronounces with an `S´ rather than a `C´) is superstitious about the number thirteen and has always felt dogged by ill-luck. In St Blaise House where he lives, there are thirteen steps down to the landing below his rooms, which he keeps spick and span in marked contrast to the rest of the place. His landlady, Gwendolen Chawcer, was born there, and lives her life almost exclusively through her library, blind to the neglect and decay around her.

The Notting Hill neighbourhood has changed radically over the last fifty years, and 10 Rillington Place, where the notorious John Christie committed a series of foul murders, has been torn down. Mix is obsessed with the life of Christie and his small library is composed entirely of books on the subject. He has also developed a passion for a beautiful model who lives nearby – a woman who would not look at him twice.

Both landlady and lodger inhabit weird worlds of their own. But when reality intrudes into Mix´s life. A long pent-up violence explodes.

Press Reviews

'Here are the fears that haunt us, the nightmarish urban myths of our time... One of the most remarkable talents writing today. Ruth Rendell is a peer of the realm, and she deserves to be: she's a national treasure' - Independent

'Rendell's psychological insights are so absorbing, it's easy to forget what a superb plotter she is' - The Times

'No contemporary writer of suspense stories tries to vary the form's boundaries more than Ruth Rendell' - Guardian

About the Author

Ruth Rendell has won many awards, including the Crime Writer's Association Gold Dagger for 1976's best crime novel with A Demon in My View; a second Edgar in 1984 from the Mystery Writers of America for the best short story, The New Girl Friend;  a Gold Dagger award for Live Flesh in 1986. She was also the winner of the 1990 Sunday Times Literary Award, as well as the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger. In 1996 she was awarded the CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer.