From Doon With Death

Well, I finally finished another book. This one should not have taken so long as it was a very short book. Now, you’re probably thinking it must have been terrible, and that’s why I took so long. Yes and no. Let me tell you about the murder mystery called From Doon With Death.

From Doon with Death Summary

So, this book is a British murder mystery written by Ruth Rendell. We start the book with one of the inspectors being called to the house of Mr. Parsons. The man insists that something is wrong because he came home and his wife was nowhere to be found. Inspector Burden doesn’t think much of it and assumes that Parsons’ wife must just be out. However, the next day she is still not back and a search is mounted for the missing woman. She’s found in the woods near a farm, dead. Along with Chief Inspector Wexford, Inspector Burden investigates the murder. The two inspectors seem to run into walls whichever way they go, and it seems that no one in town can give them an honest answer. Especially those closest to the victim.

Introducing Doon

As they investigate they come across books with little notes in them written from someone called Doon. The notes seem to be like little love letters and the inspectors begin looking into possible boyfriends from the past. Mrs. Parsons is a simple looking woman, unattractive is mentioned many times. As the case progresses and more people get entwined and the lies grow, the inspectors do everything they can to solve the murder. And when Chief Inspector Wexford puts it all together it’s such a whirlwind that you’re left scratching your head.

What I Liked

Every book has snippets of reviews from critics. One of these reviews on the back said “For readers who have almost given up mysteries…Rendell may be just the woman to get them started again.” – Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. And I have to say, I agree that Ruth Rendell can write a good mystery. The vibes I got from the book were very “Murder on the Orient Express” like. Everyone seems to have a secret and the inspectors find themselves going back and forth a lot. When the case was solved, I was surprised at who the killer was. I had figured out a small part of Doon’s identity, but not all of it. When Wexford was telling the tale that would wrap everything up, I found myself hanging on every word. There were also little things that I found amusing, like the inspectors hollering for tea while looking at evidence.

What I Disliked

The story was good, the characters interesting. My biggest criticism is how it was written. There were no paragraph breaks to switch points of view. One second you’re reading from Burden’s point of view and the very next sentence you’re in Wexford’s. Everything ran together and it would take a second to figure out whose point of view I was in. The other was I found quite a few editing mistakes. Words misspelled, or other things not making sense. Some I was able to shrug off, assuming that perhaps that was how things were spelled where this author lives. After all, English is complicated that way with words having two different spellings. (Ex: color vs colour). It just wasn’t what you would expect from an editor of a publishing company. I would expect to find it from local authors who self publish.

Overall Rating of From Doon with Death

I really did enjoy the story. As I said, the reason it took so long was because I was more interested in the story I was making up in my head. So, I’m going to give From Doon with Death a 4 star rating. Only near the end, was I hanging on every word, and not able to put the book down. The beginning of the book was intriguing, the mystery was well written. Ruth Rendell is a great story teller and writes interesting and complex characters, which are also simple and relatable. I just wish her editor had done a better job. If the format is just the way she wanted it, or how the company wanted it, okay. But the inconsistency was that near the end of the book there were paragraph breaks. So, you can see why I am a bit confused.

Will I Read More of Ruth Rendell

Probably. I do not want to fully judge a book based on bad editing. The story is well written and I do love a good murder mystery. And I was left guessing who the killer was until the reveal, which is not always the case with mysteries. Her books also appear to be short. So, in theory, they will be a good quick read to help me get through books faster. I do have another one standing by that I had gotten from the library. We shall see what happens. However, I think the next book from my stack will either be an Orphan X or Dexter book. I still have a lot of reading to do and need a book I don’t want to put down. Until next time, remember my friends, anything can happen if you try.