Murder Being Once Done

 Murder Being Once Done (1972) by Ruth Rendell

Chief Inspector Reg Wexford has been put on sick leave after a thrombosis in his eye. Dr. Crocker has put him on a regimented diet and ordered him off of alcohol, rich food....and police work. The doctor suggested a month at the seaside--but it's February and Wexford has no intention of freezing at the beach. So, he arranges to stay with his nephew and his wife in London. His nephew is a Detective Superintendent at the Yard. Wexford figures he'll at least get to be involved in crime vicariously. But Howard will discuss anything with his uncle--the weather, literature, London sightseeing--except his job. When a young woman is found strangled to death in a cemetery on Howard's patch, Wexford has to find out about it from the newspapers.

A brief blowup results in Wexford discovering that "that meddlesome Crocker" had sent a letter to the nephew telling him that there is "nothing [Wexford] wants more than to get completely away from everything connected with police work." As soon as Howard realizes that it wasn't Wexford's wish at all, he's relieved that he can consult his uncle's experience. But is Wexford out of his league in the Big Smoke? Howard's subordinate certainly thinks so. Wexford, still feeling that his insights may not be fully appreciated, strikes out on his own--making a few false starts, but coming up with the goods in the end. The plot is fairly straightforward--the girl is at first totally unknown and it is a search for her identity. Even after she's initially identified, they still have a puzzle on their hands because she doesn't seem to have any connections anywhere. Does she have a previous identity? And, if so, was the killer from her past or from her current life in London? Wexford helps his nephew and company find out.

So...once upon a time, I really enjoyed Ruth Rendell's mysteries. I read several of them from my hometown library in the early 80s and then more in the late 90s. I know I read this one (and gave it a middle-of--the-road score of three stars). It wasn't one of my favorites--probably because it takes Wexford off his home turf and leaves him without his right-hand-man Mike Burden. This time around, I'm even less taken with it. I don't like how Wexford is represented. I really dislike Howard's subordinate and his attitude towards the "country policeman." I don't care what he thinks of Wexford--Wexford outranks him and he ought to show at least that much respect for the man. I do appreciate that it shows Wexford as the fallible, fish out of water, trying to detect in London where he doesn't know the people and the ground like he does at home in Kingsmarkham. On top of the personality problems, the mystery itself isn't a very appealing one to me. The clues are not thick on the ground and I certainly didn't see much of them pointing at the particular suspect. Not Rendell's best. ★★ and 1/2

First line: When Wexford came downstairs in the morning his nephew had already left for work and the women, with the fiendish gusto of amateur dieticians, were preparing a convalescent's breakfast. 

Last line: Her husband was asleep.
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Deaths = one strangled