Adam and Eve and Pinch Me

By Ruth Rendell

Jock Lewis was supposed to have died in a terrible train crash at Paddington. Minty, his girlfriend, received a letter telling her so. But, curiously, the police haven’t been in touch. And Jock has borrowed all her savings.

Zillah also got a letter informing her that her husband, Jerry Leach, was dead. Something about it struck her as suspicious, but she chooses not to mention her doubts to her fiancé, an up-and-coming Conservative Member of Parliament.

Fiona, a successful banker, met Jeff Leigh before the Paddington crash. And although he never seemed to have a job, and borrowed money from her, she is utterly devoted to him -- and can’t understand why he suddenly disappeared.

As the novel progresses, it slowly becomes apparent how the lives of these women might be connected, and how they may figure into a series of vicious stabbing deaths that have shocked and terrified the citizens of London. With consummate skill, Ruth Rendell pulls the colourful strands of this harrowing story ever tighter, increasing the tension page by page.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 14, 2010
• ISBN: 9780385673143

Ruth Rendell

Ruth Rendell (1930–2015) won three Edgar Awards, the highest accolade from Mystery Writers of America, as well as four Gold Daggers and a Diamond Dagger for outstanding contribution to the genre from England’s prestigious Crime Writ­ers’ Association. Her remarkable career spanned a half century, with more than sixty books published. A member of the House of Lords, she was one of the great literary figures of our time.

Reviews for Adam and Eve and Pinch Me

[bookmarque · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very strange book about an almost insignificant and backward woman suffering from OCD in a big way. When she keep seeing the "ghost" of her old "boyfriend", things really get weird and she is driven to an act of extreme violence. Not one of Rendell's best, but I found myself compulively reading this, much like slowing down by a road accident.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting read. The story pivots around a man who is using a lot of women. He robs them blind while making them feel like he will marry them. One of his problems is that he's married. However he really doesn't play a part in his wife or children's lives. He tries to convince some of his women friends that he is in fact dead, having died in a train crash. The biggest problem is that one of them, Minty, is mentally unstable, and believes that she sees and hears the dead so when she sees him around she thinks he's a halucination, so she tries to do things to get rid of him, eventually taking a knife to the issue, which helps push her down a spiral of madness.I found it somewhat obvious. The characters were very rubber stamped and had little grey about them. It was interesting to read and worthwhile.

[beckybose · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable and compelling. But plodded along in places. Nice idea though and beautifully executed.

[melissafreed · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely adore Ruth Rendell and this one didn't disappoint! Oddball but believable characters like Minty and Jock - good stuff.

[catien_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is typical Rendell - well-written characters, some with interesting quirks and some with downright mental illnesses. The story revolves around one man, Jock/Jerry/Jeff (aliases), who touches the lives of many women and not in a good way. He is a user and an opportunist, and this results in some tragic consequences, but there is also a dark humor throughout the book that lightens things up. Very good read.

[dawnbirduk_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A different book, a bit strange, not one of her best

[vlcraven_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Per usual, Rendell does not disappoint–her insight into human psychology is always finely wrought. It was interesting to see the world through the eyes of a very disturbed young woman, who was obviously suffering from OCD. Captivating.

[piemouth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A genial con man is involved with several women, one of whom is crazy. What could go wrong? A number of tangled web weavers’ lies intersect in curious ways. Rendell is magnificent at describing how people make bad decisions that make sense at the time, and the way emotions change as time passes. The tension towards the end of this one is deliciously unbearable.