The Monster in the Box: An Inspector Wexford Novel

By Ruth Rendell

Inspector Wexford returns in his most surprising case yet

"He had never told anyone. The strange relationship, if it could be called that, had gone on for years, decades, and he had never breathed a word about it. He had kept silent because he knew no one would believe him. None of it could be proved, not the stalking, not the stares or the conspiratorial smiles, not the killings, not any of the signs Targo had made because he knew Wexford knew and could do nothing about it."

Wexford had almost made up his mind that he would never again set eyes on Eric Targo's short, muscular figure. And yet there he was, back in Kingsmarkham, still with that cocky, strutting walk.

Years earlier, when Wexford was a young police officer, a woman called Elsie Carroll had been found strangled in her bedroom. Although many still had their suspicions that her husband was guilty, no one was convicted. Another woman was strangled shortly afterwards, and every personal and professional instinct told Wexford that the killer was still at large. And it was Eric Targo. A psychopath who would kill again...

As the Chief Inspector investigates a new case, Ruth Rendell looks back to the beginning of Wexford's career, even to his courtship of the woman who would become his wife. The past is a haunted place, with clues and passions that leave an indelible imprint on the here and now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 15, 2009
• ISBN: 9780385668866

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 The Monster in the Box

[devenish_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Going back into Wexford's past life and career makes for a fascinating read. His early loves,prior to his meeting Dora and his rise in the police from constable to his present position are all chronicled in the course of the book.The crimes of Eric Targo are strange ones,if indeed crimes they are. Murders are being committed which Wexford is convinced that Targo has perpetrated but there is no proof whatsoever.Targo then begins to stalk Wexford and indeed to taunt him. What can be done ? The Inspector begins to try to talk over the whole situation with Burden and attempt to find a solution.This is an excellent story with lots of twists and turns which also explains much of Wexford's life from the other novels.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not QUITE the last of Inspector Wexford (huzzah!) even though the end is drawing inexorably closer (pshaw, pshaw). This next-to-latest in the series has its roots in the early days of Wexford's career, when he became convinced that Eric Targo was a murderer. For years, his life and Targo's have intersected, in large part -- Wexford believes -- because Targo is taunting him. Eventually, the novel moves from the past to the present; Targo reappears, and Wexford is able, at long last, to build a real case against him.Along the way, we are given a delightful excursion into Wexford's personal past, revealing how he met and married Dora. And we are treated to the usual odd mix of characters, presented with Rendell's usual subtlety. We also have the usual socially-relevant subplot, again involving Asians and the hyper-politically-correct DC Goldsmith. I found the ending a little dissapointing (after all that buildup, I hoped for more of a ahocker) but all in all this is another great read.

[naimahaviland · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ruth Rendell is one of my favorite authors and I like the Wexford series, but this one was a little slow for me. I hung in there, though, and felt rewarded at the end. The plot: a serial killer has stalked Inspector Wexford for decades but there has never been overt evidence linking him to the crimes and because the stalking incidents all looked coincidental Wexford has never had enough grounds to put anyone on his trail. An unexpected pleasure of reading this story was that it takes Wexford down a personal memory lane and I got a chance to learn some background on this great character.

[sogamonk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

another great book in the Inspector Wexford series. As usual, Rendell is a master at tying loose ends.Also seeing into Wexford's past was a bittersweet addition to the story.

[yogiabb_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"The Monster in the Box" is an English psychological murder mystery staring Inspector Wexford. Inspector Wexford is lots different from the American detectives in other books that I've been reading lately. His main technique is to ask suspects and witnesses lots and lots of questions and then ponder their answers. This is not to say the book is boring. It is very interesting. The emphasis is not on the action, its on the characters and their motivations, background, and character.This book has a serial murderer who Wexford thinks may have been killing or 30 years or more. The book involves a possible honor killing, an escaped pet lion, familial coverups, and lots and lots of questions.Inspector Wexford is totally unlike some of the American detectives in fiction. He seems to have a stable home life, doesn't drink to excess and he manages his business without getting into a fist fights or a gun battles or seducing the principal suspect. Somehow, he is an interesting guy anyway.I found the book quite compelling. It is the 22nd Inspector Wexford novel. I'll be reading more.

[lynndp_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent Wexford and Burden story. Reflects back upon Wexford's young adult life as a new policeman and early love life. Comments upon the many changes since then which leads one to do the same. There are two different yet similar cases - Wexford's belief that a man has killed several people, the first victim in his first case, and Hannah Goldman's belief that an immigrant family is conspiring in a forced marriage of their 16-year old daughter. Both cases initially lack hard evidence and in the end are unexpected connected. A great read.

[bsquaredinoz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reg Wexford spots in the street the man he believes committed a murder and got away with it; the first murder he investigated as a junior officer some 40 years earlier. Not unnaturally seeing Eric Targo like this puts Wexford in a reflective mood and he reveals to his fellow officer Mike Burden the events that occurred during and after that first investigation. He also spends a fair amount of time in contemplation of his early personal life, including how he met his wife and other events that took place prior to the first novel in the series. When Targo is possibly involved in a new crime things become more critical. At the same time Mike’s wife Jenny, a teacher, and DS Hanna Goldsmith embroil Wexford in a case in which they believe a teenage girl in an Asian family is being prevented from attending school.

The part of the book that deals with Wexford’s obsession with Targo (and Targo’s with Wexford) is compellingly told. I got a really strong sense of why the man bothered Wexford so much and how galling it must be for a policeman to know someone is guilty of murder but not be able to prove that guilt. That such a thing would become an obsession seems perfectly natural in the context of both this story and Wexford’s longer one that has played out over the series. I didn’t think that Targo’s penchant for playing games with Wexford nor his hurriedly described motivations for his crimes rang as true though.

When we move to the ‘case’ of Tamima Kahn and her family I found the book less successful all together. Both Jenny Burden and Hanna Goldsmith are well-intentioned but utterly patronising in their attitudes to the Kahns (and any other Asians encountered) and I’m not convinced that Rendell acknowledging this within the story (by having one of the extended Kahn family tell the two women they are being rude) makes up for it. And even if it does, for me this thread remains far less interesting because of the tone and made the overall book drag a little in places.

The Monster in the Box is apparently to be Wexford’s last outing and in some senses this is fitting in that most people probably finish their careers with a slow whimper rather than a big bang. I can see how fans might think this an unfitting way for him to finish up his career because neither case requires much in the way of Wexford’s investigative skills to resolve and there is a generally unsatisfactory feel about the resolution to both threads. However as a non-fan I thought it one of the best, most believable portrayals of him that I’ve read, not only with respect to his obsession but also his desire to reflect on his own life and the social changes he’s seen in his time as a man and an officer. For that alone the book is worth reading.

What about the audio book?

Nigel Anthony has a quiet voice with a hint of an accent which seems to suit the gentle pace of this story. He doesn’t do a completely different voice for each person but seems to pull off the changes in character with very slight changes in tone or volume. This is my favourite kind of narration and I would definitely look for more audiobooks narrated by Nigel Anthony.

[debs913 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Inspector Wexford just knows that the man walking his dog has killed someone, maybe several someones. He obsesses throughout the book, trying to find some proof that Targo is a killer. Meanwhile, his assistant is also trying to prove a crime has been committed or is being planned. The two muck about trying to find evidence to back up their assumptions. j

This book was a hard read for me. I didn't feel close to any of the characters, they all seemed a little flat or understated. Maybe being a dog person, I was just annoyed that the "bad guy" loved dogs more than people. This was the first Ruth Rendell book I've read. I'll give her another try, despite rather not liking this book.

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's always a pleasure to find an Inspector Wexford book I haven't yet read - they have a certain quality you can rely on. This, like some of Rendell's other books, wasn't so much a whodunnit as an already-knowing-whodunnit and just needing to prove it, but this is clear from the start and not a problem. Interwoven with the main storyline was the mystery of a local Muslim girl who has been taken out of school and spirited away to stay with relatives. What could we be looking at here: forced marriage? Honour killing? Ruth Rendell calmly works through all the knee-jerk reactions but you know that an author of her stature will not resort to stereotypes. Notably, one of the most intriguing characters was Mrs Qasi, the Muslim with a bottle of sherry on the sideboard for guests. ("I celebrate Christmas like any other British citizen whilst not believing in the faith behind it - again like most British citizens" - brilliant, brilliant).It was enjoyable, too, to hear a little bit about Wexford's past, his early career and how he met his wife. A pleasant feeling of nostalgia at the end of this long running series.

[figgles_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ruth Rendell delves into Wexford's past, intertwining his pursuit of a serial killer, with reminsicences about his courtship of Dora. Not her strongest Wexford, with a somewhat nostalgic air looking back from the 90's to the 50's, but will be enjoyed by Wexford fans.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

All of his working life Reg Wexford has thought he has known of an unconvicted killer. When he was a young police officer, a young woman, Elsie Carroll, was found murdered. Her husband George, who always proclaimed his innocence, was charged with her murder, brought to trial, convicted, and then freed on appeal because of the judge's misdirection of the jury. Wexford's bosses were convinced they had got the right person, but Reg Wexford thought he knew better. He was convinced that a smug little man, Eric Targo, was the real murderer. Reg just didn't know why. When another woman was found murdered, again Reg was convinced Targo had something to do with it, he just couldn't work out the connection.This was the beginning of a strange relationship between Wexford and Targo. Wexford becomes convinced that Targo is stalking him. And then Targo disappears from Reg's life. Now Targo has come back.THE MONSTER IN THE BOX has an interesting structure. Much of it consists of a conversation between Wexford and his deputy Burden, in which Wexford describes all of the times Targo has apppeared his life and why he became convinced that Targo was stalking him. The author uses the novel as a vehicle to reveal to the reader a lot of personal detail from Wexford's life: his early days in the police force, his courtship of his wife Dora. The time frame must go back nearly four decades, and times when Burden has been part of that timeline are pinpointed. As the timeline gets closer to the present, it is clear there will be a more modern incident involving Targo. Wexford is convinced he is a psychopathic killer.I found the time layers of this novel a little confusing.The following passage Wexford and Burden getting together for the first time for Wexford to relate his story:They chose the Olive and Dove, the little room called the snug which over the years they had made almost their own. Of course others used it, as the yellow-stained ceiling and lingering smell of a million cigarettes bore witness. In a few years' time a smoking ban would come in, the walls and ceiling be redecorated, new curtains hung at the clouded wondows and ashtrays banished, but in the late nineties there was no hint of that. Outside the window it was mostly young people who could be seen sitting at the tables under coloured umbrellas on the Olive's veranda, for the evening was as mild as the day had been, while their elders crowded into the saloon bar. All those people or those who succeeded them would ten years in the future be obliged to huddle on that verandah, rain or shine, snow or fog, if they wanted ot smoke.I re-read this passage several times to make sure I had got the time frame correct. I've put the clue I picked up in bold.In fact, Rendell had me reading a few passages in THE MONSTER IN THE BOX several times. That might get the thumbs down from some readers.Ruth Rendell announced last year that THE MONSTER IN THE BOX is her last Wexford novel. If it is, then I am disappointed, because even though it does survey all of Reg's life, it doesn't feel to me he has gone out on the high that I wanted.Mind you, it is still a good read.

[romonko · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When you read this book you realize that Ms. Rendell is coming to the end of her wonderful Inspector Wexford series. I for one am sad to see this, but look forward to reading her next book "The Vault" which is recently out. In this book the enigmatic Wexford is being haunted by a ghost from his past. A ghost that he first met when he was just a young copper and newly on the force. A ghost who Wexford is convinced is a serial killer, but one that was never brought to justice. And then lo and behold the ghost comes back into Wexford's life after many years absence and Wexford and Burden are dealing with a present-day murder. Again Wexford has no evidence or proof other than his own assurance that this man is a serial killer and is still in the business, so to speak. I enjoyed the book. The first part of the book was especially strong, but the ending is a bit disappointing even though we know that things don't always work out the way they should in real life. I love Wexford and have enjoyed reading him over the past many years. He's a copper's copper and one who has good instincts and an intelligence that have all helped him be very successful in his long and illustrious career. Fortunately for me, I have still got quite a few non-series books written by the remarkable Ms. Rendell, and I'm going to enjoy getting through this list. She is a remarkable writer.