A spectacularly compelling story of blackmail murders both accidental and opportunistic and of one lifes fateful unraveling from Ruth Rendellone of the most remarkable novelists of her generation Peoplewriting at her most acute and mesmerizingWhen his father dies Carl Martin inherits a house in an increasingly rich and trendy London neighborhood Carl needs cash however so he rents the upstairs room and kitchen to the first person he interviews Dermot McKinnon That was colossal mistake number one Mistake number two was keeping his fathers bizarre collection of homeopathic cures that he found in the medicine cabinet including a stash of controversial diet pills Mistake number three was selling fifty of those diet pills to a friend who is then found dead Dermot seizes a nefarious opportunity and begins to blackmail Carl refusing to pay rent and creepily invading Carls space Ingeniously weaving together two storylines that finally merge in one shocking turn Ruth Rendell describes one mans spiral into darknessand murderas he falls victim to a diabolical foe he cannot escape This is masterful storytelling that gets under your skin brilliant psychological suspense from Ruth Rendell No one surpasses Ruth Rendell when it comes to stories of obsession instability and malignant coincidence Stephen King.
