Make Death Love Me

By Ruth Rendell

Book Overview

Alan Groombridge had a fantasy. Bored with his life, he dreamed of stealing enough money from the bank he worked in to allow him just one year of happiness. But when the bank is robbed, Groombridge is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099223309
• ISBN13: 9780099223306
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.6" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

Didn't want it to end!

Wow - I sat all day under the spell of this book, barely looking up from the pages. As usual, Rendell knows how to tell a good story and draw characters that you don't forget. Its been a week since reading it, and I still think of that poor woman in the end who thinks that her lover deserted her, when....well, I won't say more. This is one of the best I've read of hers, and hope to find more!

Now what?

Ruth Rendell really understands human nature. When one thinks about robbing a bank, thoughts center upon what to do with all the $$$$$, not about the reality of the nitty gritty of not getting caught and sent up the river. None of the characters in this story is essentially evil. But the pressure of coping with the consequences of deliberate immoral acts affects each of them in ways they never anticipated. One thing leads to another and eventually it all goes haywire. Fascinating.

This is one of Rendell's golden oldies

Make Death Love Me is a psychological thriller about a robbery that leads to unexpected, and tragic, circumstances. It is exceptionally good and combines sharp psychological insights with a twisty plot. Alan Groombridge is a bank manager for one of the smallest branches in England and he works with an assistant called Joyce. He has basically lived a dull, regimented and controlled life since his girlfriend became pregnant at the age of eighteen and they were forced into marriage. His wife is the most banal, selfish woman ever. Her father, who lives with them, is sanctimonious and loud and their two children make life even harder for him. Alan is hardly permitted any freedom - he loves to read but can only do this while the others are watching television because they think it is rude for him to read otherwise. All in all, Alan is a character that you feel extremely sympathetic towards. He is trapped in a loveless marriage by social conventions and his own cowardliness. Neil and Marty find out some information about the bank where Alan and Joyce work and plan a robbery. Unsurprisingly, they bungle it and end up kidnapping Joyce. Alan, who has been fantasizing about running away with some of the banks money manages to do exactly that at the same time, although the police think that the robbers have kidnapped him as well as Joyce. The rest of the novel concentrates on Alan trying to build a new life whilst feeling guilty about Joyce who is held captive by the kidnappers. It also looks at how the robbers / kidnappers, Neil (a well-to-do kid gone bad) and Marty (an alcoholic), cope with the aftermath of their crime. Overall, this is a super book. The ending has a certain poetic justice that is sad and meaningful and ties up the loose ends. The characters are believable and interesting and Alan is particularly likeable, as you feel so sorry and frustrated for him. I was delighted to find this paperback in a second-hand bookstore because some of the older Rendell books are now quite hard to get hold of. If you are a fan of Rendell's stand alone psychological thrillers then I would encourage you to track this one down, as it is brilliantly written albeit a quicker read that books such as Sight For Sore Eyes, The Crocodile Bird, Rottweiller, etc.

one of her best

This book was a rare combination of suspense and heart-wrenching sadness. It made me cry.

loved it!

Loved it, wonderful reader! Got it on CD from my library. Unusual, genuine, and has many twists and turns, but not implausible ones. My first read from her, and can't wait to read more. Why is it OP?