One across, two down [Large Print]

By Ruth Rendell

Book Overview

Two things interest Stanley Manning: crossword puzzles, and the substantial sum his wife Vera stands to inherit when his mother-in-law dies. Otherwise, life at 61 Lanchester Road is a living hell. For... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0896214664
• ISBN13: 9780896214668
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Thorndike Press
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Early suspense from a master storyteller

This is one of Ruth Rendell's early novels (first published in 1971), a bleak foray into greed and despair. Stanly and Vera live in a North London suburd along with Vera's mother, the caustic Maud, who hates her deadbeat son-in-law with a passion. The feelings are mutual from Stanley, who is constantly planning Maud's demise when he is not obsessed with his favorite hobby - crossword puzzles. As in most Rendell novels, there are few likable characters here with the exception of Vera, the long-suffering wife. In a way, each character gets what they want, but the hands of fate have ways of playing them out in unexpected ways. There is a pervailing atmosphere of doom and gloom that gets darker as the novel progresses and Rendell may get the reader to gain a little sympathy toward Stanley, which is quite an accomplishment.

Wonderful tale of greed gone out of control

I knew from Rendell's past books that this would end in chaos. There some tense moments, but Stanley ends up getting .... It moves right along and is hard to put down. It's a good story about people waiting for someone to die so they can inherit money and how easily it can go wrong.Vera, Stanley's wife, is a docile, meek character at the beginning.... ....Having nosy neighbors was ...downfall.