The Copper Peacock and Other Stories — Ruth Rendell

The Copper Peacock and Other Stories gathers together nine new short stories - eight tales featuring the psychological suspense that has made Ruth Rendell the darling of critics and discerning fans, and one classic detective story featuring Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford, Rendell's phenomenally popular series hero.

In the title story, we meet a self-obsessed scholar who transfers his obsession to a woman he thinks below himself - but when she offers him the copper peacock, he is forced to come to terms with an evil he refuses, at first, to comprehend.

In "Paperwork", a dreary childhood haunted by ominous enigmas is played out to a most unexpected conclusion.

In "Long Live The Queen", we learn how the accidental death of a cat can alter the life of its killer...when the owner turns out to be much more than the average eccentric old lady.

In "Dying Happy"' we se a dying man failing to appreciate the irony of choosing a mistress who happens to be a bit too similar to his estranged wife...

With deceptive economy, Ruth Rendell indicates hidden depths in ordinary events and creates a sense of profound unease. And for Inspector Wexford fans, the last story in the collection, "An Unwanted Woman" is an added delight.