MURDER BEING ONCE DONE

Rendell writes in two veins--suspense stories heavy with psychological overtones and classic, but hardly routine, whodunits featuring Inspector Wexford, a crusty, middle-aged and highly observant country detective. ONCE DONE falls into the second category. Wexford, recovering from a thrombosis, is on vacation in London when the body of a girl is discovered in a cemetery and, contrary to doctor's orders, he gets involved. With a remarkable grasp of the ebb and flow of narrative and conversation, Baker IS Wexford--kind, irascible, persistent. He's equally at home in the personas of the suspects, as well. The solution, like the abridgment, makes perfect sense; nevertheless, one is left wondering how much more satisfying the complete version would be. J.B.G. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]