The Rottweiler

me estoy leyendo este libro por "recomendacion" de mi profesor de ingles. No es dificil de leer aunque ya hay que tener un cierto nivel de B2. El argumento empieza a hacerse un poco interesante a partir del capitulo 8.

As usual in Ruth Rendell books the murder mystery itself is not of much importance. Its all about the characters. Nobody describes people and situations like her. The characters will keep you engrossed wondering what happened to them next! The ending was a bit tame but overall worth reading.

This is classic Rendell: a set of characters seemingly thrown together at random who eventually find their fates interwoven. The Rottweiler's main setting is a London building with a shop on the ground floor and flats on the three floors above. Inez owns the building and runs an antique shop there. She lives on the first floor, and three other tenants, with sundry hangers on and secrets on the next two. All of these people, plus customers, relatives, fiancees, et. al, wind in and out of the pages with their own little secrets, problems, and mysteries. Although the book is primarily about a murderer and how he is eventually caught, there are many little subplots that are just as intriguing. Most of the characters, even the murderer, are likeable and amusing sorts. Rendell's policemen have a Keystone Kops quality about them in this book, which makes an interesting contrast to her superb Inspector Wexford series. Obviously not all of London's finest are all that fine!

If you are looking for a sensational and bloodthirsty serial-killer tale in the mould of Thomas Harris et al, this book will probably not be to your taste. Ruth Rendell novels are about character, and no-one can match her expertise in probing the darker shades of human behaviour. The crimes here form a backdrop to the real action, which is the shifting tensions and suspicions between the employees and lodgers at a Marleybone antiques shop, who begin to believe they have a killer in their midst. If you enjoy an intelligent character study that also happens to be a rattlingly good read and positively bristling with tension, this is the book for you. If you want cheap, nasty thrills, look elsewhere.

brilliant