Description

Perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon, this haunting insight into the mind of a pathological criminal is one of multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell’s most terrifying novels…

‘Rendell is unrivalled at depicting psychologically warped people and at creating unease through the simplest things. This is another triumph’ — Observer
‘Wonderful at exploring the dark corners of the human mind, and the way private fantasies can clash and explode into terrifying violence’ — Daily Mail
‘Brilliantly written’ — ***** Reader review
‘Absolutely fantastic!’ — ***** Reader review
‘Mesmerizing’ — ***** Reader review
‘Intensely absorbing’ — ***** Reader review
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Arthur Johnson doesn’t look like a murderous psychopath; he is a mild-mannered man who has never known how to talk to women.

Years of loneliness has warped his mind, turning his desire for a woman’s love and respect into a pathological need for carefully controlled violence. Locked in the cellar of his building is the perfect willing victim, a woman who can be murdered over and over again, a woman who waits for Arthur every night…a mannequin in the form of a female.

But when a young scholar of psychopathic personalities moves in downstairs and Arthur’s mannequin disappears, where will he turn to satisfy his urgent craving for violence?

Publisher Review

As well as being a classic of suspense, this book marks the high point of Rendell's gift for seeing the comedy in tragedy. Her portrayal of the pompous and pious bachelor Arthur Johnson and his struggles to control his regrettable inclination towards serial murder is as hilarious as it is disturbing. -- Jake Kerridge * Telegraph * Wonderful at exploring the dark corners of the human mind, and the way private fantasies can clash and explode into terrifying violence * Daily Mail * The best mystery writer anywhere in the English-speaking world * Boston Globe * Rendell is unrivalled at depicting psychologically warped people and at creating unease through the simplest things. This is another triumph * Observer *