One Across, Two Down

By: Ruth Rendell

Narrated by: Nicky Henson

There are only two things in life that interest Stanley: solving crossword puzzles, and getting his hands on his mother-in-law’s money. For 20 years, the puzzles have been his only pleasure, the money his only dream. It has never occurred to Stanley that his mother-in-law would try to outsmart him and the money would never be his. Until now.

It is only now that Stanley, so clever at misleading double meanings and devious clues, decides to construct a puzzle of his own - and so give death a helping hand.

©1971 Ruth Rendell (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Good character study, but not a mystery

This is a very early novel from Ruth Rendell. I have really enjoyed several of her later works. But this book is maybe a bit different. It's a good character study of a late 60s, early 70s lower middle class English cast of characters. These are well written, dialog is great, and you really get a sense of their world. Hard scrabble, paycheck-to-paycheck living. But overall, it reads a lot like a stage play. There are good characters and there's drama, but I didn't find it to be a compelling story. It's not a mystery (we know how the crime happens) and we get the sense early on how things will end. Kind of a morality play. There's a mild twist at the end but even that is not a surprise. If you're a fan of Rendell and want to see her evolution, check it out.

Fantastic!

A must listen for any true Rendell fan! Excellent narrator as well. I’ve listen to several and this is one of my favs.