Adam and Eve and Pinch Me : a novel

Minty’s boyfriend, Jock, was killed in the disastrous train wreck at Paddington, shortly after he borrowed all her savings. Now he has come back to haunt her. Zillah lost her estranged husband, Jerry, in that same accident. She is not convinced he is actually dead, but for reasons of her own decides not to pursue the matter. Fiona’s fiancé, Jeff, has simply disappeared–quite inexplicably since she was supporting him in style.In her ingeniously unnerving new novel, Ruth Rendell deftly traces the connections among these women–and between them a series of vicious stabbings terrifying London. Adam and Eve and Pinch Me is a masterpiece of malice and psychological suspense. Mystery,Suspense,Thriller

minty’s Boyfriend, Jock, Was Killed In The Disastrous Train Wreck At Paddington, Shortly After He Borrowed All Her Savings. Now He Has Come Back To Haunt Her. Zillah Lost Her Estranged Husband, Jerry, In That Same Accident. She Is Not Convinced He Is Actually Dead, But For Reasons Of Her Own Decides Not To Pursue The Matter. Fiona’s Fiancé, Jeff, Has Simply Disappeared–quite Inexplicably Since She Was Supporting Him In Style.

in Her Ingeniously Unnerving New Novel, Ruth Rendell Deftly Traces The Connections Among These Women–and Between Them A Series Of Vicious Stabbings Terrifying London. adam And Eve And Pinch Me Is A Masterpiece Of Malice And Psychological Suspense.

publishers Weekly

hthis Latest Gem From The British Master Concerns The Wreckage Wrought On A Variety Of Londoners By A Womanizing Con Man Who Speaks In Rhymes. Here, As In A Sight For Sore Eyes (1999), Rendell's Genius Is To Create Characters So Vivid They Live Beyond The Frame Of The Novel. She Pushes The Ordinary To The Point Of The Bizarre While Remaining Consistently Believable. Araminta Minty Knox, The Fragile Center Of The Plot, Is A 30-something Woman, Alone And Obsessed With Hygiene, Who Works In A Dry-cleaning Shop. All The World Is A Petri Dish For Minty, Who Sees Germs Everywhere, Which She Attacks With Wright's Coal Tar Soap. She Is Equally Tormented By The Ghosts She Imagines, Her Domineering Auntie And The Man Who Took Her Virginity. Other Characters Hover On The Borderline Between Transformation And Disaster. Tory Mp Jims Melcombe-smith, In Bed Politically With The Family Values Crowd, Is Simultaneously Courting A Gay Lover. Working-class Zillah Leach, Bored With Her Small Children And Smaller Bank Account, Schemes To Marry Up, Even At The Risk Of Committing Bigamy. This Is Not A Whodunit In The Sense Of Rendell's Inspector Wexford Novels, But A Study Of Crime's Origins And Especially Its Consequences As They Ripple Out Beyond The Immediate Victims. The Plot Is Intricate But Brisk, And Rendell Nails Her Characters' Psychology In All Its Perverse Logic. She Has A Travel Writer's Sensitivity To Setting, To The Architecture, Cemeteries, Birds And Vegetation Of Contemporary Britain. This Is A Literary Page-turner, Both Elegant And Accessible. (feb. 19) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

With consummate skill, Ruth Rendell pulls the colorful strands of this harrowing story ever tighter, increasing the tension page by page. Jock Lewis was supposed to have died in that terrible train crash at Paddington. Minty, his girlfriend, received a letter from Great Western telling her so. But, curiously, the police haven't been in touch. And Jock has borrowed all her savings . . . Zillah also got a letter from the railway company, informing her that her husband, Jerry Leach, was dead. Something about the letter struck her as suspicious, but she chooses not to mention her doubts to the up-and-coming Conservative Member of Parliament who has just proposed a marriage of convenience . . . Fiona, a successful banker, met Jeff Leigh before the Paddington crash in August. Although he never seemed to have a job, and borrowed money from her, she is utterly devoted to himand can't understand why he suddenly has disappeared . . . As this novel gets under way, it is not immediately apparent how the lives of these women might be connected, or how they may figure into a series of vicious stabbing deaths that have shocked and terrified the citizens of London. With consummate skill, Ruth Rendell pulls the colorful strands of this harrowing story ever tighter, increasing the tension page by page. Jock Lewis Was Supposed To Have Died In A Terrible Train Crash At Paddington. Minty, His Girlfriend, Received A Letter Telling Her So. But, Curiously, The Police Haven’t Been In Touch. And Jock Has Borrowed All Her Savings. Zillah Also Got A Letter Informing Her That Her Husband, Jerry Leach, Was Dead. Something About It Struck Her As Suspicious, But She Chooses Not To Mention Her Doubts To Her Fiancé, An Up-and-coming Conservative Member Of Parliament. Fiona, A Successful Banker, Met Jeff Leigh Before The Paddington Crash. And Although He Never Seemed To Have A Job, And Borrowed Money From Her, She Is Utterly Devoted To Him -- And Can’t Understand Why He Suddenly Disappeared. As The Novel Progresses, It Slowly Becomes Apparent How The Lives Of These Women Might Be Connected, And How They May Figure Into A Series Of Vicious Stabbing Deaths That Have Shocked And Terrified The Citizens Of London. With Consummate Skill, Ruth Rendell Pulls The Colourful Strands Of This Harrowing Story Ever Tighter, Increasing The Tension Page By Page. Adam and Eve and Pinch Me went down to the river to bathe; Adam and Eve were drowned. Who was saved?' This old nursery rhyme is a favourite of Jerry Leach (if that is the name he is using at the time), a handsome ne'er do well, who sponges off women. Five women, unknown to each other, are his willing victims. One he even married once and abandoned, while promising to marry another. But, with the cruel irony he would be the first to recognize in that nursery rhyme, Jerry, almost accidentally, becomes the victim of one of his female prey. Jock Lewis was supposed to have died in the Paddington rail crash - Minty had received a letter from Great Western. But, curiously, the police hadn't been in touch. And Jock had gone off with all her savings. Then there was Zilla. She had also received a letter from the railway company that said her husband was dead. She didn't really believe the story, but chose not to mention her doubts. Jock's ghost reappeared to Minty at home, at work, in the cinema. Minty started to carry a knife The lives and fates of four different people--a young woman who is being visited by the ghost of her late boyfriend, a gay Conservative MP who marries to prevent being outed, a radio talk-show host with an eating disorder, and a black police sergeant--intertwine as a vicious serial killer stalks the streets of London The fates of four people--a woman who is being visited by her late boyfriend's ghost, a gay MP who marries to prevent being outed, a radio talk-show host with an eating disorder, and a black police sergeant--intertwine as a serial killer stalks the streets of London A philanderer sponges off a sequence of women, one of whom eventually undoes him, which sets off a chain that undoes many other people.