Best Man to Die (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries)

Who could have suspected that the exciting stag party for the groom would be the prelude to the murder of his close friend Charlie Hatton? And Charlie's death was only the first in a string of puzzling murders involving small-time gangsters, cheating husbands, and loose women. Now Chief Inspector Wexford and his assistant join forces with the groom to track down a killer . . . The fourth in the Chief Inspector Wexford series, reissued in B format to tie-in with the long awaited new Wexford prequel, Monster in the Box.A man and his daughter lie dead after a car accident. Strangely, no other car was involved and no cause has been found. Wexford's only option is to wait and hope that the one surviving victim – the mother, Mrs Fanshawe – regains consciousness. But when she finally awakens six weeks later, Wexford's attention has already been distracted by a new and very violent case. Walking by the canal that same morning, Wexford discovered the bloody body of Charlie Hatton.The two cases are obviously unrelated, although something is bothering Wexford and he can't work out why or what. But just as he begins to wonder whether there could in fact be a connection, the unexpected occurs: the Fanshawe daughter, believed to be killed in the accident, appears at her mother's beside very much alive... The stag party was terrific. The incident that followed was terrifying....“The best mystery writer anywere in the English-speaking world.”—The Boston GlobeWho could have suspected that the exciting stag party for the groom would be a prelude to the murder of his close friend Charlie Hatton? But it was—and Charlie's death sentence was only the first in a string of puzzling murders involving small-time gangsters, cheating husbands, and loose women.Suspense is spiced with ironic twists as Chief Inspector Wexford and his assistant join forces with the groom to track down a killer....Praise for The Best Man to Die“You cannot afford to miss Ruth Rendell!”—The New York Times Book Review“For readers who have almost given up mysteries... Rendell may be just the woman to get them started again.”—Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine“First-rate entertainment.”—Saturday Review The fatal car accident involving the stockbroker Fanshawe couldn't possibly be connected with the murder of a cocky little lorry driver. But was it a coincidence that the latter died the day after Mrs Fanshawe regained consciousness? Inspector Wexford investigates. JACK PERTWEE was getting married in the morning and the Kingsmarkham and District Darts Club were in the Dragon to give him what George Carter called a send-off. Chief Inspector Wexford investigates the murder of a flashy truck driver whose body was found floating in the river