Crime And Mystery Writer Ruth Rendell Dies At 85

Ruth Rendell: “I do what I can to get people reading” (Image: Daily Mail; Quote source: thetimes.co.uk)

Prolific crime and mystery writer Ruth Rendell, perhaps best known for her Chief Inspector Wexford novels, died Saturday, said her publisher, Penguin Random House. She was 85.

Rendell had suffered a serious stroke in January.

She was one of Britain's most popular crime novelists.

Rendell wrote more than 60 best-selling books, written both under her own name and the pseudonym Barbara Vine. Her works have been translated into more than 20 languages. 

The author made her name with her Inspector Wexford novels, starting with 1964's From Doon with Death, which found her a wider audience when they were televised with George Baker in the title role.

Her Inspector Wexford series was made into a popular TV series, winning her many new fans and accolades.

Daily Mail reports:

Rendell had worldwide sales of around 60 million and won a variety of awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence in crime writing.

Her final novel, Dark Corners, is set to be published in October.  

Rendell grew up in east London and Essex and started writing as a journalist on a local paper. 

Her novels saw her marked down as a crime writer but were critically acclaimed for their psychological depth and approach to issues including homosexuality, politics and mental health.
She was made a Labour life peer in 1997 and for many years attended the house with her contemporary - and political opponent - PD James, and supported a number of causes.

Her books brought her huge financial success and she is said to have given away six-figure sums to charity every year. 

She was also famous for her generosity to her fellow writers. 

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit novelist Jeanette Winterson described her as being like 'the Good Mother to me' after Rendell gave her somewhere to stay during the early stages of her career.

Rendell was relatively guarded about the details of her private life but married the same man - a fellow journalist - twice and is survived by their son.

Baroness Gail Rebuck, chair of Penguin Random House UK, said: 'Ruth was much admired by the whole publishing industry for her brilliant body of work.

'An insightful and elegant observer of society, many of her award-winning thrillers and psychological murder mysteries highlighted the causes she cared so deeply about.

'Ruth also became one of the first New Labour working peers, continuing to effect change through the House of Lords, most particularly on the issue of FGM (female genital mutilation).

'Ruth was a great writer, a campaigner for social justice, a proud mother and grandmother, a generous and loyal friend and probably the best read person I have ever met.

'Her many close friends in publishing and the House of Lords will greatly miss her wonderful company and her truly unique contribution to our lives.'

Susan Sandon, managing director of Cornerstone Publishing, said: 'Ruth was beloved as an author and a friend - to me, and to so many of us.

'Her writing and her company enriched all our lives. Erudite, wise and endlessly entertaining, she will be so greatly missed.'