The babes in the wood

Currently I'm half way through an utterly absorbing book called "The babes in the wood". It is a crime novel which goes way beyond its boundaries in stirring up hate, envy and drama. Above all, the book is such a suspensful read that I get a kick of adrenaline after almost every sentence.

Just a few words about the plot so far:

A flood of biblical proportion hits Kingmarkham (the place the book revolves around) during which two teenagers and their babysitter disappear. Nothing unsual about it for dour-yet-knowledgeable Inspector Wexford in the beginning of the investigation as they may have been killed by the floods.

Weeks and weeks pass and there is still no living sign of the missing people. To cap it all, Wexford gets to know the children's dysfunctional family and many others were love is a foreign word and all relationships are constructed on lies and betrayal. Wexford is now sure that the flood is not to blame for the disappearance of the three people, but something much more destructive.

Suddenly, the police find the dead and decomposed body of the babysitter and a short time later the missing girl. Although the girl gives a plausible story about the death of the babysitter, she swears she is in dark about her brother's whereabouts. Nevertheless, the girl's story is just too plausible for Wexford's taste and he continues his battle against time in an attempt to find the boy, the alleged murderer in Wexford's opinion.

As you can deduce from this short description of the plot, the book is suspensful with lots of subplots and teeth-grinding. Rendell is a wizard of words and creates the most inventive twists and turns there are.

some absorbing vocabulary:

scatterbrain-a person who forgets things easily or does not think seriously about things:
I'm such a scatterbrain - I'm always leaving my umbrella behind.

find fault with somebody/something-to criticize someone or something, especially without good reasons:
He's always finding fault with my work.

homemaker-a woman who manages a home and often raises children instead of earning money from employment; (just so you know- the man equivalent of such a person is called house husband)

skylight-a window built into a roof to allow light in:
Putting in a skylight made the attic seem big and bright.

a babe in the woods-someone who has not had much experience of life and trusts other people too easily:
When it comes to dealing with men, she's a babe in the woods.