Synopses & Reviews
Mintys 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. Fionas 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.
About the Author
Ruth Rendell is the author of Road Rage, The Keys to the Street, Bloodlines, Simisola, and The Crocodile Bird. She is the winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award. She is also the recipient of three Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America and four Gold Daggers from Great Britains Crime Writers Association. In 1997, she was named a life peer in the House of Lords. Ruth Rendell also writes mysteries under the name of Barbara Vine, of which A Dark Adapted Eye is the most famous. She lives in England.
Reading Group Guide
1.
Adam and Eve and Pinch Me could be described as a classic whodunnit or a psychological thriller, whilst also having supernatural elements. How well do you think Rendell combines these different strands?
2. None of the characters in the book are very likeable, do you think this is a deliberate device to make the reader more sympathetic towards Minty, despite her being the murderer?
3. Rendell uses the Paddington train crash in an extremely interesting way in the novel. How effective is it to introduce real life events into works of fiction?
4. Ruth Rendell has been referred to as the queen of crime and her books are extremely popular. What do you think lies beneath the enduring appeal of the crime novel?
5. Jerry/Jock is a lying, amoral sponger who manages to keep conning women into falling for him. Why are the female characters such willing victims? Is Jerry irresistible or are the women incredibly gullible?
6. Various characters in the book have deep psychological problems -- Minty is an obsessive compulsive and Michelle and Matthew have severe eating disorders. Are damaged people more interesting to read about or is Rendell perhaps suggesting these kinds of problems are more prevalent than we like to admit?
From the Paperback edition.