Chief Inspector Wexford is the type of person one would want to have in charge if there was a crime to be solved.
He exudes a sense of authority, and yet can be good humored and kind to those not responsible for the problems.
He accepts no nonsense from any quarter in his work, but at home he is very human as a husband, father and grandfather.
This may be one of the many reasons that so many people adore Ruth Rendells’s Wexford, as the blend of character traits makes it easy to relate to him, and yet feel that he has the strength and cleverness to bring the criminals to justice.
Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Set 4 contains two stories that are divided up episodically, more like a mini series than an ongoing television show. Each of these has Chief Inspector Wexford (George Baker) and his loyal team most notably DI Burden (Christopher Ravenstock) to help with the police work, and then there is his family.
One simply falls in love with his adoring yet practical wife Dora (Louie Ramsay), realizing that she is much of the strength behind the man.
The first story in the set is called Simisola and involves both a missing person and a murder. Are these connected? One would not think so at first. Wexford is called in by his personal physician Dr. Raymond Akande (George Harris) to locate his missing daughter. Melanie Akande is twenty two years old, and much to her proud, educated African parents’ disgust has chosen to major in performing arts rather than take a serious degree at University.
Dr. and Mrs. Akande believe that Melanie has run away to escape their arguments about her future. When it turns out that the dead woman was the last person to see Melanie, the mystery turns to the world of the privileged and the world of those who have very little. In Ruth Rendell mysteries, it is always interesting to see how the threads of the story will intertwine.
Melanie had applied for unemployment, and Wexford’s own son in law is about to “go on the dole” as well. The stories are timeless, parental disapproval of children’s career choices, and the struggle to get ahead in an economy gone sour. It is easy to see that what you do is not what makes the difference, Melanie is a performer, and Wexford’s son is a professional architect.
The second story is called Road Rage, and this time a young German tourist has disappeared, just at the time when there is a huge clash between environmentalists and developers over the location of a hiway bypass. What becomes so riveting in this story is the idea of what people can become in the passion for a cause. Those who would be protectors and saviors are suddenly driven to acts of terrorism to make their case.
What is the cost of personal involvement in a mission? Do those who are normally peaceful and principled lose more than just civilized behavior when they cross the line from being concerned to being zealots? Audiences have a chance to see Wexford deal with matters that get too close to home, when Dora is taken hostage.
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Set 4 is attractively boxed in a slipcase, with each story on a disc in its own keeper case. These are illustrated with stills from the production as well as a synopsis and production notes. Disc one has a wonderful special feature, a 50 minute program about Ruth Rendell and her creation of Chief Inspector Wexford.
This is the type of special that makes the viewer want to see all the mysteries again, or for the first time, realizing the cooperative nature of George Baker and the author Ruth Rendell in creating the character. Simisola has a running time of 152 minutes, and Road Rage has 201 minutes of viewing time.
If you are not familiar with Ruth Rendell this is a wonderful place to begin, and if you already know her work, this will be a delight to own.
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Set 4 is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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