<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Rendell</span>

Ruth Rendell

<p><b>Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh</b>, <span class="noexcerpt nowraplinks" style="font-size:100%; font-weight:normal;"><a href="/en/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire" title="Commander of the Order of the British Empire" class="mw-redirect wl">CBE</a></span> (<span class="avoidwrap" style="display:inline-block;"><a href="/en/Née" title="Née" class="mw-redirect wl">née</a> <b>Grasemann</b></span>; 17 February 1930<span>&nbsp;</span>– 2 May 2015) was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span></p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">British writer (1930–2015)</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: The Right Honourable The Baroness Rendell of ...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="font-size:125%;"><div class="honorific-prefix" style="display:inline;font-size: 77%; font-weight: normal;"><a href="/en/The_Right_Honourable" title="The Right Honourable" class="wl">The Right Honourable</a></div><br><div style="display:inline;" class="fn">The Baroness Rendell of Babergh</div><br><div class="honorific-suffix" style="display:inline;font-size: 77%; font-weight: normal;"><span class="noexcerpt nowraplinks" style="font-size:100%; font-weight:normal;"><a href="/en/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire" title="Commander of the Order of the British Empire" class="mw-redirect wl">CBE</a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Ruth_Rendell,_English_author,_NY.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" title="Ruth Rendell in 1985" data-hash="File:Ruth_Rendell,_English_author,_NY.jpg"><img loading="lazy"alt="Ruth Rendell in 1985" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Ruth_Rendell%2C_English_author%2C_NY.jpg/220px-Ruth_Rendell%2C_English_author%2C_NY.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3119" data-file-height="3915" data-file-type="bitmap" height="276" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Ruth_Rendell%2C_English_author%2C_NY.jpg/330px-Ruth_Rendell%2C_English_author%2C_NY.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Ruth_Rendell%2C_English_author%2C_NY.jpg/440px-Ruth_Rendell%2C_English_author%2C_NY.jpg 2x"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption" style="line-height:1.4em;">Ruth Rendell in 1985</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Born</th><td class="infobox-data" style="line-height:1.4em;">Ruth Barbara Grasemann<br><span style="display:none">(<span class="bday">1930-02-17</span>)</span>17 February 1930<br><a href="/en/South_Woodford" title="South Woodford" class="wl">South Woodford</a>, Essex, England</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Died</th><td class="infobox-data" style="line-height:1.4em;">2 May 2015<span style="display:none">(2015-05-02)</span> (aged<span>&nbsp;</span>85)<br>London, England</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Pen name</th><td class="infobox-data nickname" style="line-height:1.4em;">Barbara Vine</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Occupation</th><td class="infobox-data role" style="line-height:1.4em;">Novelist</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="line-height:1.2em; padding-right:0.65em;">Genre</th><td class="infobox-data category" style="line-height:1.4em;"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><div class="hlist ">
<ul><li><a href="/en/Psychological_thriller" title="Psychological thriller" class="wl">Psychological thriller</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Murder_mystery" title="Murder mystery" class="mw-redirect wl">murder mystery</a></li></ul>

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<p>Rendell is best known for creating Chief <a href="/en/Inspector_Wexford" title="Inspector Wexford" class="wl">Inspector Wexford</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Drabble_2-0"><a href="#cite_note-Drabble-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span> A second string of works was a series of unrelated crime novels that explored the psychological background of criminals and their victims. This theme was developed further in a third series of novels, published under the pseudonym <b>Barbara Vine</b>.</p>



Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. Rendell is best known for creating Chief Inspector Wexford. A second string of works was a series of unrelated crime novels that explored the psychological background of criminals and their victims. This theme was developed further in a third series of novels, published under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. 