Ruth Rendell is hailed by her publishers as "The New First Lady of Mystery." The fact is that, publishers' enthusiasm aside, Rendell is worth serious critical attention because she has not only created a series of ingenious and clever plots, but has, above all, explored human nature effectively and with genuine insight.

The appeal of the Rendell novels is diversified and full; she uses such interest-generating devices as social criticism, brief comments upon the detective story, and short but striking glimpses of setting (the base of operations is a town called Kingsmarkham in Sussex) to lend depth and strength to her stories. Other elements of style—foreshadowing, simile, metaphor, dialogue, and irony, for instance—are equally well handled, lifting the works above the level of much detective fiction.

Perhaps her most useful device is her treatment of the characterizations of Chief Detective Inspector Reg Wexford and his aide...