[Ruth Rendell] is a sensitive writer who is at her best in "Some Lie and Some Die."… This book enters the world of rock and pop. A body is found during a pop festival at which some 80,000 young people are in attendance. The murder, however, occurred before the start of the festival. There is not much to go on. But, slowly, the trail leads to a rock star. Clearly he is involved. But to how great an extent?

Rendell, in her quiet way, can shake mountains. Like all good writers, she has a keen insight into character. In "Some Lie and Some Die" she has created in her rock star a monster of a human being. To balance this, there is a civilized, middle-aged chief inspector who understands people and—rarer—even understands himself. At the end of the book there is the usual showdown, but even here...