Best Ruth Rendell Audiobooks

The Best Man to Die

Inspector Wexford • Book 4

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Davina Porter

Davina Porter's crisp delivery guides us through Rendell's intricate plotting as Inspector Wexford connects a stag party murder to a web of small-time criminals and unfaithful spouses.

The Babes in the Wood

Inspector Wexford • Book 19

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Nigel Anthony

Chief Inspector Wexford hunts missing teenagers and their babysitter while floods threaten Kingsmarkham itself. Nigel Anthony guides listeners through Rendell's atmospheric mystery where natural disaster complicates human crimes.

No Man's Nightingale

Inspector Wexford • Book 24

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Nigel Anthony

Female vicar Sarah Hussein is found strangled in her Kingsmarkham parish, drawing retired Inspector Wexford back into investigation alongside his former deputy. Anthony's measured delivery suits Rendell's methodical mystery construction.

End in Tears

Inspector Wexford • Book 20

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by John Lee

A concrete block dropped from a bridge kills the wrong victim, setting Wexford on a twisted path of misdirection and media scrutiny. John Lee's steady narration anchors Rendell's deliberately paced investigation.

Kissing the Gunner's Daughter

Inspector Wexford • Book 15

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Davina Porter

A socialite family's massacre forces Inspector Wexford to confront his deepest emotions while investigating the brutal crime.

The Vault

Inspector Wexford • Book 23

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Steven Crossley

Retirement doesn't suit Chief Inspector Wexford in this 23rd series entry, proving that some detectives can't resist the pull of unsolved mysteries even in their golden years.

Harm Done

Inspector Wexford • Book 18

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Davina Porter

Kingsmarkham's façade crumbles when a teen returns from the dead and another child vanishes. Davina Porter's steady narration anchors the psychological complexity of Wexford's most unsettling case.

The Speaker Of Mandarin

Inspector Wexford • Book 12

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Michael Bryant

Chief Inspector Wexford returns from a China tour to find one fellow tourist murdered, forcing him to uncover secrets of greed and adultery among the group. The exotic backdrop contrasts sharply with very familiar human motives for murder.

No Night is Too Long

by Barbara Vine, Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Alex Jennings, Shelley Thomson, Samuel West

Tim Cornish believes he escaped consequences for murdering his lover off Alaska's coast until threatening letters prove someone witnessed his crime.

Not in the Flesh

Inspector Wexford • Book 21

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Simon Vance

Chief Inspector Wexford returns in Ruth Rendell's chilling investigation, with Simon Vance guiding listeners through Kingsmarkham's latest disturbing case.

Road Rage

Inspector Wexford • Book 17

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Davina Porter

Environmental protesters fight a new highway through Kingsmarkham's beloved woods, but some may have turned to kidnapping five hostages. Davina Porter navigates Rendell's examination of how far people will go for their convictions.

An Unkindness of Ravens

Inspector Wexford • Book 13

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Davina Porter

Two missing husbands transform what seems like a routine adultery case into something far more sinister for Inspector Wexford.

The Veiled One

Inspector Wexford • Book 14

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Davina Porter

Wexford discovers a body in a parking garage just before a car bomb sidelines him from the case. Davina Porter's performance keeps you invested as Detective Burden takes the lead on what seems like a motiveless murder.

The Monster in the Box

Inspector Wexford • Book 22

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Nicolas Coster

Chief Inspector Wexford confronts a suspected serial killer from his early career days. Nicolas Coster's narration perfectly captures Wexford's methodical obsession with this cold case.

Simisola

Inspector Wexford • Book 16

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by Christopher Ravenscroft

Dr. Akande's missing daughter Melanie seems like nothing serious until Wexford's investigation reveals two murdered women connected to her disappearance.

Murder Being Once Done

Inspector Wexford • Book 7

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by George Baker

Chief Inspector Wexford, ordered by his doctor to avoid investigations, finds himself drawn into a brutal London murder case set against the backdrop of a graveyard.

A Spot of Folly: Ten and a Quarter New Tales of Murder and Mayhem

by Ruth Rendell, Sophie Hannah

Narrated by Jonathan Keeble, Toby Longworth, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Gemma Whelan, Hattie Morahan

Ruth Rendell's final short story collection features cheating husbands, haunted rectories, and psychological suspense. Multiple narrators handle each tale's distinct atmosphere expertly.

A Guilty Thing Surprised

Inspector Wexford • Book 5

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by George Baker

Elizabeth Nightingale's peaceful woodland walks near Myfleet Manor turn fatal in this atmospheric mystery. George Baker returns as Wexford, investigating death among the English gentry with his trademark thoroughness.

A Sleeping Life

Inspector Wexford • Book 10

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by George Baker

Inspector Wexford investigates a mysterious woman whose past twenty years remain completely unknown to everyone. George Baker brings his classic touch to this puzzle of identity.

Put on by Cunning

Inspector Wexford • Book 11

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by George Baker

Wexford investigates when a young woman's mysterious death connects to her troubled relationship with an older composer. The case's psychological complexity unfolds through layers of deception and family secrets.

Wolf to the Slaughter

Inspector Wexford • Book 3

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by George Baker

When a woman vanishes with only an anonymous letter as evidence, Wexford must investigate what headquarters refuses to call a murder. George Baker's measured delivery perfectly captures the methodical detective work.

A New Lease of Death

Inspector Wexford • Book 2

by Ruth Rendell

Narrated by George Baker

Wexford's fifteen-year-old murder conviction gets challenged when the killer's daughter plans to marry into respectability. George Baker's measured delivery suits the methodical unraveling of assumed guilt.