 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
|---|---|
| Language | English7 |
| Series | Inspector Wexford # 17 |
| Genre | Crime, Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Hutchinson (UK) Crown (US) |
Publication date | 24 September 1994 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 348 pp |
| ISBN | 0-09-179161-8 |
| OCLC | 31331007 |
| Preceded by | Kissing the Gunner's Daughter |
| Followed by | Road Rage |
Simisola is a 1994 novel by British crime writer Ruth Rendell. It features her recurring detective Inspector Wexford, and is the 17th in the series.1 Though a murder mystery, the book also touches on the themes of racism, welfare dependency2 and new forms of slavery.3
Plot summary
Dr Raymond Akande is Wexford's new GP and one of the few Black British people in Kingsmarkham. When Akande's daughter goes missing, and a body of a young black woman is found, Wexford is confronted by his own prejudices.4
Critical reception
The Daily Courier wrote about the book: "...some of it gets tedious, especially when characters who do not consider themselves racists search themselves for racist traits".2
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel was adapted into a television film in the UK in 1996 and starred George Baker, Christopher Ravenscroft, Jane Lapotaire, and George Harris.
References
References
- "Fiction book review - Simisola by Ruth Rendell". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "Whodunit tries to be real novel". The Daily Courier (Arizona). Prescott Newspapers. 7 January 1996. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- Deandrea, Pietro (2015). New Slaveries in Contemporary British Literature and Visual Arts: The Ghost and the Camp. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 38–48. ISBN 9780719096433.
- "Race relations are mystery's undercurrent". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 28 September 1995. Retrieved 17 April 2012.