User Reviews

This last installment in the Inspector Wexford series is enjoyable enough on its own merits, but falls far short of the depth and texture of the novel. The entire film runs about 100 minutes; the previous two, SIMISOLA and ROAD RAGE, were shown in three parts totalling 150 minutes. Not only is a lot left out of the story, but it feels condensed and shows the marks of heavy editing. It's possible that the video version contains an incomplete cut; it certainly looks that way.

George Baker turns in his usual stalwart performance as Inspector Wexford. In this story, for the first time, Wexford is cantankerous, cranky and crotchety, blowing his stack at subordinates (including his close friend and assistant, Mike Burden). This does not occur in the novel, and is very out of character for Wexford. However, the story, which deals primarily with a domestic violence situation, in which Wexford is unable to interfere as the victim will not bring charges, accounts perhaps for his atypical behavior.

Rendell's novel has been criticized by fans for not offering a truly satisfying mystery, but rather a series of two or three thematically related stories that don't fit together in a satisfying whole. The film does follow the book closely enough to be open to the same complaint; it's ultimately more a novel of contemporary mores than a genuine mystery.

I've read the book twice and enjoyed it even more the second time through, so while the criticism is legitimate the book is still a terrific read, with a wealth of fascinating characters and some fascinating ideas. Enough of this comes through in the film to make it worth watching, but it's not as good as previous entries in the series. Wexford fans will want to see it, but others may find it less than engrossing.

This was the final televised Inspector Wexford mystery. Surprisingly it features Wexford being very crotchety.

Locals in a village turn violent when they find out that an elderly peadophile has been released from prison and comes to live with his daughter.

Tommy Smith is a life long peadophile and one of his child victims died.

The locals are riled when a small girl disappears and blame Tommy Smith. In the subsequent fracas, Tommy's daughter dies.

There is also a teenage girl who was abducted a few days earlier. It seems she was picked up by a female driver and later released unharmed. The girl had learning difficulties and it later emerges that she is three months pregnant.

DS Malahyde gets a lead when she is picked up by a middle aged woman and is later reprimanded for putting herself in danger.

The small girl belongs to the Devenish's. Stephen Devenish is a successful businessman who is getting hate mail. He later turns up dead and Wexford knows that Devenish was a wife beater.

One reason why Wexford is so cranky is because he can do little about Fay Devenish who has been driven to despair by her abusive husband.

I found this very bitty. I knew the various story strands would merge but it felt unsatisfactory.

Tommy Smith could easily had been moved to some kind of halfway house once local residents knew about him.

Fay Devenish could also had been moved to a place of safety once Wexford knew of the beatings from her husband.

Malahyde should had been commended for taking initiative. Even though that part of the story was the saddest involving a man left badly scarred as a child and whose mother was dying.

Overall I have never been left impressed by the Inspector Wexford mysteries that I have seen.