The Babes in the Wood cover art

The Babes in the Wood

A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 19

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Babes in the Wood

By: Ruth Rendell
Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £15.99

Buy Now for £15.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

With floods threatening both the town of Kingsmarkham and his own home and no end to the rain in sight, Chief Inspector Wexford already has his hands full when he learns that two local teenagers have gone missing along with their sitter, Joanna Troy.

Their hysterical mother is convinced that all three have drowned, and as the hours stretch into days Wexford suspects a case of kidnapping, perhaps connected with an unusual sect called the Church of the Good Gospel. But when the sitter's smashed-up car is found at the bottom of a local quarry - occupied by a battered corpse - the investigation takes on a very different hue.

For her 19th Chief Inspector Wexford mystery, Ruth Rendell tells a story that is as taut and atmospheric as anything she has ever written. Ruth Rendell has won many awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger.

©2004 Ruth Rendell (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Crime Thrillers Fiction Police Procedural Suspense Mystery Thriller
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Shake Hands For Ever cover art
The Rottweiler cover art
The Keys to the Street cover art
Master of the Moor cover art
Talking to Strange Men cover art
Thirteen Steps Down cover art
A Dangerous Road cover art
Dirt cover art
Frost at Christmas cover art
The Black Echo: Special Edition cover art
The Poet cover art
The Blood Doctor cover art
The Mysterious Affair at Styles cover art
A Fatal Inversion cover art
The Secret of Chimneys cover art
The Complete Short Stories cover art

Critic reviews

"The plot....marches efficiently to its unguessable dénouement while demonstrating Rendell's grasp of the psychological dynamics of seduction and exploitation which lie at the heart of the case." ( The New Yorker)

What listeners say about The Babes in the Wood

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    544
  • 4 Stars
    202
  • 3 Stars
    59
  • 2 Stars
    16
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    608
  • 4 Stars
    108
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    485
  • 4 Stars
    183
  • 3 Stars
    61
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another triumph for Rendell, a master story teller

Rendell is an intelligent author so expect twists and turns. I have read her books ragged, like all the best authors her stories improve with every reading and Nigel Anthony's narration adds another dimension. Rendell continues her theme of the abuse of women, physical, sexual and psychological, in this novel. She also explores the abuse of power one person has over another and the sexual abuse of children, all through the eyes of her protagonist, DCI George Wexford whose dispassionate view dissipates the horror of the human tragedy laid before us.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable story

Maybe a bit long and drawn out but excellent narration by Nigel Anthony and on the whole a good story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narration

Excellent narration brought a great read alive. Well worth listening to. Great storyline with believable characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book

I loved all the twists and turns in babes in the woods it kept me guessing till the very end.
And Nigel Anthony does the best inspector Wexford voice

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved this!

Really enjoyed this audiobook and couldn’t wait to get back to listening to it after work!

I thought it was well written, and an interesting topic for a murder mystery.

The narrators voice was very pleasant and helped to keep me hooked into the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Long road to success

Isn’t it frustrating when you know where it starts and will end and still it seems not to be happening. All detours where clear and still annoyingly deceiving and get one to question all what happens. At least Wexford got it almost wrong a few times so the reader is in the right company. Normally I’m more impatient but it’s too well written to just skip the picture painted going through the chapters building a fascinating case nevertheless. Maybe I should change the series for a while to get some sleep though as it’s too tempting to get to the end before guessing any longer. But I’m on a roll now and want to know more how Wexford evolves and still stays the rock in stormy times. And other than reading many of the series in paper years back the audio version gets me to discover nuances missed before. All the literary connections seem obsolete in the book but fit much better narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great plot and story telling

Loved this - and Nigel Anthony brings it to life beautifully
Didn’t predict the ending so that’s good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Warm and enticing

The reader’s voice made me enjoy the story more than many books, carrying me along with the story in a warm and enticing manner, I resented having to stop reading at times

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great audiobook

Great story, fabulous narration, would never has guessed the ending, I enjoy listening to the life of inspector Wexford .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Beautifully read.

Story a bit long winded but excellent narration meant I didn't mind too much. Will listen to more in the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful