Ruth Rendell has died. She was 85 years old.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Rendell (pictured, via) published over 60 books under her real name and a pseudonym called Barbara Vine. As a writer, she was well-known for the Inspector Wexford crime fiction series.
Here’s more from NPR.org: “Rendell’s most memorable creation may have been Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford: Liberal, intelligent, sensitive but hot-tempered, prone to quoting Shakespeare — Rendell based him partly on herself, and partly on her father. The mysteries Wexford solved weren’t simple whodunits — there were layers upon layers of psychological complication, packed with obsession, deception, social issues and power games.” (via The Guardian)