Ruth Rendell
The Baroness Rendell of Babergh | |
|---|---|
Rendell in 1985 | |
| Born | Ruth Barbara Grasemann 17 February 1930 Woodford, Essex, England |
| Died | 2 May 2015 (aged 85) London, England |
| Pen name | Ruth Rendell Barbara Vine |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Genre | |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 24 October 1997 – 2 May 2015 | |
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE (née Grasemann; 17 February 1930 – 2 May 2015) was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries.
Rendell is best known for creating Chief Inspector Wexford. A second string of works was a series of unrelated crime novels that explored the psychological background of criminals and their victims. This theme was developed further in a third series of novels, published under the pseudonym Barbara Vine.
Rendell has sold an estimated 20 million copies of her novels.