Synopsis
A young woman, sheltered from the outside world, comes to terms with her deluded, murderous mother—and what she must do to survive When the police come to the door at the gatehouse of a remote British estate, sixteen-year-old Liza and her mother know that their lives are about to change forever. After all, Liza watched her mother kill a man—well, more than just one. Having lived as a virtual hermit on the estate, Liza knows nothing of the outside world, but she sets off to find her way with the help of a newly won lover. As she learns about those around her, she begins to discover herself—and just how alike she and her mother might be. Rendell carefully unravels this tale of an obsessive bond between mother and daughter and of hope for a new life in a strange land.
About Ruth Rendell
See more books from this AuthorA sheltered girl spins a tale of her involvement with her mother in a years-old series of killings—in this meditative Arabian Nights of murder-in-retrospect reminiscent of Rendell's Barbara Vine byline.
May 20 2010 | Read Full Review of The Crocodile BirdLike a modern-day Scheherazade, young Liza Beck tells her story over a span of nights and in the process finds salvation. After the police question her mother, Eve, about the death of Jonathan Tobias,
Aug 30 1993 | Read Full Review of The Crocodile BirdCredibility never flags as Edgar Award-winning Rendell ( Kissing the Gunner's Daughter ) reveals the specifics of Liza's increasing contact with the world, creating suspense in the gradually meted out details of Eve's intense attachment to Shrove House and her determination to protect Liza from c...
| Read Full Review of The Crocodile BirdAs they spend the autumn travelling around apple-picking and otherwise odd-jobbing, Liza tells Sean the story of her curious upbringing and her wonderful but just occasionally homicidal mother - now on remand, according to the papers.
Oct 16 1993 | Read Full Review of The Crocodile BirdAn aggregated and normalized score based on 59 user ratings from iDreamBooks & iTunes