Ruth Rendell's 'Road Rage'

Back in Australia, I loved watching the series 'Ruth Rendell's Mysteries.' It was an UK program, and I liked it because it was different from other law enforcement shows on TV, which were mostly US based.

One day when I was in the book shop, I saw this book, and I thought it would be a good souvenir to take home. However, one thing led to another, this book ended up safely kept for years without being read, until last month.

'Road Rage' tells the story about the uprising in Kingsmarkham City due to the plan of a new road being built cutting across the city forest. Chief Inspector Wexford who was closely watching the protesters ended up chasing the leaders of the protester groups after the kidnapping of seven people who were taken hostages by a group that was not among the ones camping around the planned route of the new road.

Seven people were kidnapped and one of them was the chief inspector's wife. When she was strangely released near her home in the middle of the night, people were having doubts about the chief and the police force. In the meantime, the police had to keep the investigation confidential until the time limit when public had to be informed about the case.

The chief's wife tried to retell everything she experienced during the time she was held hostage to help speed up the police work. Unexpectedly, one of the other hostages turned up dead and the group went silent. Was it, a murder or an accident? Was the group really a protest group or was there something else behind the kidnapping? Why was it hard for the police to find this group? Who were involved?

This book is a good read. I couldn't guess the ending until I finished the book. I suggest this book to anyone who enjoys law enforcement stories.