Books like The monster in the box by Ruth Rendell

Detective Gus Ramone and former police partners investigate the looming return of a serial killer in Washington, D.C., weaving crime, relationships, and community gardens into a tense mystery.

In the midst of an international conference in Scotland, Inspector Rebus is left alone to investigate a mysterious death at Edinburgh Castle, racing against time to uncover a sinister plot that could endanger world leaders.

Inspector Wexford investigates the brutal strangulation of timid housewife Margaret Parsons in the quiet town of Kingsmarkham, a case that launches a harrowing detective novel.

In "A Taste for Death", Scotland Yard commander Adam Dalgliesh investigates a double murder at St. Matthew's Church, where an upper‑crust minister is slain beside a derelict, unraveling motives tied to a diary, a violet‑eyed widow and a web of deceit.

Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis race against a dangerous inmate’s foreknowledge to stop a string of brutal murders in Los Angeles.

When the Coverdale family is killed in a brutal, televised act on Valentine’s Day, Detective Vetch must unravel the motives behind the housekeeper’s shocking method and the hidden key to a long‑guarded family secret.

Inspector Wexford investigates the mysterious disappearance of Anita Margolis, a wealthy and controversial woman, following only an anonymous letter and the name Smith, as he and Inspector Burden confront unanswered questions.

In "Nineteen Eighty," David Peace’s Red Riding Quartet returns to Yorkshire as the Ripper terrorizes the region and corrupt police forces thrive. A Manchester cop, Peter Hunter, attempts to unravel the mystery amid threats to his life.

When a new road threatens the ancient woods of Framhust, environmentalists mobilize and an extremist group kidnaps five people—including Inspector Wexford’s wife—in a race against time to stop the destruction.

When Melanie Akande, a university graduate, disappears between a benefit office and a bus stop in Kingsmarkham, Inspector Wexford takes a personal interest in finding her amid the town’s 18 black residents.

When a woman reports her mysterious death, Inspector Wexford must unravel a perplexing crime that defies motive or suspect.

Chief Inspector Wexford investigates a puzzling car accident that turns into a double mystery when a supposed deceased daughter resurfaces alive, and a bloody canal scene demands a fresh, urgent inquiry.

Inspector Reginald Wexford calmly tackles the violent murder of a celebrated author, her husband, and their daughter, amidst intense media scrutiny.

Chief Inspector Wexford returns to investigate a cold case in Kingsmarkham when new evidence from a family member forces a reexamination of the decades‑old murder of Mrs. Primero.

During a rock festival in the fictional English village of Kingsmarkham, Inspector Wexford confronts a brutal quarry murder and investigates the tangled links between a troubled local girl and an influential pop star.

Chief Inspector Wexford investigates a series of teenage girls’ murders in the quiet streets of Kingsmarkham, where a concrete block from a bridge sets a deadly chain in motion.

Lord Martin Nanther researches his ancestor, a 19th‑century physician to Queen Victoria who specialized in hemophilia, uncovering a hidden family secret while navigating the decline of hereditary peers and his own marital struggles.

Former Chief Inspector Wexford comes out of retirement to investigate four bodies found in an underground sewer, tracing the case back to a murder committed 12 years earlier amid a personal tragedy.

A Detective Chief Inspector teams with a genealogist to solve a series of murders that echo a violent Victorian killer, uncovering a chilling family legacy tied to London’s past.

Ruth Rendell’s thriller follows a young woman confronting her violent mother, where a child’s death sparks deception, kidnapping and murder in a tangled family drama.

Detective Chief Inspector Wexford uncovers hidden secrets after the brutal murder of Elizabeth Nightingale, turning a seemingly simple case into a complex web of family secrets and undercurrents.

A new Chief Inspector Wexford mystery from the author who Time magazine has called "the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world." When the truffle-hunting dog starts to dig furiously, his master's first reaction is delight at the size of the clump the dog has unearthed: at the going rate, this one truffle might be worth several hundred pounds. Then the dirt falls away to reveal not a precious mushroom but the bones and tendons of what is clearly a human hand.In Not in the Flesh, Chief Inspector Wexford tries to piece together events that took place eleven years earlier, a time when someone was secretly interred in a secluded patch of English countryside. Now Wexford and his team will need to interrogate everyone who lives nearby to see if they can turn up a match for the dead man among the eighty-five people in this part of England who have disappeared over the past decade. Then, when a second body is discovered nearby, Wexford experiences a feeling that's become a rarity for the veteran policeman: surprise.As Wexford painstakingly moves to resolve these multiple mysteries, long-buried secrets are brought to daylight, and Ruth Rendell once again proves why she has been hailed as our greatest living mystery writer.From the Hardcover edition.

In August, Chief Inspector Wexford returns home early and discovers a woman stabbed to death in a field near Kingsmarkham, setting the stage for a tense investigation.

Inspector Wexford investigates a perplexing case in the small English town of Kingsmarkham, unravelling a mystery that tests his skills and conscience.

Detective Chief Inspector Wexford investigates the sudden disappearance of a rural husband, uncovering a puzzling case that turns into a unique homicide mystery.