Crime novelist Ruth Rendell dies at age 85
Best-selling crime writer Ruth Rendell, creator of intricately plotted novels and the character Chief Inspector Wexford, died Saturday at the age of 85, the British media reports, quoting her publisher.
Rendell, who suffered a stroke in January, wrote more than 60 novels as one of Britain best-loved and most admired authors.
The prolific writer is credited with bringing a social and psychological dimension to crime fiction, the BBC notes.
Rendell, who was a member of the House of Lords, also wrote as Barbara Vine.
"It is with great sadness that the family of author Ruth Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, announce that she passed away in London at 8 a.m. on Saturday 2 May, aged 85. The family have requested privacy at this time," her publisher Hutchinson said in statement said, The Guardian reports.
Gail Rebuck, chair of Penguin Random House U.K., said Rendell had been "an insightful and elegant observer of society" whose work "highlighted the causes she cared so deeply about."
"Ruth was a great writer, a campaigner for social justice, a proud mother and grandmother, a generous and loyal friend and probably the best-read person I have ever met," Rebuck said.
Born Ruth Grasemann in London in 1930, Rendell began her career as a journalist on a local newspaper, but had to resign after reporting on a sports club's dinner without attending — thus missing the moment the after-dinner speaker dropped dead.
Her first novel, From Doon with Death, was published in 1964 and featured Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford. A popular television program based on the character was broadcast from 1987 to 2000- under the title The Ruth Rendell Mysteries. Other books include A Judgement in Stone, Talking to Strange Men, and Going Wrong.
Her awards include the Gold, Silver and Cartier Diamond Dagger Awards from the Crime Writers Association, three Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America, an Arts Council National Book Award, and the Sunday Times Literary Award, according to her publisher.
In recent years, Rendell lived in London's Little Venice neighborhood, which is known for its canals and colorful houseboats. But the pleasant surroundings did not alter her hard-eyed view of human nature, the Associated Press reports.
"I don't think the world is a particularly pleasant place," Rendell once told the AP. "It is, of course, for some people. But it is a hard place, and I don't think it's being cynical to say that.
Rendell told The Guardian in 2013 that she had no plans to retire.
"I couldn't do that. It's what I do and I love doing it. It's absolutely essential to my life. I don't know what I would do if I didn't write," she told the British newspaper. "I'll do it until I die, won't I? If I can. You don't know, but probably."
Her final novel, Dark Corners, is scheduled to be published in October.
Contributing: Associated Press