New York: Crime Club/Doubleday, 1974

8vo, pp. 184. Original pale green boards, lettered in dark green to spine. Illustrated dustwrapper. Offsetting to endpapers, very light bumping to spine ends, a near fine copy in a very good dustwrapper with some scuffing to front panel at top edge and fold, and with some chipping to spine ends.

First US edition, INSCRIBED BY RENDELL TO HER NEIGHBOURS: 'April 1974 For Pat & Douglas with love from the author, Ruth'. Preceded by the UK edition published the same year.

Douglas Brown [1917-2003] was the BBC's first religious affairs correspondent, and held that position until his retirement in 1977. He and his wife Pat were Ruth Rendell's neighbours in the village of Polstead, Suffolk. Much of her work is set in the county, and when made a life peer she chose the title Baroness Rendell of Babebergh, of Aldeburgh, in the County of Suffolk.

An excellent association copy of an early Rendell title.