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      The Speaker of Mandarin

      by Ruth Rendell
      Published
      Aug 1984
      Main Genre
      Police Procedural Police Procedural
      Rating
      Pages
      213
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      Series
      An Inspector Wexford Mystery Book 12

      About This Book

      "The heiress apparent to Agatha Christie."—Los Angeles Times

      Chief Inspector Wexford is in China, visiting ancient tombs and palaces with a group of British tourists. Is he hallucinating, or does a bent old woman with bound feet follow him everywhere?

      Back in England, he is called to a nearby village where a wealthy woman has been found with a bullet in her head. Murdered. He identifies her as one of the China tourists, and soon decides to question the other members of the group. When he discovers the secrets they are hiding—greed, treachery, theft, adultery—he is forced to ask not who is innocent but who is the least guilty.

      "[Ruth] Rendell in top form, applying subtle psychological tints to the familiar mechanics of the police procedural . . . handsomely sculpted . . . Rendell proves once again her awesome skill at probing the criminal mind and conscience. . . . Handled with great originality."—Philadelphia Inquirer

      Series Placement

      Book 12
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      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      General Fiction Suspense

      Subgenres

      Law Enforcement Police Procedural

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      Formats & Editions

      Browse the different covers, formats, and publication history for this title.

      Paperback

      Paperback edition cover
      Mass Market Paperback
      First Edition Aug 1984 Ballantine ISBN 0345302745
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      Hardcover

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      Hardcover
      Sep 1983 Pantheon (UK) ISBN 0394522729
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      eBook

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      eBook
      Nov 2012 Random House ISBN 0307829502
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      eBook
      Nov 2012 Fawcett ISBN B009Y4I6RM
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      eBook
      Nov 2012 William Heinemann (UK) ISBN 1409068846
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      Audio

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      Audio Cassette
      Jan 1987 Chivers Audio Books ISBN 0745162398
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      Audio Cassette
      May 1999 Chivers Audio Books ISBN 0745128203
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      Audible
      Aug 2009 AudioGO Ltd. ISBN B016AHAVNM
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      Audible
      Oct 2011 HarperCollins Publishers Limited ISBN B005WJSZ06
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      Audio edition cover
      Audible
      Jul 2012 Audible Studios ISBN B008JFRF7O
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      Audio CD
      Sep 2014 Brilliance Audio ISBN 1491535695
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      MP3 CD
      Sep 2014 Brilliance Audio ISBN 1491536101
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      Large Print

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      Hardcover
      Aug 1983 Thorndike Press ISBN 0896214885
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