There is a murderer on the loose, someone who has strangled five young women and then hidden their bodies. The press dubbed him 'the Rottweiler' because of a mix-up and the name stuck. His 'calling card' is that he takes a small item that belonged to each victim.

Inez and her chronically late assistant Zeinab run her antiques shop and keep up with the case through the newspapers and local gossip. No-one is who or what they seem, everyone who lodges above the shop has a secret of some sort. Trust no-one seems to be good advice in this particular neighbourhood.

At first the writing is a little heavy-handed as Rendell brings us up to speed with the story, for example Zeinab announcing what has happened so far with the Rottweiler case to a room full of people who already know!

None of the characters are particularly sympathetic or likeable, not even those who might seem to be at first.

The story takes place in and around one part of London and the characters all mill around Inez's shop (which seems to do more custom than any other tiny, back-street antique shop I have ever seen - to the extent that it needs two people working in it every day!).

There are plenty of stock characters: the wealthy old fool; the beautiful mysterious Asian girl; the handsome young builder; the lonely widowed landlady.

But being good-looking or kind or debonair or any of the other things that the characters seem to be is no assurance that they are not really striving to hide a secret or practice deceit, or are coping with guilt or grief, or simply want to bully somebody into doing what they want them to do.

It is not a whodunit as such because we find out who the murderer is half way through. The plot then takes another turn as the shop is burgled and the murderer reflects on why he murders.

A very unsatisfactory reason is given, barely an excuse, which we must assume is because he has come up with it himself and not because Rendell is actually saying that is all it takes to make a murderer.

Overall, this is a moderately good read, not taxing and not gruesome but slightly dull (perhaps because it is over-long for such a relatively slim story) with characters who will possibly, ultimately, only irritate the reader.

Samantha Holland

The Rottweiler was published in hardback on 2 October 2003.

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