Shake Hands for Ever
The ninth Wexford novel published by Hutchinson in 1975
Don (Rendell) is the first person to read the manuscript. If he makes a suggestion, I will probably put it in. He isn’t always right, however. He read Shake Hands for Ever—which is generally held to be the best Wexford—and said ‘That won’t win any prizes’ …
Angela Hathall is found strangled in her bed, but shockingly, the murder of this meek and solitary woman sparks little emotion in her husband.
Wexford is called to investigate, and his curiosity only deepens when he discovers that the Hathall household has been meticulously cleaned, except for a distinctive palm print in the bath.
As the case develops, Wexford is increasingly frustrated by the seemingly pointless nature of the murder. Nancy Lake, Hathall’s charming neighbour, offers Wexford her assistance, and what began as a tricky case turns into an obsession that threatens to destroy both the Inspector’s career and his marriage.
Notes
The title is taken from The Parting, a sonnet by the Elizabethan poet Michael Drayton.
Abridged into ten parts and read by Laurence Harrington for BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour in 1975.
Adapted for TV in 1988.
Contemporary Reads 2
Colin Dexter - Last Bus to Woodstock
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala - Heat and Dust
P.D. James - The Black Tower
Stephen King - Salem’s Lot
Nawal El-Saadawi - Woman at Point Zero