I belong to a postcard group. Someone sent me this gorgeous card of Secret Harbour Beach, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. This is a perfect picture to think about while trying to relax. I would love to be there reclining under a palm tree. I wonder what kind they are? Coconuts? Dates? Ummm. Yum.






I am copying this idea from my darling friend Christina. Instructions:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open it at page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence/ phrase.
4. Blog the next four sentences/ phrases together with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig your shelves for that very special or intellectual book.
6. Pass it forward to six friends

I've just mentioned the book I'm currently reading so I looked around next to the bed and found Murder Being Once Done by Ruth Rendell. Coincidentally, I first heard of Ruth Rendell from Christina who heard about her from her mom. Rendell writes two kinds of mysteries: one (such as this) features Chief Inspector Wexford and are lovely British mysteries with a cop you'd love to go home to. The others are dark, complex, fascinating stories of minds going wrong.

In this novel, Wexford's doctor tells him he needs to get away and relax. Since he already lives in the idyllic countryside, he can't think of where to go to that would make sense and ends up in London with a nephew. The nephew happens to be a murder investigator, Wexford happens across clues and tries to help but the nephew shows no interest and Wexford feels unappreciated. He goes ahead and solves the crime, later to learn that the nephew badly wanted his help but had been told by Mrs. Wexford to make sure her husband forgot about work and just relaxed.

Page 123:
"I don't understand your generation. You accuse us of being promiscuous and casual and so on, but you're the ones with the unclean minds. I honestly don't care if you believe this or not, but Lulu lived here with me for four months and we were never lovers. Never. I supposed you're going to ask why not. The answer is that these days, whatever happened in your time, you can sleep in the same room as a girl and not want to make love to her because you're not frustrated. No one any longer has the power to force you into unnatural celibacy, you're free to have the girls you do want. We didn't attract each other, that's all, and we weren't in the positon of having to make do with any port in a storm." He held up one hand. "I'm not queer. I had girl friends. I went to their places. No doubt, Lulu saw her boy friends at theirs."

Lulu has been found dead and Wexford just can't help following the clues. Rendell's characters are individuals and realistic. Some of them, like Wexford, are very intelligent. Some are very colorful ( ohhhh, should I put the "u" in colourful or not???)

The Los Angeles Times: "Undoubtably one of the best writers of English mysteries and chiller-killer plots."

Notice the price is $5 because I cleverly bought it used. The original price was $11.

Labels: postcards, Ruth Rendell, Virgin Islands