Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not brilliant
Review: 'Harm Done' is the latest in the Inspector Wexford series from Ruth Rendell, and isn't a bad addition to the pile. Firstly, it's good points. It is complex, joining together several different mysteries (which are in fact not at all related, at least not directly) and is well written. It also picks up pace at the end of the book and keeps the reader guessing. Even better, it is socially applicable as Rendell strides into a commentary relevant to modern day society over paedophilia and domestic abuse.On the downside, the book loses paces towards the middle, when it is less exciting. It also always feels like each conclusion is rather rushed and does not really have any evidence to back it up - Wexford seems to simply somehow get it right and - magic - he gets a confession. There is good characterisation and I will certainly give Rendell the fact that the book is complex and intriguing in this respect, but she has done better.
Rating: 
Summary: No Harm Done Here
Review: I have just stumbled upon some of the great books by Ruth Rendell, the first being "A Sight for Sore Eyes" which I absolutely loved. "Harm Done" was the 2nd book I read (actually listened to on audiobook) and liked it too, but not as well as the first. I was really getting into the story line about the girls who mysteriously disappeared, then returned in a few days unwilling or unable to tell police what had happened to them. I was sure the pedophile brought into the story was the culprit, but the two things had nothing to do with the other. I was a bit disappointed when the explanation came out midway through the book and it wasn't anything to get too worked up about. Then the author went on a completely different track with the abused woman plot. I guess they did all tie in together as the abused woman's baby had turned up missing too. I liked the book and will be reading more of Ruth Rendell's work, but I prefer the books that are more suspense and less Inspector Wexford.
Rating: 
Summary: No Harm Done
Review: I really liked this book. Other reviewers have written that they thought there were too many unconnected stories. I think it just shows you what a mix of people there are in this small town in England. Crime touched all neigborhoods it seems. The explanation for two of the disappearing girls was touching. What would you do in Vicky's situation? I even liked the part about the lost raincoat. The author has a nice, typically English sense of humor.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: I've seen so many reader reviews who say they're bored with Wexford. I find him very refreshing and down-to-earth compared with the psychos he's dealing with. He's no saint; he's just a regular guy. Many of Rendell's characters are SO creepy that I need a little normality in there.
This book, politically correct or not, was scarier than any of her others, because it's real and happens every day, everywhere. And it's practically invisible. Rendell gives this "P.C." novel her own Rendellesque twists, which makes it well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it
Review: If there is ever a place where the political correctness does not belong, it's mystery. Ruth Rendell has sold out to the PC crowd - the book is bland and preachy. I think the damage is irreversible, at least for me. Mystery will never be the same.
Rating:
Summary: Skillful and complex
Review: In her 18th novel featuring Inspector Wexford Rendell weaves together multiple plots involving two missing teen-age girls, a convicted pedophile returning to his residence in Kingsmarkham and the mob violence his return touches off, and a little girl missing from an upper middle class home. Not all of these plots work well together, which is why I have given it only 4 stars. However, the central plot about the missing little girl is what captured me. The story that Ruth Rendell tells of the effects of domestic violence on an entire family is chilling and heartbreaking. Not only does the wife and mother suffer extreme mental and physical abuse but the two children remaining in the home are clearly adversely affected. The effects of domestic violence will be felt in this family long after their escape from abuse. Rendell builds an atmosphere of suspense and dread that can only be a small reflection of the terror of living in such a situation, but the empathetic reader will be much affected. There can be no real happy ending to this story, at least not immediately. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well drawn and believable characters, especially that of Inspector Wexford who is faced with a real moral dilemma.
Rating:
Summary: Bizarre crimes in a small town
Review: Inspector Wexford is called upon to solve a very strange case. Young women are being kidnapped and forced to do housework. In another case a small child is kidnapped. In the midst of all this, a pedophile is released from prison. The violence resulting from the public outcry results in the death of a policeman. Wexford's daughter is working in a home for abused women, and contributes her expertise to the case, especially the kidnapping. This was a very busy mystery, several plots intertwining. Ms. Rendell manages to tie them all together rather neatly at the end, keeping the reader engrossed in each detail of each plotline.
Rating:
Summary: Not A Speaker Of Mandarin Yet No Harm Done
Review: It is quite difficult to witness Reg (Inspector) and Dora Wexford being pulled into the twenty-first century beset with political correctness, domestic violence, ad hoc babysitting duty, and a daughter's crumbling marriage. It was ever so much nicer when they were insulated from these distractions because we became insulated along with the Wexfords as we turned the pages and vicariously lived in the lovely Kingsmarkham mythical town for a time. Well, Harm Done, is still a page-turner and not once did I not enjoy the novel. It was a bit tepid when stacked up against the wonderful, A Speaker Of Mandarin, and earlier Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexford fiction. Nonetheless, a lukewarm Ruth Rendell offering is worth a thousand mediocre mystery bestsellers we could all name. So, dear readers and fellow fans, dive in anytime to Harm Done for a truly decent read.
Rating: 
Summary: Long winded
Review: My first Ruth Rendell novel, listened to on CD. The reading is very good, but the novel is longwinded and relatively boring. Between spousal abuse, bigotry, low life prejudice and multiple police cases, Rendell has taken on way too much here and done a satisfactory job of little. What stands out and suprised me most, tho, is her portrait of the British provincial police as small-minded and not particularly bright. A strange sort of detective fiction that left me wondering if she is really mocking the police. Part of what makes for the longwindedness is how many obviously false leads the police conjur up in long discussions, that then have to be played out in visits to imagined suspects.
One thing about some of the reviews. It strikes me that those who complain about her "political correctness" ought to quit whining and just come out and say they think spousal abuse, lynch mobs bigotry, etc., are unworthy subjects for policiers (and other types of fiction?).
Rating:
Summary: A workmanlike mystery but devoid of excitement.
Review: Rendell's Inspector Wexford is a wonderful character. He is not flashy, but he is thoughtful, witty and insightful. I always enjoy reading about him and his cases. This book deals with the abduction of two women and one little girl. It also explores the issues of domestic violence and its ramifications, and the problem of the mob mentality and its destructiveness. As you can see, the book is too busy. It has too many themes and they don't mesh well. The middle of the book flags, although it picks up some steam at the end. To Rendell's credit, she doesn't attempt to tie up every loose end, and she fleshes out most of the characters. She would do well to make the plot more focused, as it was in her last novel, "A Sight for Sore Eyes," a truly horrifying thriller.
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