Rendell overdid herself a bit with this one. Two young women (teenagers, really) disappear and then return home, refusing to say much at all about where they've been. Both insist they were not molested or physically harmed in any way other than being mildly drugged initially, but were confined, required to change into "more appropriate" clothing, and ordered to perform household chores for several days before being allowed to leave. Inspector Wexford and his team piece things together bit by bit, but as it truly appears there was "no harm done", and the victims aren't interested in pursuing the matter, the cases are about to be buried in limbo when a 3-year-old disappears from her cot in the middle of the night, reminiscent of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping generations before. Neighbors of a convicted pedophile, absent any evidence or likelihood whatsoever, convict him again without benefit of trial, certain he has somehow snatched the toddler from the bosom of her family almost immediately upon being released from a lengthy prison term. Protests in front of a police station get ugly, and a policeman who is not even involved in the investigation is gruesomely killed by a petrol bomb thrown by an unidentified member of the mob. Too many subplots, secondary characters, back stories and red herrings; too little detecting. As usual, a lot of social commentary, and class prejudice runs amok in all directions. Although I truly wanted to know the who, how and why of all the separate crimes, I felt this novel was a tangled-up mess. If it had been cut in two, with each half given fair treatment, that might have resulted in two much better novels. ( )

More Kidnapping, but with no Wexford Laws
Review of the Audible Studios audiobook edition (May 4, 2009) narrated by Nigel Anthony, of the original hardcover from Hutchinson (UK) (September, 1999)

Harm Done contains further kidnappings, as did the previous Wexford novel Road Rage (1997) in which Dora Wexford was one of the kidnapped. As opposed to the activists involved in the earlier book, the motives are more obscure this time out. It becomes even more bizarre when two of the victims reappear, mostly unharmed, but refuse to say where they've been or give confusing answers. Then a much younger child disappears and the motive may be something completely different. Eventually there are murders as well, but the main mystery of the book involves the abductions.

See cover at https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/...
The front cover of the original Hutchinson (UK) 1999 hardcover. Image sourced from Goodreads.

I wasn't very engaged with this novel. There weren't even any quotable passages that struck my attention. When the reasons for the earlier abductions becomes clear, it just seems too bizarre and rather sad. The motive for the child abduction is more disturbing but is resolved in a manner that doesn't quite satisfy.

This was Wexford #18 in the series of 24 novels. I had previously skipped over #15 to #18 as they were proving difficult to source. No convenient Kindle eBooks exist and the Toronto Public Library online search & hold system was struck down in October 2023 (which is still ongoing, but the latest update is that they hope to restore online holds in February 2024) by a ransomware attack (rumoured to be Russian based) which prevents you from locating and placing books on hold throughout the system (short of physically going around Toronto to each branch personally and searching the shelves by hand). I've decided to complete my Wexford/Rendell binge by sourcing the audiobooks which are not ideal as I am also trying to spot Wexford's personal Laws and Rules along the way. Listening on audio might cause me to miss them.

The narration by Nigel Anthony was excellent in all voices in this edition. Anthony was excellent at mimicking the deep-voice gravitas and the West Country burr of actor George Baker (who played Chief Inspector Wexford in the TV series).

Wexford's Laws
There were no Wexford's Laws mentioned in this book.

Trivia and Links
Harm Done was adapted for television as part of the Ruth Rendell / Inspector Wexford Mysteries TV series (1987-2000) as Season 12 Episode 1 in 2000 with actor George Baker as Chief Inspector Wexford. It was the final episode of the TV series. I could not find a free posting of it online. Here in Canada it is available on the Britbox streaming service. ( )

Ik had het vage gevoel dat ik dit boek eerder heb gelezen. Het was amusant en goed geschreven, een prettig tussendoortje (wel dik trouwens). ( )

A Wexford le toca enfrentarse a todo. Le serán necesarias grandes dosis de paciencia, tacto y generosidad para resolver los distintos casos y devolver la tranquilidad a una comunidad en la que han pasado demasiadas cosas en demasiado poco tiempo. Pero siempre quedará en el aire una pregunta: tanta manipulación de la juventud y de la infancia, no dejará secuelas ?

From Amazon:

The search for the body commenced. Then the victim walked into town.

Behind the picture-postcard façade of Kingsmarkham lies a community rife with violence, betrayal, and a taste for vengeance. When sixteen-year-old Lizzie Cromwell reappears no one knows where she has been, including Lizzie herself. Inspector Wexford thinks she was with a boyfriend. But the disappearance of a three-year-old girl casts a more ominous light on events. And when the public's outrage turns toward a recently released pederast and another suspect turns up stabbed to death, Wexford must try to unravel the mystery before any more bodies appear, and before a mob of local vigilantes metes out a rough justice to their least favorite suspect. In Harm Done, the violence is near at hand, and evil lies just a few doors down the block.

My Thoughts:

This complex novel interweaves three stories...the abduction and then return of two young women...the return of a convicted pedophile to his home after he has served his time...and the case of an abused wife that finally ends in murder. I really enjoyed the book but it had so many characters that remembering who was who was very difficult. In spite of the three different stories and the mob of characters...Ruth Rendell manages to pull them all together in the end. ( )