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The psychological crime dramas as seen on public television

In six tales of suspense, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell examines the jealousies, betrayals, and resentments that lead to tragedy. A stellar cast brings each story off the page and onto the screen with all of the author's delicious irony and intrigue intact.

Bribery & Corruption - Young Nicholas Hawthorne (James D'Arcy) has a crush on a married woman with whom his widowed father has begun a secret affair. Then she winds up murdered. Approx. 104 min.

Front Seat - Cecily Branksome (Janice Suzman) opens old wounds by nosing into a long - resolved murder in her childhood hometown - to the growing annoyance of her husband Hugh (Edward Hardwicke). Approx. 52 min. <P><b>A Case of Coincidence - When a surgeon's wife turns up murdered in the fens, Inspector Masters (Keith Barron) and Chief Inspector Moore (Ronald Pickup) face increased pressure to bring a serial killer to justice. Approx. 105 min.

A Dark Blue Perfume - Newly widowed Liz (Susannah York) rediscovers life and love with a troubled man who has a mysterious past. Approx. 52 min. <P><b>May & June - Since childhood, May Thrace (Phoebe Nicholls) has resented her sister June (Christine Kavanaugh) - especially when they compete for the same man's affections. Approx. 102 min. <P><b>The Orchard Walls - Sent to the country to escape war-ravaged London, a young girl (Honeysuckle Weeks) discovers the adult world's dark secrets. Approx. 51 min.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Ruth Rendell biography and cast filmographies.

The psychological crime dramas as seen on public television <P>From cold, rock-strewn moors to comfortable suburban estates, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell explores the dark fissures between friends and family members that motivate murder. Talented casts bring Rendell’s unforgettable characters to life in four complex stories of suspense. <P><b>Master of the Moor—Since boyhood, Stephen Whalby (Colin Firth) has sought solitude on the wild, windy moor. But his taciturn ways and familiarity with the wilderness make him the prime suspect in a series of shocking murders. Approx. 154 min.

Vanity Dies Hard—After her best friend mysteriously disappears, Alice Fielding (Eleanor David) begins to suspect foul play, perhaps even murder. And the killer may have targeted Alice herself as the next victim. Approx. 155 min.

The Secret House of Death—Newly divorced Susan Townsend (Amanda Redman) makes a grisly discovery in her suburban neighborhood and soon becomes involved in a potentially deadly intrigue. Approx. 103 min.

The Double—Two women, identical in appearance but totally different in personality, compete for the affections of one man. Which will lose love and perhaps her life? Approx. 103 min. <P>DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Ruth Rendell biography and cast filmographies.

The psychological crime dramas as seen on public television

In these two Inspector Wexford specials, the kindly, compassionate detective investigates the disappearance of his doctor’s daughter and an environmental protest that goes horribly wrong. As always, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell weaves incisive social observation into her compelling plots, showing why critics and fans regard her as the reigning queen of the British literary mystery.

Simisola--Chief Inspector Wexford’s Nigerian-born physician asks the detective to look into the abrupt disappearance of his 22-year-old daughter. The trail eventually leads Wexford and DI Mike Burden to two murders, and the investigators grapple with an emotionally charged case complicated by racial and class misunderstandings. Approx. 152 min.

Road Rage--While environmental activists disrupt the construction of a highway bypass, the body of a missing German tourist turns up in the woods, strangled and sexually assaulted. As clashes between protesters and security forces escalate into violence, a radical group engineers a series of kidnappings, with Wexford’s beloved wife among the hostages. Approx. 201 min.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE <i>Super Sleuths: Inspector Wexford, a documentary featuring George Baker; and Ruth Rendell biography.

Genre: Television: British Mystery/Dr<br><b>Rating: NR
Release Date: 24-JUN-2008
Media Type: DVD

Inspector Wexford delves into two harrowing murder cases. Road Rage – a deadly tale of eco-terrorism, out-of-control anger and kidnapping. Simisola – a haunting case of multiple murder and racism.

Simisola

Racism can turn deadly even in a small English town.

Two women are murdered. One is missing. A fourth has been viciously beaten and barely alive. She will provide Chief Inspector Wexford with the key that once turned, will lead him down a path as uncompromising as it is spine-chilling.

Road Rage

A mesmerizing tale of eco-terrorism.<P>While violent clashes between tree-cutters and protesters escalate, so does the police search for a missing girl. This harrowing case of out-of-control anger, kidnap and murder puts Chief Inspector Wexford to a terrifying test in a desperate race against time.

Simisola: Racism can turn deadly even in a small English town. Two women are murdered. One is missing. A fourth has been viciously beaten and barely alive. She will provide Chief Inspector Wexford with the a key that once turned, will lead him down a path as uncompromising as it is spine-chilling. Road Rage: A mesmerizing tale of eco-terrorism. While violent clashes between tree-cutters and protesters escalate, so do the police search for a missing girl? This harrowing case of out-of-control anger, kidnap and murder puts Chief Inspector Wexford to a terrifying test in a desperate race against time.

A particularly gritty and tough episode from Ruth Rendell's Inspector Reg Wexford series, <I>Simisola begins with the bearish Scots detective receiving some good medical news from his Nigerian physician. Unfortunately, Wexford can't do the same when the doctor and his wife report the disappearance of their daughter. Seemingly related murders of two women, and the severe beating of a third, in Wexford's Sussex country town of Kingsmarkham do nothing to clarify what happened to the missing girl and, much to Wexford's dismay, exacerbate racist tensions rumbling beneath the investigation. Actor George Baker, who has been playing the civilized and often unflappable Wexford in television dramas since 1988, is wonderful here, counterpointing the detective's natural politesse with droll asides and clipped impatience with self-important witnesses. Rendell's attack on a loophole in British immigration laws (essentially sanctioning modern slavery) is startling but does not overwhelm <I>Simisola's entertaining police procedural. --Tom Keogh

Modernity's classic conflict with the primitive wild is ablaze in this enthralling story of bloodshed in the battle between trees and pavement. Based on a Ruth Rendell novel, the story concerns a protracted fight by pro-environment extremists to stop a road from being built through a forest near Kingsmarkham. Detective Chief Inspector Wexford (George Baker) looks on in dismay as eco-terrorists and local bailiffs beat and maim one another, but he becomes directly involved when a weird series of daytime kidnappings--including the disappearance of his wife, Dora--are linked to a militant group.

As police procedurals go, <I>Road Rage is a model of tea-sipping restraint: neither Wexford nor his close colleague, Mike Burden (Christopher Ravenscroft), ever loses his professional demeanor despite personal involvement in the case. Adapted for the screen by Baker, <I>Road Rage is most interesting for its startling counterpoint between criminal monstrosity and heroic decency. --Tom Keogh

A particularly gritty and tough episode from Ruth Rendell's Inspector Reg Wexford series, <I>Simisola begins with the bearish Scots detective receiving some good medical news from his Nigerian physician. Unfortunately, Wexford can't do the same when the doctor and his wife report the disappearance of their daughter. Seemingly related murders of two women, and the severe beating of a third, in Wexford's Sussex country town of Kingsmarkham do nothing to clarify what happened to the missing girl and, much to Wexford's dismay, exacerbate racist tensions rumbling beneath the investigation. Actor George Baker, who has been playing the civilized and often unflappable Wexford in television dramas since 1988, is wonderful here, counterpointing the detective's natural politesse with droll asides and clipped impatience with self-important witnesses. Rendell's attack on a loophole in British immigration laws (essentially sanctioning modern slavery) is startling but does not overwhelm Simisola's entertaining police procedural. --Tom Keogh