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  • Thirteen Steps Down

  • By: Ruth Rendell
  • Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
  • Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (328 ratings)
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Thirteen Steps Down cover art

Thirteen Steps Down

By: Ruth Rendell
Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
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Summary

Mix Cellini (which he pronounces with an S rather than a C) is superstitious about the number 13 and has always felt dogged by ill-luck. In the house where he lives, there are 13 steps down to the landing below his rooms. His landlady lives her life almost exclusively through her library, blind to the neglect and decay around her. However, Mix is obsessed with the life of the notorious John Christie, who lived in the same Notting Hill neighbourhood at 10 Rillington Place. He is also infatuated with a beautiful woman who lives near-by, a model who wouldn’t look twice at him. Both landlady and lodger are caught up in their own psychologically twisted parallel worlds. But when reality intrudes into Mix's life, a long pent-up violence explodes.

©2004 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Thirteen Steps Down

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Thirteen Steps Down

This novel, in which exercise machine engineer, Mix Cellini becomes obsessed with a local model, Nerissa Nash. He lives in a large dilapidated house in Notting Hill owned by the elderly bluestocking curmogen, Gwendolyn Chawcher. This being Rendell, Mix's intense interest in local serial killer Reginald Christie (of 10 Rillington Place fame) begins to take over his whole existence.

I suppose that the sheer output of Rendell must have made her repeat a few characters along the way. Also, many of her third person psychopaths began to gel into one character. This novel in particular, reminded me very much of the plot and characterisation of 'Going Wrong'.

That said, it's classic Rendell, so lie back and enjoy. As ever, the versatile vocal talents of the narrator, Ric Jerrom, are an aural treat.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Thirteen Steps Down

Really enjoyed this, even if the beginning didn't immediately pull me in and the end a little rushed but delightfully ironic

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Could have done better

What did you like best about Thirteen Steps Down? What did you like least?

The narrator.

It took what appeared to be a very long time before something happened.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The ending, it sort of fizzled out.

Have you listened to any of Ric Jerrom’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes, loved him as Lord Peter Wimsey in Murder Must Advertise.

Was Thirteen Steps Down worth the listening time?

Yes, I listened to it a second time, so it can't have been as bad as it seemed to be the first time around.

Any additional comments?

I haven't read any of Ruth Rendell's books before, but decided to give this one a go seeing as it was narrated by Ric Jerrom. I would have liked the action to have begun a little earlier than it did, and not have ended with a whimper. Maybe I am asking too much, but I do like a bit more action.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Dull

Didn't finish this book and returned it. Didn't mind the concept of the story but found it very dull.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another belter from RR

Terrific, twisting, intriguing and gripping story from RR (as per) and a spot on narration without annoyance. Epic.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

What I love best about her books

I just love Ruth Rendall/Barbara Vine. The books meander and build. The characters are wonderful and complex, the observations and commentary about them is fascinating. Another review complained that the characters are delusional, absolutely, that’s what makes them brilliant. Barbara/Ruths books delight me with the vocabulary, the sentence structure, her observational skills and her ability to build the story. I can’t get enough of them and have downloaded them all. Anyone who writes a bad review has missed the subtlety of them. Add to that the narrators who complete it with their diction, intonation and ability to bring the characters to life. Love, love, love.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent all round

The reader is one of the best I’ve ever listened to…. And there have been many!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great story as usual

good story. always enjoy Ruth Rendels books. very cleaver author. recommended. especially on audio books

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Too long goes nowhere

This although well narrated seemed to just go on and on not her best work

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Thirteen steps down

I read the reviews, and still listened to the book.
It’s slow going, and nothing seems to actually happen. Most characters are delusional, the end is as other have said.
For newbies to her writings, pick something else, if you’re a Ruth Rendell fan you may enjoy.

Narration saved the book.

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