Monster in the box. Ruth Rendell. 2009.

Wexford had almost made up his mind  that he would never again set eyes on Eric Targo’s short, muscular figure . And yet there he was, back in Kingsmarkham, still with that cocky, strutting walk. 

Years earlier, when Wexford was a young police officer, two women were found strangled. No one was convicted but every personal and professional instinct told Wexford that the killer was Eric Targo. A psychopath who would kill again…….

As the Chief Inspector investigates a new case, Ruth Rendell looks back to the beginning of Wexford’s career, even to his courtship of the woman who would become his wife. The past is a haunted place, with clues and passions that leave an indelible imprint on the here and now.