HomeMysteryThe Keys to the Street

Cover of The Keys to the Street

Mystery · 1996 · PG-13

The Keys to the Street

by Ruth Rendell

A young woman walking dogs in Regent's Park finds herself entangled in the deaths of London's destitute

For14+GenreMysteryLength346 pagesRead time~9 hours

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Content snapshot

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

A lot

Serial murders of homeless people; bodies impaled on railings; moderate to intense violence

Language

Barely any

Mild language

Sexual Content

Barely any

No significant sexual content

Substance Use

Barely any

Minimal substance use

Emotional Intensity

A lot

Strong psychological intensity; proximity of the comfortable to the desperate; predation on the vulnerable

What this book is about

Mary Jago, recovering from a traumatic relationship, works walking dogs in Regent's Park. When homeless people begin dying in the park — stabbed in the throat and impaled on the park's iron railings — Mary's safe world collides with London's invisible underclass. A standalone Ruth Rendell that examines homelessness, violence, and the moral questions of proximity and indifference.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

Serial murder of homeless people

Impalement deaths

Class divide

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