Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine: Gallowglass

From the Publisher:
"BARBARA VINE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST WRITERS WE HAVE."
-- Scott Turow
In this stunning novel of erotic obsession, Barbara Vine illuminates the shadows of love cast by dark deeds. Her spell is gripping -- and total...

GALLOWGLASS
"DAZZLING... Barbara Vine's most penetrating foray yet into the dark mysteries of the heart's obsessions."
-- The New York Times Book Review
"INGENIOUS, MASTERLY... dares to examine the dark side of human nature."
-- Baltimore Sun
"THE BEST AND MOST COMPLEX BARBARA VINE."
-- Washington Post
"ONE OF THE BEST NOVELISTS WRITING TODAY."
-- P.D. James
A BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB ALTERNATE SELECTION

Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine: Gallowglass. Onyx Books, ISBN: 0451402561 (January, 1992), 323 p., $5.99.

Barbara Vine: Gallowglass (USA 1990)

From the Publisher:
In ancient times, the gallowglass stood poised at the right hand of a Celtic chieftain. It was this warrior's duty to lunge in front of an axe or spear, to taste food and drink, to sacrifice his life, if required, to protect his chieftain.

In and out of the hospital for depression, Joe is about to throw himself in front of a commuter train when he is pulled away from the tracks by Sandor, a total stranger. Joe dedicates his life to Sandor's service and to Sandor's obsession: kidnapping a wealthy, well-protected woman for ransom.

When his wife leaves him, Paul Garnet gives up teaching inner-city teenagers and moves with his daughter to Jareds, an estate where he takes on the duties of bodyguard to Mrs. Apsoland. His sense of duty and his feelings for her make him willing to risk anything to keep her from harm.

Told in alternating points of view, from Joe to Paul Garnet, from gallowglass to gallowglass, this story moves like an express train to a stunning finale, in the finest Barbara Vine tradition. Gallowglass is a remarkable novel of obsession and betrayal by a novelist at the very peak of her craft.

Barbara Vine: Gallowglass. Harmony Books, ISBN: 0517577445 (April, 1990), 272 p., $19.95.