Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Vault

  • A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery, Book 23 (Unabridged)
  • By: Ruth Rendell
  • Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
  • Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (907 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Vault

By: Ruth Rendell
Narrated by: Nigel Anthony
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Chief Inspector Reg Wexford has retired. He and his wife, Dora, now divide their time between Kingsmarkham and their daughter, Sheila’s, coach house in Hampstead. Wexford takes great pleasure in his books, but, for all the benefits of a more relaxed lifestyle, he misses being the law. But a chance meeting with an old acquaintance in a London street changes everything. Tom Ede is now a Detective Superintendent, and is very keen to recruit Wexford as an adviser on a difficult case. The bodies of two women and a man have been discovered in the old coal hole of an attractive house in St John's Wood. None carries identification. But the man's pockets contain expensive jewelry. To Wexford, this is definitely a case worth coming out of retirement for. He is intrigued and excited by the challenge, but unaware that this new investigative role will bring him into extreme physical danger.

©2011 Kingsmarkham Enterprises Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Shake Hands For Ever cover art
The Rottweiler cover art
The Water's Lovely cover art
The Keys to the Street cover art
Thirteen Steps Down cover art
Master of the Moor cover art
Talking to Strange Men cover art
The Black Echo: Special Edition cover art
The Poet cover art
Dead Irish cover art
In Cold Blood cover art
Dust and Shadow cover art
The Birthday Present cover art
A Fatal Inversion cover art
The Secret of Chimneys cover art

What listeners say about The Vault

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    578
  • 4 Stars
    223
  • 3 Stars
    84
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    615
  • 4 Stars
    126
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    504
  • 4 Stars
    185
  • 3 Stars
    60
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Vault

I had just listened to this novel's prequel 'A Sight For Sore Eyes' and thought that I'd purchase this to complete the story. I'd previously listened to this book via a clunky old eight CD Audiobook, which I was sent a review copy of. Oh, thank goodness for Audible's ease of use!

Although I am more of a fan of Rendell's non-Wexford tales, this was a great entry point to the series. Reg Wexford, now retired and living with his wife Dora in his actor daughter's Hampstead coach house, becomes involved with the case of four bodies being unearthed in nearby St John's Wood when the current owner of the charming period property, Orcadia Cottage, decides to commission a basement extension. Wexford is taken on by the Met's Chief Superintendent Tom Eade as his 'unpaid advisor' and together they work together to crack the case.

It's really enjoyable and made me want to purchase all of the author's Wexford books. Oh Audible, I'm becoming poor because of you!

The narrator, Nigel Anthony, was excellent and managed to convey a convincing array of diverse accents.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely reading, but fly buzzing in the background?

excellent narration, as usual, from Nigel Anthony, but I swear there was a fly buzzing in the background much of the time, which noise was particularly pronounced during the silences.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well retirement suits Mr Wexford

It has a certain liberation to be less restricted and less regulated. He could have been a Poirot ages ago. The story was very compelling but without reading the sight for sore eyes story before it’d be a lot more confusing. There were a lot of different characters and not all had any meaning in the end and without the original story it’d be more annoying to wade through the details to find the right path to the solution. This was one of the few books in the series where I felt the need to cut a few side stories out or reduce the actors which didn’t seem at all to be necessary. But no series goes without a couple of weaker parts and as long as it is still enjoyable to follow the story that’s ok and part of the parcel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The vault

I liked the way the story was a continuation from “ A sight for sore eyes “ incorporating a retired Reg Wexford. Very clever

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

Well worth a listen just a little bit dated.

Very well narrated by Nigel, I will look for more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great performance

Really enjoyed this audiobook. The delivery by Nigel Anthony brought this intriguing story to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wexford moves to London

I was concerned about listening to the Wexford series out of order but needn't have been. This one seemed faster-paced than others, maybe because of the location change, and had a clever tie-in with another non-Wexford Rendell story (no spoilers!). I love Nigel Anthony's delivery and characterisation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Audible space

Narration was absorbing but space between each chapter was too long and broke the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Brilliant both stand alone and follow on

Really enjoyed Wexford being part of the story and stands alone but had listened to the linked book. Very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nigel Anthony is my new favourite narrator

Of course this book is fabulous... it's Ruth Rendell. But Nigel Anthony's narration adds so much depth and colour. I am amazed by how he can portray so many different characters of both sexes with a slight inflexion here, a mild accent there. if you enjoy reading Wexford novels I strongly recommend you indulge yourself with an Audible version.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!