Ruth Rendell reads from her new mystery The Vault.

But who, pray, is Detective Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford, and where on earth is Kings Markham? These answers will be found on Arts & Entertainment tomorrow night at 10, when the first hour of a three-part dramatization of Ruth Rendell's ''Shake Hands Forever'' is presented on the cable network's new ''Masters of Mystery'' series. (The subsequent episodes will be shown Feb. 12 and 19, in the same Monday-night slot.) ''Surely you Americans have heard of Wexford,'' Miss Rendell said, sounding slightly aghast in a recent telephone conversation from her home in the Suffolk district of England.

You may not realise it, but TV has taught you all the personality tics, wisecracks and gunplay you need to be a hard-bitten cop

From Dashiell Hammett to Raymond Chandler,
Andrew Vachss to Ruth Rendell, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard publishes the finest in classic crime fiction and suspense writing available today.

"We've just had more practice doing it," said Ravenscroft, "That's all. You could do it just as well or better. We have no advantage being British."

... and straightforwardness of style bespoke true artistry and great experience Christopher Ravenscroft amazed the audience with his exceptional versatility ...

HBO has greenlighted a pilot for All Signs of Death, a dark comedic drama based on Charlie Huston’s 2009 crime noir novel The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death.

Harpsichordist Yasuko Mitsui has promised to keep organizing concerts around the globe through her foundation until the world has gotten rid of nuclear weapons.

The premiere of Happy Town, ABC’s new psychological thriller, offers more confusion than intrigue. But Sam Neill’s character, the mysterious Englishman Grieves, is a reason to keep watching.

OK, it's a bit dated in places, but Kojak is still a gripping police procedural, and surprisingly morally complex. Plus: lollipops and great suits.

Marvel at the wonder of William Shatner's oeuvre in the majestic TJ Hooker...

Author Richard Rayner takes us on a historic tour of 1920s LA, home to the real-life mobsters, racketeers and corrupt officials that inspired a host of hardboiled writers

Ruth Rendell, who has been called “the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world” by Time magazine, will talk about her newest Inspector Wexford series novel, “The Monster in the Box,” at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, November 6, at the New Canaan Library.

September 2011 schedule of upcoming Ruth Rendell appearances in the US.

The 22nd in Ruth Rendell's Inspector Reginald Wexford series, The Monster in the Box rewards loyal readers with a generous trip back to the origins of the Kingsmarkham copper.

US websites documenting the stories of homeless people are attracting millions of viewers

Call it The Wire Effect. Actors who appeared in the acclaimed HBO series The Wire (2002-2008) are spreading over the entertainment universe the way that lavender takes over a garden: quietly but determinedly.

The crusty coroner protagonist of 16 bestselling crime novels by Patricia Cornwell is being developed as a possible franchise vehicle for Angelina Jolie.

With absorbing content and a ground-breaking format, In Treatment - a drama about psychotherapy that apes patients' sessions - is a global TV phenomenon, the latest from HBO, famous for The Wire and The Sopranos. So why has no British channel snapped it up?

France's answer to The Wire, Spiral, shows tonight – next to its muse. Both have murder and intrigue, but is Paris any rival for Baltimore in this TV showdown?

The Baltimore crime drama is about to be shown on BBC2. Will it finally get the audience it deserves?

Raymond Chandler: literary genius is all about hard work. How do you create a masterpiece? With a lot of graft and heartache, according to the crime fiction master

COMING TO MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! IN 2009.

Actor who played the station boss in the TV series Starsky & Hutch.

Two Inspector Wexford episodes (Simisola and Road Rage ) released in the US on 14 April, 2009.

Dr Kay Scarpetta has propelled Patricia Cornwell from morgue-worker to millionaire. Now, the novelist tells James Kidd, all she wants is a little respect

The sights and sounds of Baltimore were interwoven with the everyday and the extraordinary in The Wire. And, what was your favourite version of Way Down In The Hole?

A new US crime drama about a psychic who works with the police has been picked up by Five. The Mentalist will begin airing on both Five and digital channel Five US next year. The 13 x 60-minute series was picked up from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution by Five's deputy controller of acquisitions Katie Keenan.

As the loose ends are tied up, and the cycles begin again, the final episode of this masterful drama offers some telling moments of optimism

Schedule lists the standalone Rendell mysteries not Wexfords.

The Matrix actor Laurence Fishburne has been confirmed as the new lead in CBS's hit US drama CSI, replacing William Petersen.

The US remake of hit BBC show Life on Mars is facing stormy waters on its transatlantic crossing after losing its writer-producer and scrapping its original pilot.

DVD Release Date: June 24, 2008.

The Shakespeare Project was the first major New York residency of actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company - with Edwin Richfield, Heather Canning, Christopher Ravenscroft, Jennie Stoller and John Kane.

Acorn Media announces the October 23, 2007 DVD debut of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 2, the popular television series based on the fiction of bestselling British crime-writer Ruth Rendell.

Six more episodes from the popular anthology series showcase Rendell’s masterly command of irony and intrigue. Stars in these stories include James D’Arcy, Honeysuckle Weeks, and Alexis Denisof. Follow-up to hot-selling release of Set 1.

Region 1 DVD. Release Date: October 23, 2007.

est-selling crime writer Ruth Rendell (Baroness Rendell of Babergh) explores the motives for murder across England’s many landscapes, from rock-strewn moors to suburban estates. This set includes four deliciously complex dramas based on her novels and s

SILVER SPRING, December 20, 2006—Acorn Media announces the February 20, 2007 release of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Series 1—the popular television series based on the fiction of bestselling British crime-writing icon Ruth Rendell.