Ruth Rendell Mysteries Season 8 Episodes

Episode 1

Vanity Dies Hard: Part 1

180 mins

Wealthy but barren orphan Alice,raised by her uncle Justin, marries younger teacher Andrew Fielding, raising him up the social ladder. Her best friend, Nesta Drage, a widowed florist, hits financial hardship but refuses Alice's offer of help, planning to sell up and move. The night before the move she dines with the Fieldings and Andrew drives her home, past the graveyard being dug up to make way for a new by-pass. Next morning she has gone without any word of farewell, yet she has left behind a trunk with all her clothes in .

Episode 2

Vanity Dies Hard: Part 2

51 mins

Alice is concerned at Nesta's sudden disappearance, particularly in view of veiled comments Nesta had made about a mysterious man friend. She traces Nesta's mail to a seedy hotel in Brighton, where she is told that Nesta has been and gone and that 'Mr. Drage' took her belongings. She is unconvinced and Andrew is annoyed by her apparent obsession but they reconcile and attend the opening of the by-pass. Further revelations about Nesta's hasty departure cause Alice to believe she was murdered and when Alice goes down with a virus she wonders if the killer is after her too. She is unhappy at the whispered conversations between Andrew and the Polish au pair, who is in possession of a letter from Nesta post-marked 'Orphington'. She believes Nesta has been harmed and is determined to find out more

Episode 3

Vanity Dies Hard: Part 3

51 mins

Alice Fielding is shocked when her friend, Dr. Harry Blunden tells her that Nesta was having an affair with her husband Andrew. He vehemently denies it telling Alice he hated the woman and while she accepts his explanation, she is more convinced than ever that someone is trying to poison her. When she notices that the typewriter in Andrew's study is the one used to type the letters she received from Nesta, she believes Harry may have been on to something. As she runs out of the house in fear of her life, the killer takes charge of her leading to an inevitable conclusion.

Episode 4

The Strawberry Tree: Part 1

60 mins

When she was a young girl on the island of Majorca Petra Summerton was traumatised by the events of the Summer when her beloved older brother Piers and his cousin Rosario, to whom he was getting married, disappeared. Now she is middle-aged Petra still finds it hard to get over the situation.

Episode 5

The Strawberry Tree: Part 2

Petra is now happy with a man called Will Harvey but still wonders as to the fate of Piers. Then out of the blue he turns up along with his wife Rosario, but are they who they claim to be or is there a more sinister reason for their 'return', after all these years have gone by?