Live flesh - Ruth Rendell

Why? Why did he do it? Why had it happened? What sort of fiend was he? Why should he, Victor Jenner, the child of happily married, middle-class parents, succumb to such violent rages? Why should he have needed to make motiveless attacks on women? Victor didn’t know.

But Victor did know that the last ten years – the years in prison – had been a mistake. He had never intended to rape the girl. He had never intended to harm anyone. It had all been an accident. In fact, his life had been a series of accidents, one mistake leading to the next.

Now, out of prison at last, Victor still isn’t free. The past holds him so he can’t go forward. So Victor goes back – and begins a new chain of accidents, a new string of tragic mistakes.