Thirteen Steps Down Signed first edition. de Rendell, Ruth - 2004

London: Hutchinson, 2004. First edition, signed and dated by the author on the title page. Hardback. 314pp. Dust jacket in a protective sleeve. Mix Cellini is superstitious about the number thirteen and has always felt dogged by ill-luck. Where he lives, there are thirteen steps down to the landing below his rooms, which he keeps spick and span in contrast to the rest of the place. His landlady, Gwendolen, was born there and lives her life almost exclusively through her library, blind to the decay around her. The Notting Hill neighbourhood has changed radically since the days of John Christie and the foul murders he committed at 10 Rillington Place. Mix is also obsessed with the life of Christie. He has also developed a passion for a beautiful model who lives nearby - a woman who wouldn't give Mix a second glance. Both landlady and lodger inhabit weird worlds of their own. But when reality intrudes into Mix's life a long pent-up violence explodes. Book in near fine condition. Dust jacket also near fine. Unclipped and with only very minor edge wear. Promotional sticker to front.