Ruth Rendell, British crime fiction writer, dies at 85

Ruth Rendell, a British crime fiction writer, died in London on Saturday at the age of 85.

According to Latino Fox News, it was her publisher, Penguin Random House who released the information about her passing.

"We are devastated by the loss of one of our best-loved authors," the publishing house said in a communique.

"Ruth was very much part of our publishing family and a friend to many at Penguin Random House. We will miss her enormously. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time," the note went on to say.

Ruth was the author of over 60 novels during a career that spanned 50 years, via BBC. Ruth was the creator of the very popular Inspector Wexford series, which was also turned into a pretty successful TV series.

What she was most known for was her psychological murder mysteries. Her first Wexford book, From Doon to Death, was published in 1964. This was the first that kicked off the TV series, starring George Baker.