Book Review: "Dark Corners" - Ruth Rendell - Mystery

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This book review will have a lot of spoilers, so please don't read this review if you are planning to read the book and want it to be a surprise. I'm listening to the audio version of the book "Dark Corners" by Ruth Rendell. It is her last novel, which makes this a sort of sad review. I like many of the elements in the book - a story that builds on itself, cause and effect theory, a story set in England but that's about where it ends. Our story begins with Carl - who has inheirted a house and belongings. Carl is a struggling writer who could use a little cash, and decides to rent to Dermitt. Shortly thereafter Carl meets with his friend Stacy - an overweight actress. Carl had found some diet pills in the house and offered to sell them to Stacy. Stacy later overdoses on these pills. Carl seems to have no feelings for his friend, other than worry that he would be blamed for selling her the pills, so he keeps quiet. Enter Dermitt who witnessed the sale. Dermitt now refuses to pay rent, threatening Carl with telling. Carl is hurting for money though. Dermitt's life improves - he gets engaged to a lady named Cybil. Carl, distraught confronts Dermitt later, hits him over the head and kills him. Then Cybil moves in. Oddly enough Cybil seems to know what Carl did, but she isn't overwhelmingly upset or sad -- she just continues to blackmail Carl - moving in rent free. Cybil is overweight too and takes some of the diet pills, left out by Carl. She gets ill as a result - and moves home. There are other things that don't make sense - how another character was kidnapped , and decided to not mention it to anyone, sort of shrugging it off... No, I don't get it. These characters don't really seem to have anything bother them, other than, maybe, wanting free rent. Has anyone else read it, make any more sense of it than I have? Enjoy my book reviews? To see more of them click the first green square above the picture.