Ruth Barbara Rendell , Baroness Rendell of Babergh , CBE ( née Grasemann ; 17 February 1930 -- 2 May 2015 ) was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries .
Ruth Barbara Rendell , Baroness Rendell of Babergh CBE ( née Grasemann ; 17 February 1930 -- 2 May 2015 ) , also known as Barbara Vine , was an English writer . She wrote mostly psychological thrillers and murder mysteries .