Dorothy Simpson writes excellent books in the British cozy-mystery genre, and, in a gentle style of her own, she introduces us to villains who are not so much evil as just prone to making mistakes. I've read all of her works, and I eagerly look forward to more.

She treats all of her characters, police detectice Thanet and those he must investigate, with a careful compassion and a gentle probing into motives and actions. Her novels are not psychological studies; instead they are journeys into wisdom as we learn to understand the hearts of all the characters, Thanet and his family included. I feel that her approach can be labeled "unique" in a genre which is usually so cookie-cutter repetitive. Treat yourself to reading this book, or any of her works!

This is the first mystery by Dorothy Simpson where I actually figured out the culprit before Inspector Thanet. What I love about D. Simpson's books are the detail. Her characters are fully realized, you see them with all their faults and foibles. And this book is very timely, but I can't say more than that, because I'd spoil some of the mystery. Another thing I enjoy about D. Simpson's series, is that you really believe there is an Inspector Thanet. We're taken along with him when he goes home (I suggest you find the very first book and read all of them in sequence - because you find out about his wife and two children - their struggles in childrearing AND Thanet's problems in dealing with a wife who wants to work outside the home)as well as out and about interviewing suspects. D. Simpson's books are always very rich - with characters, motives, settings. I've never been to England, but with D. Simpson's talents for description, I'm there in Kent with Thanet. I can't wait to read her latest, which is coming out in February.

A teenage girl from a family that belongs to a strict non-Christian biblical religious sect meets a violent death in an alley not far from her home. Inspector Luke Thanet uncovers the shocking incident in her childhood that ultimately led to her death. Dorothy Simpson not only gives us an excellent British police procedural, but also illustrates how extreme parental repressiveness can push a child toward a life of deceitfulness. One of the best of the series.

This is the ninth in a series of mysteries set in Kent, England, and featuring the detective work of Inspector Luke Thanet. In this story, when Inspector Thanet drives through a snowstorm to investigate an apparent hit-and-run, he quickly finds that the people who knew the victim have a lot to hide. The victim, Leo Martindale, scion of a moderate family holding left the area years ago under strange circumstances, and after leading a dissolute life, returned to a less than enthusiastic welcome. Who killed Leo Martindale, and why? It's up to Inspector Thanet to find out!

My wife is a Dorothy Simpson fan, and having given me this book, she has now turned me into a Dorothy Simpson fan! While not as shocking or suspenseful as some murder book, this book has an absorbing and quite entertaining story. If you are interested in a good old-fashioned English whodunit, then I highly recommend this book to you!

EVER!

This whodunit examines the death of a young artist, found suffocated in the kitchen of a barrister (the victim had been filling in for the nanny, who'd had an emergency appendectomy). Inspector Thanet has a wealth of suspects to choose from, and it's hard to winnow them down. Was it the extremely jealous soon-to-be ex-husband? Said husband's mother? The deceased's married lover? The married lover's wife? They all had a reason (or two or three)to dispatch her. The fun for the reader is following Thanet on his quest to unmask the guilty party(ies). Dorothy Simpson is simply amazing. She's not an author that you read and put away her latest. You usually reread her books every so often just to delight in her well-sketched characters, extraordinary and yet believable plots, sly wit, terrific dialogue, and her main character, Luke Thanet. She draws him as a fully developed person, with foibles and nobility. It's very hard to believe he's not real. Why they've never made a movie from her series is the real mystery. Are you reading this Spielberg? Get busy!

This is the seventh in a series of mysteries set in Kent, England, and featuring the detective work of Inspector Luke Thanet. In this story, when Inspector Thanet is called to the scene of the death of a woman who fell from a balcony, he quickly realizes that this was no accident. Quite a few people connected with the case seem to have something to hide, and it is up to Thanet to get to the bottom of it all.

This is the second Dorothy Simpson book I have read, and I am hooked. In this book, Dorothy Simpson succeeds in weaving a fiendishly complicated plot, leaving you completely baffled as to who could have done it. I really enjoyed this very-British murder mystery, and highly recommend it to you.

Marvelous. The local MP is hosting a sort of fair in the grounds of his house when he finds his elderly mother dead in her bed.

I've always enjoyed Inspector Thanet, and this is an excellent example of the British "cozy" -- except that it does point out that, for all the noise about serial killers, sometimes the worst things happen right in the bosom of the family.

I haven't read the book, but I just read three reviews of it. In each, the victim's last name was spelled differently, and the detective's last name was spelled two different ways. The book sounds like it might be fun. But who can tell if the reviewers have actually read it.

This was my first Dorothy Simpson novel, I had never read any mystery prior to this. Soon I was eagerly reading, anxious to find out what happens. When reading this you easily become attached to the characters (Thanet) personal life, its great how the mystery plays one part, and his life at home is another. A great read, quite enjoyable. Thanks to this book I soon found myself getting other books by Dorothy Simpson, a great series, good for mystery fans, or people who have never even considered the genre.

Having read all of the Luke Thanet mysteries, I didn't think that Dorothy Simpson could get any better, but I was wrong. This is her best effort so far, mingling the dramas surrounding Luke's own family and that of a very complicated local barrister. Simpson continues to hone her craft with each new book. I can't wait for the next installment!

A fine entry in Ms. Simpson's always-well-written series. The puzzle is carefully crafted and ingenious, with enough red herrings to throw most pursuers off the scent. The characters are pleasantly three-dimensional; Ms. Simpson is a good enough author to realize that, if the reader doesn't care about the characters, there would be no reason care what happens TO them. A thoroughly satisfying book.

This is a very well-written mystery. The author has you guessing all the way to the very end and it turns out to be a total surprise! I would reccomend this book to those who love just a great mystery without all the gore.

As other fans have written this was a good book. But it also was a fun book to read. It kept you guessing all the way through.

Ms. Simpson is a wonderful author. I have read many of her novels and all of them are great books.

This book is one where you don't want to put it down because you want to know just what is going to happen.

Very enjoyable.

This is my first by Dorothy Simpson (although there are now more than a dozen in the series) but definitely a series worth pursuing. The protagonist, Luke Thanet, is a no-nonsense, down-to-earth police officer. He is an easy-going family man who methodically works his way through his cases until coming up with the end result by process of elimination. In this book, the murder of a young housewife may or may not be tied into another murder that took place over two decades before. Simpson's descriptions of the English countryside, towns, and villages add so much to the story; you can almost picture being there.

Simpson's Inspector Luke Thanet mysteries manage to combine the rigor of police procedurals with something of the feel of English country house murders. This early entry in the series is good example. A young housewife is knifed to death in her own home. Thanet must decide whether the motive for murder's lies in her present or her past as the denizens of a small town try to hide their secrets.

I AM TRYING TO READ ALL OF DOROTHY SIMPSON'S "INSPECTOR LUKE THANET" STORIES, AND EVEN THO I AM NOT READING THEM IN ORDER, THEY ARE STILL GREAT!! IF YOU LIKE BRITISH POLICE PROCEDURALS, THIS IS THE SERIES FOR YOU, ALSO LUKE HAS A FAMILY AND SEEMS TO BE A NORMAL GUY....THAT'S A CHANGE FROM THE NEUROTIC INSPECTOR'S WE SOMETIMES ENCOUNTER IN FICTION. OH WELL, I LOVE THEM ALL, BUT THIS ONE IS SPECIAL!!

This novel takes place in a small English village. Alicia, a local girl comes back to town after being away for 20 years and is murdered less than a day later. This book has a very good plot and the characters are beliveable. It really showed the interweavings of a small town and how your past can catch up with you.