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Inspector Thanet #3
Puppet For A Corpse
Prominent GP Arnold Pettifer is found dead of an overdose, alone in his house and with a note by his side. All the evidence points to suicide, but Inspector Luke Thanet is immediately suspicious. Something doesn't add up, for Dr Pettifer apparently had everything to live for. Could it have been murder? The finger of suspicion points at Mrs Pettifer, particularly when it emerges that she has a lover. But Inspector Thanet suspects there is more to this case than meets the eye.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1982
208 people are currently reading
281 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Simpson
43books115followersDorothy Preece Simpson writes...
"I was born and brought up in South Wales, went to Bridgend Grammar School and then on to Bristol University, where I read modern languages before moving to Kent, the background of the Thanet novels, to teach French at Dartford and Erith Grammar Schools.
Moving to the Maidstone area on my marriage, I then spent several years devoting myself to bringing up my three children. During that time I trained as a marriage guidance counsellor and subsequently worked as one for thirteen years.
You may think that marriage guidance counsellor to crime writer is rather a peculiar career move, but although I didn’t realise it at the time, of course, the training I received was the best possible preparation for writing detective novels. Murder mysteries are all about relationships which go disastrously wrong and the insights I gained into what makes people tick, into their interaction and motivations, have been absolutely invaluable to DI Thanet, my series character, as have the interviewing skills I acquired during my years of counselling.
I began to write after a long illness in 1975. The success of my first book, a suspense novel called HARBINGERS OF FEAR, gave me sufficient impetus to carry me through the two rejections which followed - very disheartening at the time, but invaluable in retrospect.
It was during this period that I realised that the crime novel is of such diversity that it offers enormous scope to the writer and decided to attempt to lay the foundation for a series of detective novels in my next book. This was the THE NIGHT SHE DIED." This was the first in a 15 book series starring Detective Inspector Luke Thanet. Severe repetitive stress injury caused her to stop writing in 2000.
She is an award winning author, receiving a Silver Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain.
"I was born and brought up in South Wales, went to Bridgend Grammar School and then on to Bristol University, where I read modern languages before moving to Kent, the background of the Thanet novels, to teach French at Dartford and Erith Grammar Schools.
Moving to the Maidstone area on my marriage, I then spent several years devoting myself to bringing up my three children. During that time I trained as a marriage guidance counsellor and subsequently worked as one for thirteen years.
You may think that marriage guidance counsellor to crime writer is rather a peculiar career move, but although I didn’t realise it at the time, of course, the training I received was the best possible preparation for writing detective novels. Murder mysteries are all about relationships which go disastrously wrong and the insights I gained into what makes people tick, into their interaction and motivations, have been absolutely invaluable to DI Thanet, my series character, as have the interviewing skills I acquired during my years of counselling.
I began to write after a long illness in 1975. The success of my first book, a suspense novel called HARBINGERS OF FEAR, gave me sufficient impetus to carry me through the two rejections which followed - very disheartening at the time, but invaluable in retrospect.
It was during this period that I realised that the crime novel is of such diversity that it offers enormous scope to the writer and decided to attempt to lay the foundation for a series of detective novels in my next book. This was the THE NIGHT SHE DIED." This was the first in a 15 book series starring Detective Inspector Luke Thanet. Severe repetitive stress injury caused her to stop writing in 2000.
She is an award winning author, receiving a Silver Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
June 19, 2017
The third book in the series and there's no doubt I'm addicted!! Absolutely fantastic mysteries in the style of Agatha Christie. I'm definitely binge reading these books!
January 7, 2019
I picked up one of these Luke Thanet books for a couple of bucks at the UBS before Christmas - I am always looking for new classic mystery series, and this looked like a decent option.
This is the third book in the series I've read at this point. I read the 6th book, Dead on Arrival, first, and then I bought the second and third books because they must have been on sale, as I got them both for under $3.00 each, and the price has now increased to $6.50, which is more than I'm willing to spend. I read the second book, Six Feet Under, at the end of December, and then read this one yesterday. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the series at this point.
The books are set in Kent, England, in the fictional town of Sturrenden (interestingly, Thanet is the name of a district in Kent). Inspector Thanet is a bit cerebral, and is more-or-less happily married to Joan, with two children. His marriage takes up quite a lot of screen time, as he is grappling with Joan going back to work now that the kids are a bit older, and he doesn't like not having his meals served hot and ready at his beck and call when he gets home.
Puppet for a Corpse was originally published in 1983, although it has a bit more regressive of a feel than the eighties - when I looked up the publication date I was surprised that it wasn't the early seventies, given the interactions between Luke and Joan. I graduated from high school in 1984, and there was never any expectation between myself and any man I have ever been involved in that I would be his domestic servant. On the other hand, I suppose Luke and Joan are closer to the ages of my parents than they are to my age, and Thanet's attitude was pretty much the same as my dad's attitude was when my mom went to work after my brother and I had graduated from high school.
In terms of the mystery, I've read enough of these older police procedurals to have had an inkling of what had likely happened, although I didn't quite figure it out. There isn't a lot to them- it takes me about 90 minutes to read one from beginning to end. I'll keep my eye out for them at my library/UBS, and would consider buying more if they went back on sale, but overall, they are in the "take it or leave it" subcategory of mystery fiction.
This books fits well into my Century of Women Authors, though, fulfilling year 1983
This is the third book in the series I've read at this point. I read the 6th book, Dead on Arrival, first, and then I bought the second and third books because they must have been on sale, as I got them both for under $3.00 each, and the price has now increased to $6.50, which is more than I'm willing to spend. I read the second book, Six Feet Under, at the end of December, and then read this one yesterday. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the series at this point.
The books are set in Kent, England, in the fictional town of Sturrenden (interestingly, Thanet is the name of a district in Kent). Inspector Thanet is a bit cerebral, and is more-or-less happily married to Joan, with two children. His marriage takes up quite a lot of screen time, as he is grappling with Joan going back to work now that the kids are a bit older, and he doesn't like not having his meals served hot and ready at his beck and call when he gets home.
Puppet for a Corpse was originally published in 1983, although it has a bit more regressive of a feel than the eighties - when I looked up the publication date I was surprised that it wasn't the early seventies, given the interactions between Luke and Joan. I graduated from high school in 1984, and there was never any expectation between myself and any man I have ever been involved in that I would be his domestic servant. On the other hand, I suppose Luke and Joan are closer to the ages of my parents than they are to my age, and Thanet's attitude was pretty much the same as my dad's attitude was when my mom went to work after my brother and I had graduated from high school.
In terms of the mystery, I've read enough of these older police procedurals to have had an inkling of what had likely happened, although I didn't quite figure it out. There isn't a lot to them- it takes me about 90 minutes to read one from beginning to end. I'll keep my eye out for them at my library/UBS, and would consider buying more if they went back on sale, but overall, they are in the "take it or leave it" subcategory of mystery fiction.
This books fits well into my Century of Women Authors, though, fulfilling year 1983
March 25, 2021
Interesting mystery...
August 7, 2016
Dr Arnold Pettifer is a respected local GP. When he is found dead one morning of an overdose everyone around him is very surprised as he is definitely not someone anyone would have expected to take his own life.
His beloved second wife is pregnant with their first child, he has just booked an expensive cruise for both of them and everything in his life seems to be going well. DI Luke Thanet is dubious about the death even though the circumstances indicate it is suicide. No one else was in the house and he doesn't seem to have been suffering from any illness.
Gradually more and more evidence is uncovered and much of it points to one or two suspects though Thanet still keep digging. I found this a well written and interesting mystery. I didn't work out what was going on but how the mystery is unravelled is very clever. The clues are there for the careful read to interpret.
I like Thanet and his family and I also like Mike Lineham - his sergeant - with his demanding mother. This is the third book in this excellent series if you want to read them in order though the books can be read in any order.
His beloved second wife is pregnant with their first child, he has just booked an expensive cruise for both of them and everything in his life seems to be going well. DI Luke Thanet is dubious about the death even though the circumstances indicate it is suicide. No one else was in the house and he doesn't seem to have been suffering from any illness.
Gradually more and more evidence is uncovered and much of it points to one or two suspects though Thanet still keep digging. I found this a well written and interesting mystery. I didn't work out what was going on but how the mystery is unravelled is very clever. The clues are there for the careful read to interpret.
I like Thanet and his family and I also like Mike Lineham - his sergeant - with his demanding mother. This is the third book in this excellent series if you want to read them in order though the books can be read in any order.
March 25, 2021
A a cozy mystery. Entertaining , but less so as I realized the methodology half way through. And the MCPish behavior of the male characters put me off.
Looking at how the people behaved I thought it was written in the 40s and was surprised to see the publishing date as 1982.
Looking at how the people behaved I thought it was written in the 40s and was surprised to see the publishing date as 1982.
June 10, 2013
I happened on Dorothy Simpson's books by accident a while back and have quite enjoyed every one that I have read. I like her characters, especially Thanet and his family, and I like that the crimes are not overly gory or spectacular. He has a dogged but human way of solving a case, patiently taking it step by step, so that I often arrive at the answer a little ahead of him and am happy to watch him catch up. This one was brilliantly crafted and I might not have got the answer but for the title of the book. Best of all, it was a nice quick little read when I wanted to cleanse my mental palate for another heavier book.
September 2, 2018
I liked this book mainly for the plot-was it suicide or murder? It had me "flummoxed" until the end! Luke Thanet is a fantastic police detective and a rarity-a wonderful family man. Looking forward to the next book in the series!
March 4, 2022
Rounding up to 4.
The best, so far, of the British Detective Series featuring Inspector Luke Thanet and Mike Lineham.
Just what happened to the good Dr Pettifer?
Was is suicide? Murder?
This mystery goes back and forth so much, it’s like whiplash and the end was still a surprise.
(Reminder this was written in the 1980’s…no cell phones, no texting and Thanet is a male chauvinist.)
The best, so far, of the British Detective Series featuring Inspector Luke Thanet and Mike Lineham.
Just what happened to the good Dr Pettifer?
Was is suicide? Murder?
This mystery goes back and forth so much, it’s like whiplash and the end was still a surprise.
(Reminder this was written in the 1980’s…no cell phones, no texting and Thanet is a male chauvinist.)
February 16, 2017
After discovering No Laughing Matter at a used book sale I looked for other books in this series. Ms. Simpson's writing is precise and her characters are likeable. I know these works are police procedurals but they read like cozies...no violence or gratuitous sex.
January 30, 2018
Three and a half stars.
Slow to get going but got much better later on. This is definitely one of those books which is not possible to review properly without spoiling the plot. A good police procedural with an interesting twist at the end.
Slow to get going but got much better later on. This is definitely one of those books which is not possible to review properly without spoiling the plot. A good police procedural with an interesting twist at the end.
May 5, 2022
When I'm not reading books, or writing about them, my day job involves making visits to construction sites across the UK. And my shoulders invariably sag down towards my stomach if I hear that my employer has a new site in Kent.
Partly this is because I know that the journey there from the Midlands, which will necessitate the use of the M25 and either the M2 or M20 motorways, will be horrendous. But mostly it's because the site will invariably be in, or on the outskirts of one of the larger towns, which I'll hate.
Apologies to anyone that lives in one of these places, but it's nothing personal. Ashford. Chatham. Tonbridge. They're all ghastly. Dover and Gravesend were pretty much blitzed during the Second World War and I can't help but wish that they'd been left that way. Maidstone is a prison and on the one and only occasion that I had to drive to Margate, I arrived to find that it looked about as tired as I felt.
I will concede that if you get away from the motorways and large towns, some of the more rural villages and surrounding countryside are beautiful. But I fear that my experiences will mean that the county of Kent as a whole is forever tarnished. Which is a problem if I happen to read any of the novels by Dorothy Simpson that feature Detective Inspector Luke Thanet.
Most of these books were admittedly written in the 1980s, when the scale of industrialisation was probably considerably smaller than it is today. But they read more like novels from the 1950s. Kent is portrayed as consisting entirely of picturesque villages that radiate outwards from the fictional town of Sturrenden. The local police will spend the morning carrying out leisurely interviews of the victims and suspects of crime - many of whom seem to live in fairly grand houses - before breaking for lunch in a cosy thatched pub. It's a pleasant image to have in your mind, for sure. But it's not one that I can hope to reconcile with my own knowledge of the place.
Then there are the storylines. In 'Puppet For A Corpse' Thanet and his sergeant, Mike Lineham appear to be two of the most underworked police officers in the world. So much so that when a local doctor appears to have committed suicide, they have plenty of time on their hands to treat it as a possible murder without any reasonable cause for suspicion. In the real world, there's just no way that they'd be allowed to do this. Even if it were possible for such an investigation to be carried out by only two people.
And yet ... perhaps because I read this book whilst away for a long weekend in the caravan, and was therefore in a fairly relaxed sort of mood, I very much enjoyed it.
After all, why shouldn't a crime novel be a gently-paced whodunnit, instead of something frantic that features a crazed serial killer? Why shouldn't the officer in charge be a happily married and much-loved family man, and not a divorcee with a traumatic childhood and a sex or alcohol addiction? And I couldn't actually see anything wrong with the book ending on the unravelling of a clever plot - improbable, yes, but still clever - and not a cliffhanger moment that I had to hold my breath for.
It's this, for me, that's what 'Puppet For A Corpse' - and in my experience, just about all of the other books in the series - are really about. As a police procedural novel, it misses the mark by a mile. But as a cosy crime book that you just want to read to relax, it does the job just fine. My advice is: pay no attention to your head as it tries to point out the considerable number of flaws. Listen to your heart instead, and just enjoy the read.
Partly this is because I know that the journey there from the Midlands, which will necessitate the use of the M25 and either the M2 or M20 motorways, will be horrendous. But mostly it's because the site will invariably be in, or on the outskirts of one of the larger towns, which I'll hate.
Apologies to anyone that lives in one of these places, but it's nothing personal. Ashford. Chatham. Tonbridge. They're all ghastly. Dover and Gravesend were pretty much blitzed during the Second World War and I can't help but wish that they'd been left that way. Maidstone is a prison and on the one and only occasion that I had to drive to Margate, I arrived to find that it looked about as tired as I felt.
I will concede that if you get away from the motorways and large towns, some of the more rural villages and surrounding countryside are beautiful. But I fear that my experiences will mean that the county of Kent as a whole is forever tarnished. Which is a problem if I happen to read any of the novels by Dorothy Simpson that feature Detective Inspector Luke Thanet.
Most of these books were admittedly written in the 1980s, when the scale of industrialisation was probably considerably smaller than it is today. But they read more like novels from the 1950s. Kent is portrayed as consisting entirely of picturesque villages that radiate outwards from the fictional town of Sturrenden. The local police will spend the morning carrying out leisurely interviews of the victims and suspects of crime - many of whom seem to live in fairly grand houses - before breaking for lunch in a cosy thatched pub. It's a pleasant image to have in your mind, for sure. But it's not one that I can hope to reconcile with my own knowledge of the place.
Then there are the storylines. In 'Puppet For A Corpse' Thanet and his sergeant, Mike Lineham appear to be two of the most underworked police officers in the world. So much so that when a local doctor appears to have committed suicide, they have plenty of time on their hands to treat it as a possible murder without any reasonable cause for suspicion. In the real world, there's just no way that they'd be allowed to do this. Even if it were possible for such an investigation to be carried out by only two people.
And yet ... perhaps because I read this book whilst away for a long weekend in the caravan, and was therefore in a fairly relaxed sort of mood, I very much enjoyed it.
After all, why shouldn't a crime novel be a gently-paced whodunnit, instead of something frantic that features a crazed serial killer? Why shouldn't the officer in charge be a happily married and much-loved family man, and not a divorcee with a traumatic childhood and a sex or alcohol addiction? And I couldn't actually see anything wrong with the book ending on the unravelling of a clever plot - improbable, yes, but still clever - and not a cliffhanger moment that I had to hold my breath for.
It's this, for me, that's what 'Puppet For A Corpse' - and in my experience, just about all of the other books in the series - are really about. As a police procedural novel, it misses the mark by a mile. But as a cosy crime book that you just want to read to relax, it does the job just fine. My advice is: pay no attention to your head as it tries to point out the considerable number of flaws. Listen to your heart instead, and just enjoy the read.
May 1, 2023
Like I mentioned before, I am reading these Dorothy Simpson mysteries after a 30-40 year gap from my first reading of them.
This one I remembered more specifically because the victim was such an unlikeable person that it aided the plot so perfectly.
Nice tight writing that moves along, enchanting setting in the Kent Countryside. Complete and utter escapism with a cup of tea and a biscuit!
The paperback set I found has cover artwork by Jack Unruh. The books all have finely detailed covers with just the right amount of color, all have copious detail to the story and are whimsically lovely (despite the unfortunate corpse, discreetly depicted).
It is my thinking if I had found obtained these with the covers depicted on GoodReads I would not be re-visiting them. Books are judged by their covers, at least to some extent. And I was astounded that the covers I have made me remember the coziness of reading as well as details of the book. Nice touch!
This one I remembered more specifically because the victim was such an unlikeable person that it aided the plot so perfectly.
Nice tight writing that moves along, enchanting setting in the Kent Countryside. Complete and utter escapism with a cup of tea and a biscuit!
The paperback set I found has cover artwork by Jack Unruh. The books all have finely detailed covers with just the right amount of color, all have copious detail to the story and are whimsically lovely (despite the unfortunate corpse, discreetly depicted).
It is my thinking if I had found obtained these with the covers depicted on GoodReads I would not be re-visiting them. Books are judged by their covers, at least to some extent. And I was astounded that the covers I have made me remember the coziness of reading as well as details of the book. Nice touch!
October 2, 2024
When a respected doctor is found dead in his bed, everything points towards suicide - there is even a suicide note. And so Inspector Thanet expects to clear this case fast. But then odd details start to emerge. How come the dead man had spelled his son's name incorrectly in the suicide note? Why did he buy tickets for a cruise just hours before taking the overdose? Why explains his unusual cheerfulness that day?
Could it have been murder, after all? Inspector Thanet has to investigate the man's professional past, his first and second marriage, and especially his shifting attitude towards parenthood.
Could it have been murder, after all? Inspector Thanet has to investigate the man's professional past, his first and second marriage, and especially his shifting attitude towards parenthood.
March 25, 2022
Set in the county of Kent, the fictitious town of Sturrenden is the home and workplace of Detective Inspector Thanet. The story opens with him being called to the home of Doctor Pettifer a local GP. The Doctor is dead in bed in an apparent suicide and all the fingers point to his young second wife the actress Gemma Shade. There unfolds a lot of relationship issues with his family and at his health centre practice. A lot of time and resources go into unravelling the mystery.
First published in 1983, the book has quite an old fashioned feel to the writing style and the characters are more 1950s than 1980s. Nevertheless, this is a good story and worth spending time reading. 3stars from me.
First published in 1983, the book has quite an old fashioned feel to the writing style and the characters are more 1950s than 1980s. Nevertheless, this is a good story and worth spending time reading. 3stars from me.
April 3, 2018
Did the good doctor really commit suicide even though it appears he had everything to live for or did someone murder him? That is the question which Thanet and Lineham must answer. The journey to the answer was an intensely intriguing ride.
...I knew something was wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it. I felt...as if someone was pulling the strings and there I was, dancing against my will. Like a puppet." Joan grimaced. A puppet for a corpse. What a macabre notion."
...I knew something was wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it. I felt...as if someone was pulling the strings and there I was, dancing against my will. Like a puppet." Joan grimaced. A puppet for a corpse. What a macabre notion."
May 5, 2019
Slow, decorative prose, too descriptive and full of possible solutions, with each new clue slowly ruminated upon.
June 26, 2022
This one seemed a little contrived, a little too pat, but since I like Dorothy Simpson’s Luke Thanet and his cohort Mike, I didn’t mind. She tells a good story, maybe not as well as Ruth Rendell does, when she writes about Inspector Wexford, but still fun to read. A comfortable series that I’ve read more than once!
December 1, 2024
This was 5 stars until the end. I didn’t like the solution to the mystery. It was too convoluted. Trigger warnings for outdated ideas about suicide, mental health, and marriage.
February 27, 2017
This is the third in Inspector Luke Thanet’s police procedural series. Inspector Thanet has a very dogged approach to solving crime. He methodically goes through the clues, the suspects and witnesses, the alibis and the motives until he comes up his final theory of the crime. In this case, a local country doctor has committed suicide, or has he? His young beautiful wife, an actress and celebrity in her own right doesn’t believe it is suicide. His son and housekeeper don’t believe it either. It is up to Inspector Thanet to sort through the clues and uncover the truth. At the same time, he is dealing with issues in his home life with his wife Joan and his family in a subplot that allow the reader to see a very human side of the Inspector.
A relatively short, clean (as far as language, no gore, no graphic violence or sex) police procedural that is well written with an engaging Inspector as the main protagonist. I haven’t read others in the series, I just picked this up at a library sale on impulse. If I come across other books by Dorothy Simpson, I would give another one I try.
A relatively short, clean (as far as language, no gore, no graphic violence or sex) police procedural that is well written with an engaging Inspector as the main protagonist. I haven’t read others in the series, I just picked this up at a library sale on impulse. If I come across other books by Dorothy Simpson, I would give another one I try.
June 27, 2017
Puppet for a Corpse is the third book in The Inspector Thanet series. DI Luke Thanet and his right-hand man DS Mike Lineham are called in on what appears to be a simple suicide. As the investigation proceeds it becomes increasingly difficult to say for certain whether it was or wasn't suicide. While there is no absolute proof that it wasn't there are persistent questions that simply will not go away.
The books in this outstanding series by Dorothy Simpson are ostensibly police procedurals. They follow Thanet and Lineham through the stages of an investigation. They are also very smart, introspective pieces that examine deeper meanings and nuanced motives in an interesting and compelling way. Often there will be an overarching theme that touches, at least lightly, on everyone in the story.
One of the things I really enjoy about these stories - the ones I have read to date - is that Thanet doesn't have all the answers. Yes, he has great instincts that serve him well but he does follow leads down the wrong road on occasion. It gives a chance to really get into the thought processes of how he gets from point A to point B.
There is no foul language, excessive violence or graphic sex. I would highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a good mystery but has a more sensitive nature (not a criticism) and prefers a "cleaner" kind of story. They put me in mind of some of the higher quality BBC mystery series (television).
***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title
The books in this outstanding series by Dorothy Simpson are ostensibly police procedurals. They follow Thanet and Lineham through the stages of an investigation. They are also very smart, introspective pieces that examine deeper meanings and nuanced motives in an interesting and compelling way. Often there will be an overarching theme that touches, at least lightly, on everyone in the story.
One of the things I really enjoy about these stories - the ones I have read to date - is that Thanet doesn't have all the answers. Yes, he has great instincts that serve him well but he does follow leads down the wrong road on occasion. It gives a chance to really get into the thought processes of how he gets from point A to point B.
There is no foul language, excessive violence or graphic sex. I would highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a good mystery but has a more sensitive nature (not a criticism) and prefers a "cleaner" kind of story. They put me in mind of some of the higher quality BBC mystery series (television).
***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title
September 13, 2016
As always I find Titles In Dorothy Simpson's Inspector Luke Thanet's British police procedural series to be first-rate. So sad that illness forced her to stop writing altogether. A mystery reader's loss but of course wish her continued improved health.
March 30, 2011
Somewhat tedious.
July 12, 2017
I just binge read 5 of Dorothy Simpsons Detective Thanet series. The first being "Six Feet Under". This the 4th of the series.
My review will be the same for all 5 that I read. I don't like to recap what happened in the book. We can all read the blurb on the jacket, or online versions. I find it much more important to tell you, the potential reader, what I liked and why or what I disliked and why.
What i liked:
Detective Thanet is a fully realized character. We find out that he hates the first contact with a corpse. There is a mixture of anger and empathy. He often wonders if this makes him ineffective detective. We get a chance to see his family life. His wife and two children. We see the struggles and joys of a normal family. Adds a distinct layer to his character.
Their are only 2 other recurring characters, Doc Mallard, the curmudgeonly coroner, and DS Lineham, Thanets partner who has two strong women in his life, his mother and his wife. they aren't as fully realized as characters but we gather enough information to relate to them.
The tedious work of interviewing and writing reports is frequently related. Since this is a vital aspect of police work we are given an incite to the working life of the police.
The interaction between characters works well. Suspects getting annoyed with the interruptions to their lives. Family members being interviewed shortly after the murder. The difficult job the police have in doing their investigation.
Dorothy Simpson makes the whole process seem real.
What I don"t particularly appreciate. One caveat is that reading all 5 books in a row these "problems" are amplified.
There is a formula that is followed in each book. The finding of the body. the early interviews, the lack of forensic evidence, secondary interviews, the insights that lead to the murderer. Connections to evidence is lacking.
As I stated this becomes more apparent when reading one after the other.
I would like to thank the Publisher, NetGalley, and the author for my copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
My review will be the same for all 5 that I read. I don't like to recap what happened in the book. We can all read the blurb on the jacket, or online versions. I find it much more important to tell you, the potential reader, what I liked and why or what I disliked and why.
What i liked:
Detective Thanet is a fully realized character. We find out that he hates the first contact with a corpse. There is a mixture of anger and empathy. He often wonders if this makes him ineffective detective. We get a chance to see his family life. His wife and two children. We see the struggles and joys of a normal family. Adds a distinct layer to his character.
Their are only 2 other recurring characters, Doc Mallard, the curmudgeonly coroner, and DS Lineham, Thanets partner who has two strong women in his life, his mother and his wife. they aren't as fully realized as characters but we gather enough information to relate to them.
The tedious work of interviewing and writing reports is frequently related. Since this is a vital aspect of police work we are given an incite to the working life of the police.
The interaction between characters works well. Suspects getting annoyed with the interruptions to their lives. Family members being interviewed shortly after the murder. The difficult job the police have in doing their investigation.
Dorothy Simpson makes the whole process seem real.
What I don"t particularly appreciate. One caveat is that reading all 5 books in a row these "problems" are amplified.
There is a formula that is followed in each book. The finding of the body. the early interviews, the lack of forensic evidence, secondary interviews, the insights that lead to the murderer. Connections to evidence is lacking.
As I stated this becomes more apparent when reading one after the other.
I would like to thank the Publisher, NetGalley, and the author for my copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
June 23, 2017
4 and 1 / 2 stars
When DI Luke Thanet responds to a suicide of a wealthy physician named Arnold Pettifer he is beset by doubts. The Doctor’s pregnant wife, a famous stage actress, seems a little unstable and the Doctor’s son hates her. And she has secrets.
As he digs further into the case, it seems as though the Doctor did not commit suicide after all. The wife is suspicious as is her behavior. Everyone Thanet and his partner DS Mike Lineham say that Dr. Pettifer did not drink nor would he overdose on pills. Some very observant PC’s report to Thanet and Lineham that they saw a strange car in the driveway about midnight, and so on. Dr. Pettifer had just purchased some long distance cruise tickets and was very happy the day he supposedly killed himself.
The denouement will surprise you, but it all makes sense.
This is a painstaking step-by-step police procedural. It is very well written and plotted and is very entertaining. It grabs the reader from page one and holds on until the denouement of the book. I like reading about DI Thanet and DS Lineham very much. I like the way DI Thanet interjects a little psychology along with his intuition and logic into his cases. It is a very enjoyable way to spend a little time away from “real life.�
I want to thank Netgalley and Open Road Integrated Media for forwarding to me a copy of this most entertaining novel.
When DI Luke Thanet responds to a suicide of a wealthy physician named Arnold Pettifer he is beset by doubts. The Doctor’s pregnant wife, a famous stage actress, seems a little unstable and the Doctor’s son hates her. And she has secrets.
As he digs further into the case, it seems as though the Doctor did not commit suicide after all. The wife is suspicious as is her behavior. Everyone Thanet and his partner DS Mike Lineham say that Dr. Pettifer did not drink nor would he overdose on pills. Some very observant PC’s report to Thanet and Lineham that they saw a strange car in the driveway about midnight, and so on. Dr. Pettifer had just purchased some long distance cruise tickets and was very happy the day he supposedly killed himself.
The denouement will surprise you, but it all makes sense.
This is a painstaking step-by-step police procedural. It is very well written and plotted and is very entertaining. It grabs the reader from page one and holds on until the denouement of the book. I like reading about DI Thanet and DS Lineham very much. I like the way DI Thanet interjects a little psychology along with his intuition and logic into his cases. It is a very enjoyable way to spend a little time away from “real life.�
I want to thank Netgalley and Open Road Integrated Media for forwarding to me a copy of this most entertaining novel.
November 19, 2023
I enjoy this series more and more, possibly a lot of it is because it's not dragging on and on to fill pages. Like the other ones, this book is short and "sweet" (in parentheses, because death is not sweet). I had not even thought about trying to figure out the mystery when Thanet claimed he solved it. As soon as I started to think about it, it's really not that hard to figure out. The author didn't even try to trick you. The only think I did not enjoy is the ending with the Thanet family. It seems to be unnecessarily long.
Unlike mystery stories today, things moved a lot slower back in the early 80's. No cell phones, people were not as easily or quickly reachable. No DNA. Nothing was stored electronically. It took a lot of meticulous work to follow something up, you couldn't just whip your cell phone, send some information to someone, and they miraculously got the results back to you in the nick of time (or not, depending on the plot). While I enjoy today's CSI type mysteries, this old-fashioned detective stories have own charms, which are often more intriguing to me.
One last note - it is interesting how dependent Thanet has become of Lineham. Not long ago, he seemed to disdain Lineham. And yes, Lineham is still my favorite guy - his little questioning of Thanet's behavior, as usual, gets Thanet where he needs to be.
Unlike mystery stories today, things moved a lot slower back in the early 80's. No cell phones, people were not as easily or quickly reachable. No DNA. Nothing was stored electronically. It took a lot of meticulous work to follow something up, you couldn't just whip your cell phone, send some information to someone, and they miraculously got the results back to you in the nick of time (or not, depending on the plot). While I enjoy today's CSI type mysteries, this old-fashioned detective stories have own charms, which are often more intriguing to me.
One last note - it is interesting how dependent Thanet has become of Lineham. Not long ago, he seemed to disdain Lineham. And yes, Lineham is still my favorite guy - his little questioning of Thanet's behavior, as usual, gets Thanet where he needs to be.
January 5, 2025
🍷
A fine murder mystery. Dorothy Simpson wrote police procedurals, as this outing fits right into that genre; she does include a fair bit of the personal lives of the policemen involved (Inspector Luke Thanet and family, Sergeant Mike Lineham) but in a very understated and quiet way - in fact, there’s really no bombast in these books and were I to use one word to describe the atmosphere of Simpson’s little world it would be ���phlegmatic.� This is no knock at all, I’ve really enjoyed those I’ve read, and look forward to the next.
Here, Thanet and Lineham are called out to look at an apparent suicide; and so it would seem to be, but something keeps niggling at Thanet’s mind, it’s all too stage-set perfect, and somehow he feels there’s something more to the incident. There’s lots of plot developments, and a steady flow of new information informs the police view of things…but…somehow it’s so hard to see how it could be more than suicide…yet Thanet believes there’s more to it all. We too are right along with him, and the denouement is just right - there’s more, just not the more one expected. So well presented and very enjoyable to read!
A fine murder mystery. Dorothy Simpson wrote police procedurals, as this outing fits right into that genre; she does include a fair bit of the personal lives of the policemen involved (Inspector Luke Thanet and family, Sergeant Mike Lineham) but in a very understated and quiet way - in fact, there’s really no bombast in these books and were I to use one word to describe the atmosphere of Simpson’s little world it would be ���phlegmatic.� This is no knock at all, I’ve really enjoyed those I’ve read, and look forward to the next.
Here, Thanet and Lineham are called out to look at an apparent suicide; and so it would seem to be, but something keeps niggling at Thanet’s mind, it’s all too stage-set perfect, and somehow he feels there’s something more to the incident. There’s lots of plot developments, and a steady flow of new information informs the police view of things…but…somehow it’s so hard to see how it could be more than suicide…yet Thanet believes there’s more to it all. We too are right along with him, and the denouement is just right - there’s more, just not the more one expected. So well presented and very enjoyable to read!
August 7, 2020
Dr. Arnold Pettifer is as dead as any fictional character can be dead. It looks like he committed suicide. He even left a note. But his death makes no sense. The guy had everything to live for. He had a sparkling actress wife not quite half his age, and she is most decidedly pregnant. The doctor had an adopted son from a previous marriage, so this would be his first biological child. Why would a guy who seems to have it all be so intent on suicide? Something seems off to Luke Thanet, and with the help of a fellow policeman, Sgt. Lineham, he determines to investigate the suicide a bit more.
This was an ok book, but I figured much of it out way too early. Still, I enjoyed watching Thanet go through his personal growing pains in terms of his relationship with his wife. Her new-found independence is a bit hard for him to deal with. It’s an interesting snapshot into the times when Simpson wrote the book.
This was an ok book, but I figured much of it out way too early. Still, I enjoyed watching Thanet go through his personal growing pains in terms of his relationship with his wife. Her new-found independence is a bit hard for him to deal with. It’s an interesting snapshot into the times when Simpson wrote the book.
October 30, 2022
A great mental exercise...
The author has created fabulous characters to play through her very interesting plot of secrets and revelations in this murder mystery. Is it murder or suicide? The police weren't sure for the longest time which it was. The evidence could have fallen on either side. The pregnant wife seemed to be guilty and constantly adding more evidence against herself every time she opened her mouth. She kept saying it couldn't be suicide. But did she realize she was the primary suspect if it was murder? Fast paced and all neatly tied up at the end. Recommended.
The author has created fabulous characters to play through her very interesting plot of secrets and revelations in this murder mystery. Is it murder or suicide? The police weren't sure for the longest time which it was. The evidence could have fallen on either side. The pregnant wife seemed to be guilty and constantly adding more evidence against herself every time she opened her mouth. She kept saying it couldn't be suicide. But did she realize she was the primary suspect if it was murder? Fast paced and all neatly tied up at the end. Recommended.
July 6, 2018
2.5 stars. This one is my least favorite so far in the Thanet series - Inspector Thanet, at the end, talks for pages and pages with his wife on what really happened with the case. Having to explain for that many pages makes for a clunky mystery. During this ten page explanation, Joan actually uses the title of the book in exclamation of the mystery. *cringe*
For all that explanation, I still had questions about .
For all that explanation, I still had questions about .
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