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Inspector Thanet #8
Suspicious Death
A compelling British police procedural starring the mild-mannered Detective Inspector Thanet from “a modern-day version of Agatha Christie” (Booklist).
Change is coming to the Sturrenden police station. After twenty years at the helm, the superintendent has retired, and Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is now reporting to a brusque, ambitious upstart recently promoted from Cardiff. A new chief means turf wars and bureaucratic infighting. With the station in chaos, Thanet is almost happy to investigate a suspicious death.
The political side of detective work is what keeps Thanet from seeking promotion. He would rather be risking his neck in the field, and he’s one of the best at his job. When powerful businesswoman Marcia Salden is found dead in the River Sture and the autopsy suggests foul play, Thanet descends on the village of Telford Green, where a tangled web of conspiracy rewarded Marcia’s ambition with murder.
The award-winning Detective Inspector Thanet series about one of the best-loved English policemen is perfect for fans of P. D. James and Midsomer Murders.
Suspicious Death is the 8th book in the Inspector Thanet Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Change is coming to the Sturrenden police station. After twenty years at the helm, the superintendent has retired, and Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is now reporting to a brusque, ambitious upstart recently promoted from Cardiff. A new chief means turf wars and bureaucratic infighting. With the station in chaos, Thanet is almost happy to investigate a suspicious death.
The political side of detective work is what keeps Thanet from seeking promotion. He would rather be risking his neck in the field, and he’s one of the best at his job. When powerful businesswoman Marcia Salden is found dead in the River Sture and the autopsy suggests foul play, Thanet descends on the village of Telford Green, where a tangled web of conspiracy rewarded Marcia’s ambition with murder.
The award-winning Detective Inspector Thanet series about one of the best-loved English policemen is perfect for fans of P. D. James and Midsomer Murders.
Suspicious Death is the 8th book in the Inspector Thanet Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
169 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Simpson
37 books118 followersDorothy 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 46 reviews
September 2, 2020
The more I read in the Inspector Thanet series the more I like them. It's a gentle sort of police procedural and I like how Luke Thanet and his sergeant Mike Lineham balance their careers and family life. This village murder was well plotted with a lot of suspects that had no love for the victim, Marcia Salden. I had part of it figured out but not completely.
August 12, 2013
This is such a good series, with characters I have quite grown attached to and well-crafted mysteries. This installment dealt with a woman whom everyone in town had a reason to kill who may or may not have met with foul-play. A good look at psychology and why people do what they do, not just the killer but the victim, the potential killers, Inspector Thanet's daughter, Lineham's wife, pretty much everyone. Like Thanet, I thought I had arrived at the answer of whodunit and whydunit, but I got the who wrong and I was partly misguided as to the why (Thanet got the who right, though -- he always does in the end!).
December 21, 2018
This is the 8th adventure of Detective Inspector Luke Thanet and Sgt. Mike Lineham in Kent, England. Our two heroes are dedicated coppers, tackling one crime at a time, interviewing suspects and then pooling their knowledge to solve the case. Both are married with children and there's usually a "family crisis" for one or both of them, juggled in the background while the two go about sleuthing. Simpson's books are classic British "cozys", with decent character development and usually a fairly intriguing mystery.
The book opens with what is becoming a recurring theme in this series - Sgt. Lineham duly pointing this out to Thanet and the reader - yet another suspicious death of a woman in town, which could be the result of an accident, suicide or murder. The victim, who grew up in the area and then moved on, had recently returned as a married and very successful businesswoman - and buying the biggest house in town. As our two heroes investigate, it soon becomes apparent that the ambitious and high-powered victim had stepped on more than a few local toes since her return - supplying more than a few suspects - if in fact she was murdered.
True to form there is a very well developed cast of secondary characters, whom Thanet and Lineham interview and weigh as suspects. Unfortunately the "mystery" in Suspicious Death is weak - particularly with the discovery of all the relevant clues, "uncovered" late in the book, which provides the then cookie-cutter, convenient and obvious solution.
There is a very formulaic feel to this book - clue, red herring; clue, red herring - that both our protagonists verbalize, literally saying out loud several times, "This is where in a mystery detective novel ....." And there is also an extremely intrusive Thanet neighbor - one of the "domestic/family crises" - that is so blatantly out of place, the reader quickly understands this has more than a little something to do with the case.
Suspicious Death has an interesting set of characters contained in a somewhat engaging small-town tale, which unfortunately never gains traction as a mystery.
The book opens with what is becoming a recurring theme in this series - Sgt. Lineham duly pointing this out to Thanet and the reader - yet another suspicious death of a woman in town, which could be the result of an accident, suicide or murder. The victim, who grew up in the area and then moved on, had recently returned as a married and very successful businesswoman - and buying the biggest house in town. As our two heroes investigate, it soon becomes apparent that the ambitious and high-powered victim had stepped on more than a few local toes since her return - supplying more than a few suspects - if in fact she was murdered.
True to form there is a very well developed cast of secondary characters, whom Thanet and Lineham interview and weigh as suspects. Unfortunately the "mystery" in Suspicious Death is weak - particularly with the discovery of all the relevant clues, "uncovered" late in the book, which provides the then cookie-cutter, convenient and obvious solution.
There is a very formulaic feel to this book - clue, red herring; clue, red herring - that both our protagonists verbalize, literally saying out loud several times, "This is where in a mystery detective novel ....." And there is also an extremely intrusive Thanet neighbor - one of the "domestic/family crises" - that is so blatantly out of place, the reader quickly understands this has more than a little something to do with the case.
Suspicious Death has an interesting set of characters contained in a somewhat engaging small-town tale, which unfortunately never gains traction as a mystery.
September 23, 2025
Suspicious Death (Inspector Thanet #8) by Dorothy Simpson
GR blurb -
Change is coming to the Sturrenden police station. After twenty years at the helm, the superintendent has retired, and Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is now reporting to a brusque, ambitious upstart recently promoted from Cardiff. A new chief means turf wars and bureaucratic infighting. With the station in chaos, Thanet is almost happy to investigate a suspicious death.
The political side of detective work is what keeps Thanet from seeking promotion. He would rather be risking his neck in the field, and he’s one of the best at his job. When powerful businesswoman Marcia Salden is found dead in the River Sture and the autopsy suggests foul play, Thanet descends on the village of Telford Green, where a tangled web of conspiracy rewarded Marcia’s ambition with murder.
My thoughts -
This series has turned into a sure bet for me when I want something that I know will please my reading appetite. In this one (series #8), it's not a stretch for several of the characters with a motive to seek to harm wealthy businesswoman and landowner Marcia Salden to be in the vicinity of the scene of the crime at about the same time she was passing by. Each had a plausible explanation for why they were in that area at that time of evening. Will interviewing these persons of interest reveal anything to help solve the case? None of these suspects provide DI Thanet or DS Lineham with any joy in furtherance of their investigation. However, in addition to his dogged determination, DI Thanet has an uncanny 6th sense that eventually provides an inquiry lead that puts them in a good direction. Totally satisfying mystery and police procedural. Four stars with no reservations.
GR blurb -
Change is coming to the Sturrenden police station. After twenty years at the helm, the superintendent has retired, and Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is now reporting to a brusque, ambitious upstart recently promoted from Cardiff. A new chief means turf wars and bureaucratic infighting. With the station in chaos, Thanet is almost happy to investigate a suspicious death.
The political side of detective work is what keeps Thanet from seeking promotion. He would rather be risking his neck in the field, and he’s one of the best at his job. When powerful businesswoman Marcia Salden is found dead in the River Sture and the autopsy suggests foul play, Thanet descends on the village of Telford Green, where a tangled web of conspiracy rewarded Marcia’s ambition with murder.
My thoughts -
This series has turned into a sure bet for me when I want something that I know will please my reading appetite. In this one (series #8), it's not a stretch for several of the characters with a motive to seek to harm wealthy businesswoman and landowner Marcia Salden to be in the vicinity of the scene of the crime at about the same time she was passing by. Each had a plausible explanation for why they were in that area at that time of evening. Will interviewing these persons of interest reveal anything to help solve the case? None of these suspects provide DI Thanet or DS Lineham with any joy in furtherance of their investigation. However, in addition to his dogged determination, DI Thanet has an uncanny 6th sense that eventually provides an inquiry lead that puts them in a good direction. Totally satisfying mystery and police procedural. Four stars with no reservations.
August 16, 2016
A woman's body is pulled out of a river one morning following an ill assorted dinner party and her mother's death. Marcia Salden seems to have gone out of her way to make herself unpopular with everyone. She has upset villagers by buying a plot of land which the village had been promised for a new village hall; arranged the eviction of a harmless man living rough in her woods and got the better of various other people in financial transactions.
DI Luke Thanet and DS Mike Lineham have their work cut out to eliminate suspects all of whom appear to have taken it into their heads to wander about the village at the relevant time. In addition they both have family problems of their own to try and resolve.
There is a nice balance in this mystery between the private lives of the detectives and the mystery itself. I thought it was very well plotted and the reader's suspicion constantly moves from one suspect to another throughout the story. For quite a while it looks as though the murderer will remain undetected but eventually the case is solved. The book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone novel.
DI Luke Thanet and DS Mike Lineham have their work cut out to eliminate suspects all of whom appear to have taken it into their heads to wander about the village at the relevant time. In addition they both have family problems of their own to try and resolve.
There is a nice balance in this mystery between the private lives of the detectives and the mystery itself. I thought it was very well plotted and the reader's suspicion constantly moves from one suspect to another throughout the story. For quite a while it looks as though the murderer will remain undetected but eventually the case is solved. The book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone novel.
January 1, 2020
In this Luke Thanet mystery, Detective Inspector Thanet and Detective Sergeant Lineham are in charge of investigating a suspicious death – a woman’s body found in the river near a small village. The dead woman —a successful business owner -- has returned to her hometown, and she and her husband now own the Manor House. Was her death an accident, suicide, or most likely --- murder? The two detectives puzzle through to the solution. Interesting characters, descriptions of village life, and the lovely and idyllic countryside.
December 21, 2023
A good old fashioned police proceedural that finds Inspector Luke Thanet and Sergeant Mike Lineham painstakingly interviewing and seeking information on the suspicious death of Marcia Salden, whose body has been dragged from the river. I do enjoy Dorothy Simpson's descriptive prose as she sets the scene of this rural who-dun-it.
An enjoyable read. 4 stars.
An enjoyable read. 4 stars.
October 12, 2018
A well-written cozy. #8 in the series
May 10, 2018
Woman not well liked in the village "falls" into the river at night and drowned. Murder or not?
April 14, 2018
These are nice little mysteries set in the 80's. The main inspector is a happily married man with two imperfect children. He spends long hours at work & therefore chooses to tell his wife about his cases so she feels part of it all. His partner is rather stiff & has a stiffer mother, then wife. They work well together & are very organized. There's no gratuitous violence, no sex, no cussing & that's a good thing. The author doesn't waste words or our time, she gets on with it. I like that each night the inspector goes home to his family, that they share their lives & struggles with the reader. It's what kept me reading all of them up to the final four. The final four had a serious price increase over the first 14 or so, why I don't know. I've sadly resolved not to read those as a result.
February 9, 2021
An entertaining read it's the traditional mystery. A person dies, everyone has a reason to want them either dead or at least gone. All the intrigues must be uncovered and there are twists. In this case I guessed the solution very early on but I wasn't sure. The story did not rely on sexist or racist stereotypes.
One think about uk mysteries is they waste too many chapters on family dramas and toxic work environments. The family drama in this one at least intersected with the mystery to some degree and was relatively readable. Toxic work environments and bullying bosses is what most of us have to put up with in real life and I really could have done with less of the unreasonable Superintendent Draco. I could bear him more if something really awful were to happen to him. Thanet is very emotionally intelligent but the reader is seething.
But given that every possible solution of a mystery has already been done (pretty much) this one included enough twists and red herrings to keep me reading. If more of these cross my path I'll probably read them.
One think about uk mysteries is they waste too many chapters on family dramas and toxic work environments. The family drama in this one at least intersected with the mystery to some degree and was relatively readable. Toxic work environments and bullying bosses is what most of us have to put up with in real life and I really could have done with less of the unreasonable Superintendent Draco. I could bear him more if something really awful were to happen to him. Thanet is very emotionally intelligent but the reader is seething.
But given that every possible solution of a mystery has already been done (pretty much) this one included enough twists and red herrings to keep me reading. If more of these cross my path I'll probably read them.
December 28, 2023
As usual, some of the mysteries aren't too difficult to solve, so the book creates an interesting challenge. Three points on this, though: 1) To confirm their suspicions, they started to make inquiries. They told us who they asked, but not what was asked, let alone the answers. From Thanet and Lineham's conversation, you could sort of deduce who they suspected. 2) Thanet was somewhat mistaken again, maybe. 3) I know this was supposed to happen decades ago, but I found it hard to believe how it just fell through the crack, like how is it possible that nobody knew?
The childhood friendship doesn't make sense, mainly because of Reg Hammer. Why would they be friends with him? Why would Reg and Henry be best friends?
The Harry Greenleaf story was a bit too predictable, I think. Either way, he's probably the only character I sympathized with. Some of the other characters are just horrible. Any of the other ones could be the killer, for all I care.
The childhood friendship doesn't make sense, mainly because of Reg Hammer. Why would they be friends with him? Why would Reg and Henry be best friends?
The Harry Greenleaf story was a bit too predictable, I think. Either way, he's probably the only character I sympathized with. Some of the other characters are just horrible. Any of the other ones could be the killer, for all I care.
March 2, 2025
I’m not sure I like the way that her book covers suggest a “cosy crime” i.e. the death has already occurred before we get to know the victim and if I’d come across this book before I’d heard of Dorothy Simpson I might have put it back, which would have been a mistake. Dorothy Simpson manages to create a fascinating whodunnit for DI Thanet and the less inspired DS Lineham which distracts them from their ongoing domestic woes. Once I had discovered the annotated map of the village I was hooked and this helped in tracking the alternative scenarios presented as a possible solution to a terrible accident… or murder.
I’m reading the series in order of publication and enjoy the domestic developments as much as anything and am especially pleased that Thanet has a combative new boss named Goronwy (which was my father’s name) and the first time I’ve encountered a fictional character who would answer to the name of Gron. My dad was “Grant” to us for a while after an American misheard his name in a pub in Llandeilo. Good to see Dorothy referencing her Welsh roots.
I’m reading the series in order of publication and enjoy the domestic developments as much as anything and am especially pleased that Thanet has a combative new boss named Goronwy (which was my father’s name) and the first time I’ve encountered a fictional character who would answer to the name of Gron. My dad was “Grant” to us for a while after an American misheard his name in a pub in Llandeilo. Good to see Dorothy referencing her Welsh roots.
November 3, 2019
The death is suspicious, but for most of the book we're not even sure it's a murder! And there is a town full of suspects. This is a light series that gives us a glimpse into small town England. It's a little dated, but the writing is so good that you barely notice. I enjoyed the new characters, and the changing workplace dynamics that Thanet has to endure. I also enjoy peeking into his family life (and that of Lineham).
This isn't one of the stronger books in the series, but it's solid. Simpson influenced a lot of modern British mystery writers, and I like to look for that influence in some of her books.
This isn't one of the stronger books in the series, but it's solid. Simpson influenced a lot of modern British mystery writers, and I like to look for that influence in some of her books.
October 10, 2022
Not a bad book, just not great. Almost too many suspects. Then the blending of the family issues of the two policemen just distracted from the investigation. When I picked this book, it was recommended on a reading group I am in, I thought it was a straight up crime novel. Did not learn until 1/3 of the way in that it is described as a Cosy. I am not big of the Cosy genre, not enough grit. Very vanilla flavored. Okay but I will not continue with this series.
August 21, 2018
Not much to say about this one, other than I liked it about as much as I've liked the others in the series. I enjoy the characters for the most, and the introduction of a new superintendent looks like it could add interest. I'm already starting the next in the series, looking forward to seeing how thing change for the CID department.
November 29, 2018
The usual blend of personal back stories and solving a murder case. I like the characters and writing, sometimes find the books a bit cookie-cutter due to the 'formula' used, and the fact that many times the murder is solved long before the book ends and a lot seems superfluous - despite the somewhat negative sound of this, I want to read them all!
May 24, 2020
I loved this one, the touch on post-partum depression is interesting and a unique way to tie in a big issue for women. I also enjoy learning about Thanet and Lineham’s personal lives and problems in addition to hearing about the cases. everything flows together nicely into a great story, and this one especially drew me in.
April 26, 2024
The perpetrator was not identified until almost the last page. The victim had so many people who did not like her, and she did some terrible things. I feel like she got what she deserved. However, she wrecked the life of the murderer, and so many other people, a quick death was almost not justice enough.
September 11, 2024
Unpretentious but entertaining. The lady of the manor falls, or is pushed, off a broken bridge on a dark night. It seems, not only that many people were roaming around the village at that time, but also that many people might have had a motive to want to get rid of Marcia. Successful but ruthless - exactly the type of woman who gets herself murdered in English village mysteries.
February 15, 2019
This is the first I have read of this series. It is a traditional cozy set in a small village (map in the front) but this is not a 1920s' setting; it is updated. The detective's daughter is stressed over exams and all the women work, although one woman does faint.
June 28, 2019
Dorothy Simpson Inspector Thanet detective books are always a good read! Good plots, likable characters and just good detective work. Compared to other author's books her book are relatively short, less than 300 pages.
February 26, 2021
I always enjoy the little "Murder Most British" books by Dorothy Simpson. I read them as my fill in books while waiting for my library selections. A very smart DI and his sergeant. What I like best is that there is always some twist coming at the end.
August 31, 2023
Another winner from Dorothy Simpson
Simpson has created another cleverly plotted mystery with several surprises along the way. Her characters are well developed, and the recurring ones continue to grow appropriately. I thoroughly enjoy this series and highly recommend it.
Simpson has created another cleverly plotted mystery with several surprises along the way. Her characters are well developed, and the recurring ones continue to grow appropriately. I thoroughly enjoy this series and highly recommend it.
November 9, 2017
One of the best of the Inspector series.
December 29, 2017
First of this series I've read. I liked it and will read others.
January 14, 2019
Always a good, fast read.
May 21, 2019
Love all the Inspector Thanet novels...
June 19, 2019
excellent murder mystery, great characters
July 24, 2019
GOOD BOOK
This book had a good storyline that kept me interested until the end. The characters were very interesting and diverse.
This book had a good storyline that kept me interested until the end. The characters were very interesting and diverse.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews