Dorothy Simpson began writing her Inspector Thanet series in the 1980s; she published fifteen titles in all. Those who enjoy Ruth Rendell’s Wexford novels may, I think, want to read all of the entries in Ms. Simpson’s series as well.

Inspector Thanet is a good man. In the stories he solves murders, is involved in the lives of those who work for him, and is a good husband and father. The characters grow over time, for example, Mike who works for Thanet advances in his career and relationships over the course of the series.

In this entry, a doctor has seemingly committed suicide. What happened? Read this one to find out and then see if you want to read others in the series.

The books show their age a bit but nonetheless, I think that readers may enjoy them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I had not read any of the Detective Inspector Luke Thanet series before and I read these all at once. In the introduction to the first one, Ms Simpson explains that she spent her professional career as a marriage counselor and that she found some inspiration for her plots in the psychological insights she gained as a therapist. That admission coloured my reading of the books, as did my familiarity with the early run of Midsommer Murders, a long-running UK TV series.

Luke Thanet and Tom Barnaby share a smarminess about their home lives and marriages that I find repulsive. In the case of Luke Thanet, I read Ms Simpson's efforts to teach responsive marriage techniques and her idea of how a married man should act. She even drags DI Thanet's assistant, Mike Lineman, his controlling mother and his suffering wife into it. Yuck.

The mysteries are OK but nothing special.

I don't need this series.

I received review copies of "Close Her Eyes", "Puppet for a Corpse", and "Six Feet Under" by Dorothy Simpson (Open Road Integrated Media) through NetGalley.com.

Very reminscent of an Agatha Christie novel, this books takes the idea of an apparent suicide and questions some oddities at the scene, turning what appears to be simple into a complex mystery, that vexes all the officers involved. Add in contrary memories from his close associates and family, and you almost have a closed room mystery! This one was fun and a real page turner, as the reader attempts to figure out if it was, or wasn't, a suicide too! I think was my fav of the 3 here today!

I just binge read 5 of Dorothy Simpsons Detective Thanet series. The first being "Six Feet Under". This the 2nd 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.

I’m enjoying a Dorothy Simpson Read-athon, with this being the third in the Luke Thanet mystery series. Again, Simpson plots a careful story, told against a setting in the drowsy summer English country-side.

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.

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.

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!

This was an ok story with an unexpected ending. It was not very original. Overall I was not happy with this book