The Night She Died [Hardcover]

Dorothy Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1981

Inspector Thanet is called to investigate the death of a young housewife. His clues are a painting, a disc jockey, a mermaid, an estate agent, a recurring nightmare and an unsolved murder. Delving into the past he realizes he is hunting a murderer who has gone unpunished for twenty years.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Inspector Luke Thanet becomes involved in solving two murders he suspects are interrelated despite a lapse of twenty years. Bruce Montague uses his repertoire of voices for the myriad characters. Some "stock" voices are used, but for the main characters Montague uses unique vocal accents. Montague's reading pace could have been a bit faster, but basically, this interesting plot's well done. P.A.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 187 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (May 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684168693
• ISBN-13: 978-0684168692
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,471,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looking forward to more., September 16, 2002

By 

"bibliofiend" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Night She Died (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Police Procedural, March 10, 2004

By 

Louis M. Perdue (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Night She Died (Mass Market Paperback)

A friend gave me the first three books in the Inspector Thanet series as a birthday gift and I really enjoyed this first entry. It is a typical English police procedural with the added bonus of having some personal glimpses of the inspector and his family thown in. Some books tend to be too cut & dry with its police work but this one really has a nice balance between the professional and personal sides of the main character. The mystery is rather easy to figure out as there is one really big clue thrown in towards the beginning but that did not detract from my enjoyment. Looking forward to reading the second & third books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars British police procedural with "cosy" feel., December 29, 2000

By 

N. Quast (Dulles, Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Night She Died (Mass Market Paperback)

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.