No Laughing Matter (Inspector Thanet) [Paperback]

Dorothy Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 1994 | Series: Inspector Thanet

The 12th crime novel featuring the Kent policemen, Inspector Thanet and Sergeant Lineham. This time they are investigating the murder of a ruthless, promiscuous local vineyard owner. This novel won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

". . .Unlike the living, the dead have no means of safeguarding their secrets," thinks detective inspector Luke Thanet in his 12th case, while viewing the corpse of vintner Zak Randish. The victim's jugular vein was severed when he was shoved through a window of his winery's laboratory, the scene of considerable violence. Thanet bypasses such mundane stuff as physical evidence (he has only one suspect's shoes checked for broken glass and we never learn the result), preferring instead to dig deeply into the dead man's unsavory past. Uncovering wife-beating and crass womanizing for starters, Thanet finds an ugly secret under each overturned stone, exposing the last secret, a real shocker, that leads to a stunning outcome. Adding dimension to the picture are leisurely looks at Thanet's daughter Bridget's unhappy romance, peripheral characters' battles with anorexia, dyslexia, leukemia and post-partum depression and the difficulties of British winemakers, struggling along without "any of the grants the French and Germans get." Simpson ( Wake the Dead ) has written an absorbing tale, but much of the action takes place offstage. Mystery Guild selection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The ever-popular Simpson brings back likable Brit police inspector Luke Thanet for a twelfth appearance in this story about the gruesome murder of a local winemaker. Ambitious vintner Zak Randish abused his pathetically adoring wife, played around with the local ladies, cheated his fellow businessmen, and squashed anyone who got in his way. It's no wonder he was disliked by almost everyone who knew him; in fact, lots of folks had reason to wish him dead. When Randish is found carved to pieces after falling through a window at his vineyard, it's up to Thanet to sort through the dozens of suspects and find the surprising and sordid story behind the brutal murder. Once again, Simpson turns out her usual high-caliber tale and gives the reader more to ponder than a simple mystery. Her shrewd understanding of what makes humans tick results in a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. A main selection of the Mystery Guild. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: Futura; First Thus edition (June 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751501530
• ISBN-13: 978-0751501537
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder is not Funny, November 19, 2009

By 

Nash Black "Troubadour" (Jamestown, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: No Laughing Matter (Inspector Thanet) (Paperback)

NO LAUGHING MATTER by award winning, English writer Dorothy Simpson draws readers into the life of Inspector Luke Thanet.
Vineyards is the setting of this complex "who-done-it" when Insp. Thanet and his sergeant, Mike Lineham are summoned to the savaged laboratory of Zak Randish, a master wine-maker whose personal relations with family and co-workers is anything, but exemplary. Randish married his wife for status and her acres, but never stopped his explorations of any woman who came into his orbit.
The number of suspects increases with each personal they encounter.
In true Simpson fashions the twists and turns of the plot keeps the reader guessing until the final pages.
Nash Black, author of Indie finalists, WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.