Wake the Dead: An Inspector Luke Thanet Mystery [Hardcover]

Dorothy Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1992

The shocking murder of the ailing, elderly mother of a British M.P. provokes a number of suppositions about the killer's motives--including the woman's imperious personality, the threat she might change her will, and possibly even revenge.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For every Ruth Rendell or P. D. James, Britain also can boast a lesser-known crime matron like Simpson, the extremely capable creator of the Inspector Luke Thanet series. In his 11th puzzle (after Doomed to Die ), Thanet's beat remains the town of Sturrenden, his milieu the upper middle classes, his sleuthing style understated and shrewdly intuitive--when he isn't beset by such family problems as his teenage daughter's posh new boyfriend. The inspector finds a diversion of sorts at a local fete hosted by the prominent Fairleigh family. But then death strikes: someone uses a pillow to suffocate the clan's tough old matriarch only days after she suffers a stroke. Suspects include the immediate family--a son in politics, a daughter-in-law mourning her baby's death, a timid sister--and the usual collection of odd servants beloved by British crime writers. Simpson offers only a handful of possible perpetrators and only a few murder options in a scenario limited to high teas, socializing and typically unruly British weather. Yet she works wonders within that narrow framework. Mystery Guild alternate.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons; 1st U.S. edition (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684195070
• ISBN-13: 978-0684195070
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,499,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and heartbreaking, August 3, 2001

By 

Annie (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wake the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)

Marvelous. The local MP is hosting a sort of fair in the grounds of his house when he finds his elderly mother dead in her bed.

I've always enjoyed Inspector Thanet, and this is an excellent example of the British "cozy" -- except that it does point out that, for all the noise about serial killers, sometimes the worst things happen right in the bosom of the family.

4.0 out of 5 stars Tribulations of a Member of Parliament, August 4, 2003

By 

Mary E. Sibley (Carneys Point, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wake the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)

Inspector Luke Thanet and his wife Joan attend a fete at the estate of a Member of Parliament when the MP's mother turns up murdered. The woman had been in very bad health. The fete was good for Fairleigh's public image. Sergeant Lineham was Thanet's extra ears and eyes and he felt thwarted when Lineham was not present. Eventually, of course, he is brought into the picture. Thanet's wife Joan was a probation officer. She usually did not bring her work home, but at this stage she was concerned about Michele, someone who was a battered girl friend. Through the investigation, contacts made in the course of it, Thanet is able to suggest a job for her.

The victim had a sister who lived with the Fairleighs. The victim's sister had hidden depths. She was a secret gambler. The victim was apt to be manipulative in order to get her way according to some of the persons interviewed by the police. Along the way Sergeant Lineham learns that his son is dyslexic. I do not want to disclose the ending, particularly because I liked some of the characters and did not like seeing them pained. The writing is elegant and good. Undoubtedly the series is well worth following.