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Inspector Thanet #4
Close Her Eyes
Inspector Thanet is on the case of Charity Pritchard, a young girl who has been missing for some time now. But his concern deepens when her family, religious fundamentalists, leaves the matter in God's hands. Thanet doesn't pay much heed to first impressions, but it will be a good while after he finds Charity's poor broken body before he realizes just how wrong his preconceptions can be...
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
204 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Simpson
38 books119 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 71 reviews
June 24, 2017
The fourth book in the series and I'm still very much enjoying them. In this entry, Thanet gets a distraught man claiming his daughter is missing. Soon after her body is found and ensues another investigation for Thanet and his partner, Mike Lineman. I really like the dynamics between the two men, they have a great partnership. In between the investigation, you also get a glimpse of home life with both men. This novel was just a tad more graphic than the others, especially one scene that was quite horrific. But I'm still loving these books and looking forward to reading the rest of them.
**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 1, 2020
This book was first published in 1984 and it makes for uncomfortable reading now. It is an investigation into the murder of a 15 year old girl, one of a long-running series featuring Luke Thanet. I am certain that I must have read it years ago as I have read most of Dorothy Simpson's books at one time or another. What really disturbed me is the attitude taken in describing the girl who was the murder victim. She is variously alluded to a nymphomaniac, a slut, and someone who led men on for power. This is a 15 year old child!
I would like to think that times have changed and we now have a better understanding of the whole concept of 'victim-blaming' but looking at recent events in Rotherham and elsewhere in the UK, I doubt it.
I would like to think that times have changed and we now have a better understanding of the whole concept of 'victim-blaming' but looking at recent events in Rotherham and elsewhere in the UK, I doubt it.
August 12, 2019
3.5 Stars Dorothy Simpson writes well constructed mysteries, following somewhat of a formula, but Inspector Luke Thanet is such an empathetic detective, loving husband and devoted family man, that I really enjoy this series.
September 9, 2023
A very interesting read
July 12, 2017
I just binge read 5 of Dorothy Simpsons Detective Thanet series. The first being "Six Feet Under". This the 5th 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.
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.
October 21, 2009
3.4 stars
A definite page turner of a mystery. I had suspicions early on of who the murderer was but wasn't completely convinced until the end. About three-quarters of the way through the novel, I began to wonder if the suspects were breeding in the walls like cockroaches - they kept scurrying out as more light shown on the facts.
The victim began the investigation "presumed innocent" but as the tale unfolds in all its sordid details, you begin to wonder just how "guilty" she might be.
A definite page turner of a mystery. I had suspicions early on of who the murderer was but wasn't completely convinced until the end. About three-quarters of the way through the novel, I began to wonder if the suspects were breeding in the walls like cockroaches - they kept scurrying out as more light shown on the facts.
The victim began the investigation "presumed innocent" but as the tale unfolds in all its sordid details, you begin to wonder just how "guilty" she might be.
August 31, 2022
My favorite of the inspector Thanet mysteries so far. Literally could not put it down. I loved how Simpson subtly explored family dynamics in this one, contrasting types of marriage relationships.
December 12, 2018
I am an avid reader of mystery series, and I am not one of those readers who strives to figure out the puzzle. I let it unfold, preferring to read for character, not plot. I have read volumes and volumes of classic mysteries and could probably count on two hands the number of instances when I identified the killer early on (unless the author wanted me to do just that).
This was the exception--something about this crime seemed very obvious to me and, as I read the book, I thought I must have read this before--it just seemed like I knew "the case." I checked my goodreads list and I had not read this book, but it just felt like it was not new to me. Somehow, that diminished my enjoyment of the book.
Additionally, I am striving to bond with Inspector Thanet. He is an admirable man, with a diligent side-kick, but I can't find the will to keep reading his stories. I don't feel his allure: he is too much "everyman." He is everything you want a policeman to be: hard-working; dedicated; kind; unflinching and steadfast. Etc. etc. But, I am missing the spark to draw me in to the series.
This was the exception--something about this crime seemed very obvious to me and, as I read the book, I thought I must have read this before--it just seemed like I knew "the case." I checked my goodreads list and I had not read this book, but it just felt like it was not new to me. Somehow, that diminished my enjoyment of the book.
Additionally, I am striving to bond with Inspector Thanet. He is an admirable man, with a diligent side-kick, but I can't find the will to keep reading his stories. I don't feel his allure: he is too much "everyman." He is everything you want a policeman to be: hard-working; dedicated; kind; unflinching and steadfast. Etc. etc. But, I am missing the spark to draw me in to the series.
March 29, 2022
These books were originally published in the 1980’s and are now showing their age. Detective Luke Thanet investigates the death of a young girl. SVU’s Olivia Benson would have been all over this like a cheap suit re: victim blaming!
See through plot, too.
I was enjoying these books a lot up until this point.
See through plot, too.
I was enjoying these books a lot up until this point.
September 26, 2009
I used to like mysteries. Time was I would read them late into the night, unwilling to wait. Now, I can take them or leave them. Close Her Eyes fits my new attitude. Competently done, I suppose, but not distinguishing.
"Murder Most British" the series is called, and it certainly delivers.
"Murder Most British" the series is called, and it certainly delivers.
April 28, 2022
This is a good, straightforward old-fashioned police procedural set in a fictitious Kentish town of Sturrendon, featuring Detective Inspector Thanet and Detective Sergeant Lineham. A 15 year old girl, Charity Pritchard is reported missing and shortly afterwards is found dead in an alleyway. This leads the team on a trail of illegal sexual activity with a minor, religious fanaticism and a controlling father.
This book has to be read in the context of its time and not judged by today's standards. The reader would likely be surprised by the police who appeared to allow some very inappropriate behaviour to go unchallenged. We would surely ask why a man with a sexual assault of a minor charge is allowed to become a primary school caretaker or a male teacher in similar circumstances be allowed to remain at an all-girls school. Times have changed.
If the reader is prepared to read this book in that context, as I did, then this is a good three star read.
This book has to be read in the context of its time and not judged by today's standards. The reader would likely be surprised by the police who appeared to allow some very inappropriate behaviour to go unchallenged. We would surely ask why a man with a sexual assault of a minor charge is allowed to become a primary school caretaker or a male teacher in similar circumstances be allowed to remain at an all-girls school. Times have changed.
If the reader is prepared to read this book in that context, as I did, then this is a good three star read.
January 10, 2026
What a sad dark start to this story - the murder of a 15-year old girl.
{Thanet, Lineham and the father are taking the route that the child Charity would have taken on her way home hoping to meet her along the way, going in different directions to meet at the footpath} And all the while there was growing in him a sick certainty of what he was going to find, the apprehension that this time he would have no opportunity privately to prepare himself for the one moment in his work as a detective that he dreaded more than any other, his first sight of a corpse. He had never fully managed to analyse that split second of unbearable poignancy, compounded as it was of regret, compassion, sorrow, anger, despair and a sense of having brushed, however briefly, against the mystery of life itself and he had never talked about it, even to Joan from whom he had no other secrets...If Charity was dead...if he were to find her...His stomach clenched and praying that she had chosen to go the long way around and was even now safely in the company of Lineham and her father, he softly opened yet another door, played his torch over the mounds of junk, his fearful imagination at once transforming a broken mop into a battered head, a discarded rubber glove into a severed hand...after only a few steps his foot made contact with something that went skittering away across the path and hit the opposite wall...it was a hairbrush...slowly, carefully he advanced, the certainty of what he was going to find churning his stomach. And yes, there she was...This he was sure was Charity. He looked at the rounded, still childish contours of brow and cheek and closed his eyes as the familiar pain swept through him.
Wow! I simply cannot like the dead teenager. She was a conniving, deceitful piece of work! Granted, her parents were unyieldingly judgmental and rigid, and her home life would suck the life out of anyone. However, she was not a nice girl AT ALL! Even Thanet did not like her - ...there was no doubt about it, his feelings towards the girl had undergone a considerable change since the moment he had first stumbled upon that pathetic figure huddled in the alley. Then, he had seen her as innocence destroyed, now he felt that despite her tender years she had herself been a destroyer, totally lacking in compassion, loyalty or finer moral feeling. Still, her murderer must be caught and Thanet/Lineham set aside their emotions and plug along to solve it.
This description is comical and creates a striking visual - Mrs. Hodges was revealed as short and plump...her frizzy blonde hair haloed a round, pleasant face, a face which somehow lacked definition, like a jelly which has been poured into one mould and then, when it was almost set, transferred to a different one.
{Thanet, Lineham and the father are taking the route that the child Charity would have taken on her way home hoping to meet her along the way, going in different directions to meet at the footpath} And all the while there was growing in him a sick certainty of what he was going to find, the apprehension that this time he would have no opportunity privately to prepare himself for the one moment in his work as a detective that he dreaded more than any other, his first sight of a corpse. He had never fully managed to analyse that split second of unbearable poignancy, compounded as it was of regret, compassion, sorrow, anger, despair and a sense of having brushed, however briefly, against the mystery of life itself and he had never talked about it, even to Joan from whom he had no other secrets...If Charity was dead...if he were to find her...His stomach clenched and praying that she had chosen to go the long way around and was even now safely in the company of Lineham and her father, he softly opened yet another door, played his torch over the mounds of junk, his fearful imagination at once transforming a broken mop into a battered head, a discarded rubber glove into a severed hand...after only a few steps his foot made contact with something that went skittering away across the path and hit the opposite wall...it was a hairbrush...slowly, carefully he advanced, the certainty of what he was going to find churning his stomach. And yes, there she was...This he was sure was Charity. He looked at the rounded, still childish contours of brow and cheek and closed his eyes as the familiar pain swept through him.
Wow! I simply cannot like the dead teenager. She was a conniving, deceitful piece of work! Granted, her parents were unyieldingly judgmental and rigid, and her home life would suck the life out of anyone. However, she was not a nice girl AT ALL! Even Thanet did not like her - ...there was no doubt about it, his feelings towards the girl had undergone a considerable change since the moment he had first stumbled upon that pathetic figure huddled in the alley. Then, he had seen her as innocence destroyed, now he felt that despite her tender years she had herself been a destroyer, totally lacking in compassion, loyalty or finer moral feeling. Still, her murderer must be caught and Thanet/Lineham set aside their emotions and plug along to solve it.
This description is comical and creates a striking visual - Mrs. Hodges was revealed as short and plump...her frizzy blonde hair haloed a round, pleasant face, a face which somehow lacked definition, like a jelly which has been poured into one mould and then, when it was almost set, transferred to a different one.
December 6, 2018
Charity's father reports to the police that his 15-year-old daughter never arrived at the religious center where she was supposed to be spending a holiday weekend. Then she never arrives home - Charity was murdered in the last few minutes of her trip. In the neighborhood of her harsh fundamentalist home, one of her secrets proves to be her death. It was very understandable in Dorothy Simson's descriptions, how Charity came to be the person she was when she died.
Inspector Thanet's cerebral investigation comes to an apocalyptic finale - the ancient gods would be proud of it, not the God that Charity's father professes.
Read 2 times
Inspector Thanet's cerebral investigation comes to an apocalyptic finale - the ancient gods would be proud of it, not the God that Charity's father professes.
Read 2 times
April 4, 2024
It's a story about a girl who was psychologically abused and guantanamo-style tortured by her father. Then as a teenager she frequently lies and initiates several affaires with older men. So the author - through the mouth of inspector Thanet - wonders whether this teenage girl is perhaps "truly evil". Not her father, who tied her to the bed and didn't even let her go to the bathroom, not her uncle, who slept with her, nor any other member of her family, who should have helped her - no, the teenage girl is evil. Because she lies! She manipulates older men - gasp! What's more, she is supposedly a nimphomaniac and has no shame. Well, that clinches it, doesn't it? Truly evil.
April 12, 2017
This is the third book I've read by Dorothy Simpson and the first one I've disliked. I gave Six Feet Under and No Laughing Matter three and four stars, but this one was stodgy, slow and boring. I'll probably give her another chance...but not anytime soon!
March 20, 2018
The story line was predictable and boring.
What is disturbing is that sexual and physical child abuse was handled in such insensitive manner. Blaming the victim, a child, and making excuses for adult men who are the abuser.
What is disturbing is that sexual and physical child abuse was handled in such insensitive manner. Blaming the victim, a child, and making excuses for adult men who are the abuser.
June 25, 2017
4 and 1 / 2 stars
When the teenage daughter of a fundamentally religious couple goes missing, DI Thanet and DS Lineham are on the hunt for her killer.
The parents delay calling the police into the search for their daughter. They want the search for their daughter left up to God. Later, Charity’s body is found not far from her home.
Charity has had a very unhappy home life. It is no wonder she wanted to escape. She suffered a major trauma in childhood that scarred her for life. But she was an unlikeable person.
Following a painstaking investigation, Thanet hits upon the answer.
This book is very well written and plotted. This is perhaps the best of the series so far. I love the psychology of these novels. DI Thanet is a keen observer of human nature and has startlingly clear insights into people. These are easy to read novels with a laid back attitude. I also like the relationship Thanet has with his wife, Joan.
I want to thank Netgalley and Open Road Integrated Media for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.
When the teenage daughter of a fundamentally religious couple goes missing, DI Thanet and DS Lineham are on the hunt for her killer.
The parents delay calling the police into the search for their daughter. They want the search for their daughter left up to God. Later, Charity’s body is found not far from her home.
Charity has had a very unhappy home life. It is no wonder she wanted to escape. She suffered a major trauma in childhood that scarred her for life. But she was an unlikeable person.
Following a painstaking investigation, Thanet hits upon the answer.
This book is very well written and plotted. This is perhaps the best of the series so far. I love the psychology of these novels. DI Thanet is a keen observer of human nature and has startlingly clear insights into people. These are easy to read novels with a laid back attitude. I also like the relationship Thanet has with his wife, Joan.
I want to thank Netgalley and Open Road Integrated Media for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.
January 13, 2022
I've been enjoying these Inspector Thanet books and though they were written in the 80s, they didn't feel dated at all. Thanet is none too happy with his home life now that Joan is working and it's worse in this book because she's away for several weeks on a course.
The death of the young girl, Charity, gets more intriguing as each layer is uncovered. At first, I wasn't keen on this installment as I caught the words 'strict fundamentalist religious order' as the only other thing I detest as much in my fiction is the human trafficking element. Oh wait. I have one more bugbear - wedding preparations.
Thankfully, though, the author did not torture me with too much of the religious fervour or Bible-quoting mad men so I enjoyed this installment far more than I expected to. Suspects-wise, there were several possibilities given their connection to Charity but Ms Thanet is always able to make even an obvious resolution have just that little added layer of complexity.
Read
January 19, 2021Someone murdered 15-year-old Charity Prichard. The killer slammed a broken piece of gate latch through her right temple. Responding to a call about the missing girl, Luke Thanet finds her body in an ally.
Charity’s background is grim by every measure. Her parents belong to a religious group known as the Children of Jerusalem, and when Thanet calls on the father to get details about the missing girl, he finds a sparce minimalistic house almost entirely devoid of any luxuries. The sect instructs its members to live minimalistic lifestyles. Charity’s clothes are drab and pedestrian. She has only one friend, and even Veronica doesn’t like her much. As Thanet digs deeper into her life, he discovers things about drab little almost-pre-pubescent Charity that belies her strict upbringing and lifestyle, to say the least. I’ll leave it at that, except to say that I should have seen the ending of this in advance, and I didn’t; so, that’s a good thing.
Charity’s background is grim by every measure. Her parents belong to a religious group known as the Children of Jerusalem, and when Thanet calls on the father to get details about the missing girl, he finds a sparce minimalistic house almost entirely devoid of any luxuries. The sect instructs its members to live minimalistic lifestyles. Charity’s clothes are drab and pedestrian. She has only one friend, and even Veronica doesn’t like her much. As Thanet digs deeper into her life, he discovers things about drab little almost-pre-pubescent Charity that belies her strict upbringing and lifestyle, to say the least. I’ll leave it at that, except to say that I should have seen the ending of this in advance, and I didn’t; so, that’s a good thing.
March 30, 2025
A good entry in a good series; these are police procedurals and pretty good ones, but the family/personal parts of the police characters (Inspector Thanet and Sergeant Lineham) are less attractive, as none of it’s all that interesting and neither are the people. If you focus on the “mystery” you get a fine tale that’s worth a read.
Here a 15 year old girl goes missing, her family are religious fundamentalists and when Thanet and Lineham go to their home to interview them they find the atmosphere such that they’d not be surprised if she just ran away…then the body is found in an alley near her home. As they question friends, family and school authorities, they begin to see that Charity Pritchard was not the demure young figure she seemed to be. But who would be so unhappy with her that they’d resort to a brutal killing?
Here a 15 year old girl goes missing, her family are religious fundamentalists and when Thanet and Lineham go to their home to interview them they find the atmosphere such that they’d not be surprised if she just ran away…then the body is found in an alley near her home. As they question friends, family and school authorities, they begin to see that Charity Pritchard was not the demure young figure she seemed to be. But who would be so unhappy with her that they’d resort to a brutal killing?
March 31, 2018
One of the things I find most satisfying by this series is the way the author manages to weave a single, distinct thread through each one. Every book has a unique theme that not only impacts the crime and its solution, but also relates to Thanet and Lineham. Family, jealousy, parents, fidelity - each one contributes to the story as a whole as also it connects to the main characters. Each story moves forward a year or more in time so that we're seeing the characters age and only getting small glimpses of what has transpired between stories. My library only carries the first six stories so I guess I'll be scrambling to find the others because I don't want to stop reading about Inspector Thanet until there's nothing left to read.
November 24, 2023
This story is just...gross. It's well constructed and well-written, but it's just gross.
The victim became less and less likeable. Sure her father was part of the reason of how she was, but her behavior really didn't evoke any sympathy. Almost all of the rest of the characters are also pretty gross. Despite earlier glee at Charity's impending trouble, Mrs. Hodges is actually one of the few people who have some humanity left.
Thanet's and Lineham's life stories continue. Thanet's wife, Joan, has been away at college for 2 years, leaving Thanet desperately unhappy, thinking that Joan might have found someone new. Lineham's wife is very pregnant and is having complications, which makes Lineham pretty unhappy. Thanet's and Lineham's working relationship has also progressed, with them questioning people together instead of Thanet doing all the talking.
The victim became less and less likeable. Sure her father was part of the reason of how she was, but her behavior really didn't evoke any sympathy. Almost all of the rest of the characters are also pretty gross. Despite earlier glee at Charity's impending trouble, Mrs. Hodges is actually one of the few people who have some humanity left.
Thanet's and Lineham's life stories continue. Thanet's wife, Joan, has been away at college for 2 years, leaving Thanet desperately unhappy, thinking that Joan might have found someone new. Lineham's wife is very pregnant and is having complications, which makes Lineham pretty unhappy. Thanet's and Lineham's working relationship has also progressed, with them questioning people together instead of Thanet doing all the talking.
August 19, 2018
In today’s context, this book wouldn’t be considered politically correct - portraying a fifteen year old victim of abuse as evil. Nevertheless the plot is engaging though a bit tired and stereotypical. What I like is that the main characters Inspector Thanet and his deputy Lineham are normal people unlike many other protagonists who carry a chip on their shoulders.
Simpson’s down-to-earth style keeps one going through an otherwise humdrum tale.
Simpson’s down-to-earth style keeps one going through an otherwise humdrum tale.
August 27, 2021
This is a true police procedural set in an English village. Instead of action you have theories, interviews, research and note taking until the puzzle pieces fall into place. A young girl, missing from her controlling family in an ultra-conservative church sect, is found dead and Thanet tries to create a picture of the victim with little help from those who knew her. Well written but not exciting.
September 18, 2025
The story was somewhat lacking. I was disappointed in the relationship between the Inspector and his wife as the impression left was the wife was totally selfish, putting her desires for a 'fulfilling' career above the vows she made to be a wife and mother. The children suffered from her absence. The mystery was tainted with a disdain for religion. The murdered was a fanatic but not a Christian; just shreds of Christianity clinging to his twisted beliefs.
December 4, 2018
I was a little worried when I started this one because it was about a cult and, being a Christian, I thought there might be uncomfortable parallels drawn there. But Simpson made it clear that it wasn't Christian. And though it was a pretty flimsily developed group of characters, the conclusion was fitting. Definitely not Simpson's best work though.
August 3, 2019
Inspector Thanet is notified that a teenage girl has has gone missing. Shortly afterwards, he learns that she has stopped off at a friend's house and is on her way home, but she never arrives.
The missing girl's family is a member of the Children of Jerusalem, a fundamentalist sect, but investigation reveals she had another life her parents knew nothing about.
The missing girl's family is a member of the Children of Jerusalem, a fundamentalist sect, but investigation reveals she had another life her parents knew nothing about.
November 5, 2021
it totally worked for me
Still not sure I got the hang of star rating. This book is in no way exceptional (so, is it a five star book?) but it did the trick for me (so, yes, it is a five star book).
Engaging characters, clever plot and good pace - all key ingredients of a pleasurable read are clearly Dorothy Simpson’s fortes. I will look for other books by this author.
Still not sure I got the hang of star rating. This book is in no way exceptional (so, is it a five star book?) but it did the trick for me (so, yes, it is a five star book).
Engaging characters, clever plot and good pace - all key ingredients of a pleasurable read are clearly Dorothy Simpson’s fortes. I will look for other books by this author.
July 11, 2024
I know this is an old book but I am absolutely floored that the child of 14 or 15 who is murdered is painted in such a way.
The spoiler is here.
She has had sex with multiple adults yet they are not to blame. SHE is painted as the one who tempted . And the teacher who had sex with her was not held accountable at all. This is just unacceptable!
The spoiler is here.
She has had sex with multiple adults yet they are not to blame. SHE is painted as the one who tempted . And the teacher who had sex with her was not held accountable at all. This is just unacceptable!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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