Close Her Eyes (The Inspector Thanet Mysteries)

A mystery about a missing girl and a secretive church in a small English village from an author known for "character and psychological insight" (The Washington Post) .

On a blistering summer weekend, as all of England rushes to the seashore, Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is looking forward to a few days off to putter around his garden and forget the stresses of his job. A famously soft-hearted detective, Thanet takes every crime personally, and he's overdue for a break. But when a young girl goes missing, it's all hands on deck. Thanet will move heaven and earth to bring Charity Pritchard home alive. But do her parents even want her found?

Charity's family belongs to a strict fundamentalist religious order, and they insist that the investigation of her disappearance be left up to God. But when the holy approach fails tragically and Charity is found brutally murdered, Thanet and his partner, the impetuous young Mike Lineham, will tear the church apart to find her killer.

"A well-crafted [and] compelling mystery novel," Close Her Eyes is part of the acclaimed Inspector Thanet series, which includes CWA Silver Dagger winner Last Seen Alive (The Armchair Detective) .

Close Her Eyes is the 4th book in the Inspector Thanet Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Read more Continue reading Read less REVIEW
"Far more than just another detective story." - Publishing News

Praise for Dorothy Simpson
"Dorothy Simpson is dependably pleasing." - The Boston Globe

"Simpson's mysteries are beautifully crafted and turn on character and psychological insight." - The Washington Post

"A modern-day version of Agatha Christie [who] just keeps turning out solid, cleverly crafted mysteries. Like Christie, Simpson has an uncanny grasp of what makes people tick, but her stories are less in the British cozy mold and more of a combination police procedural and psychological suspense thriller." - BOOKLIST
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dorothy Simpson (b. 1933) was born and raised in South Wales, and went to Bristol University, where she studied modern languages before moving to Kent, the setting for her Inspector Thanet Mysteries. After spending several years at home with her three children, she trained as a marriage guidance counselor and subsequently worked as one for thirteen years before writing her first novel. Says Simpson, "You may think that marriage guidance counselor to crime writer is rather a peculiar career move, but although I didn't realize 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 counseling."
FROM LIBRARY JOURNAL
In this early entry in her series featuring Inspector Luke Thanet and his self-deprecating sidekick, Sergeant Lineham (e.g., A Day for Dying, LJ 5/1/96) , the author uses the tension between appearance and reality to underscore the sordid truths of dysfunctional family life. Fifteen-year-old Charity Pritchard apparently hasn't had much of a life. Her parents are strict religious fundamentalists who deny her simple teenage pleasures such as jeans or makeup. When Charity's body is found in a back alley, Thanet begins an investigation that brings to light the dark details of her unhappy, secret life, piece by tantalizing piece. This emotionally charged tale flounders when it strays from the murder investigation to explore, instead, the investigators' personal lives, but narrator Terrence Hardiman gives an intense reading that will have listeners holding their collective breath as the story reaches its horrifying climax. Strongly recommended for mystery and crime collections.-Sister M. Anna Falbo, Villa Maria Coll. Lib., Buffalo, N.Y.Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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