This image is the cover for the book No Laughing Matter, The Inspector Thanet Mysteries

No Laughing Matter, The Inspector Thanet Mysteries

A country vineyard is tainted by murder in this “absorbing” English police procedural starring Detective Inspector Thanet (Publishers Weekly).

Sturrenden Vineyard is a few miles west of town, a lovely piece of land where tourists come to sip wine, tour the grounds, and enjoy the exquisite Kentish scenery. But Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is too busy for such frivolous activities, so his first visit comes with the introduction of a an attraction far more in keeping with his usual interests: murder.

Vineyard owner Zak Randish has been found dead in his personal laboratory, where he’d been working late into the night to perfect the next vintage. His equipment is smashed and his blood stains every surface, mingling with the wine. Although outwardly happy, successful, and at peace, Randish had terrible secrets, and Thanet must uncover them soon, lest the vineyard’s tidy rows of grapes run red with blood as red as Sturrenden wine.

Perfect for fans of P. D. James or Midsomer Murders, No Laughing Matter is another sterling entry in Dorothy Simpson’s long-running, award-winning mystery series.

No Laughing Matter is the 12th book in the Inspector Thanet Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Dorothy Simpson

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.”
 

Open Road Integrated Media