REVIEW: The Night She Died

The Night She Died
Author: Dorothy Simpson

The Night She Died is the first novel in the Inspector Thanet series. A pretty housewife is found murdered in her home....a knife sticking out of her chest. She was stabbed through her coat and clothes. Her husband, supposedly returning home soon after Julie Holmes was killed, found his wife's body on the floor. As Inspector Luke Thanet begins piecing together information from Julie's last few days, he finds that this case might just be more complex than it looks. Apparently Julie was a witness to another murder 20 years before. Could it be that the killer came back after two decades to stab the only witness to a long-cold murder case? Or is it someone in Julie Holmes' present day life that killed her?

I am impressed by this book. I love a great detective story, but this one stands out from the crowd. Mostly because the Inspector is talented at his job, but not portrayed as perfect. He makes mistakes, sometimes rushes to judgement, and can be overwhelmed by his emotions at times. He's human. The story not only shows him investigating the case, but also shows how his home life supports him and offers him a haven away from it all. He loves his wife and his kids....and they try to understand when he has to be away from them. Luke Thanet is portrayed as a well-rounded, human character which gives this story depth that some detective stories just don't have.

The mystery is well-written, with plenty of suspects, intriguing plot twists and an excellent ending. It is neither too simple nor too complex to be believable. The plot seems realistic, keeping my attention throughout. Both Inspector Thanet and his new sidekick, Sergeant Mike Lineham, are likable, professional, and skilled at their jobs. They are occasionally at odds with one another, but in the end work together perfectly to solve the case.

There are 15 books in the Inspector Thanet series. The series was originally published starting back in the early 1980s, but Open Road Integrated Media is releasing new ebook versions of the novels. Before being approved to read this first ebook release by Open Road, I was unfamiliar with this series. I'm so glad I read this first book! I will definitely be reading the rest of this series!

**I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book from Open Road Media via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**