Wake the Dead: An Inspector Luke Thanet Novel

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. ( Nov. )