Inspector Thanet books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Inspector Thanet series?"

"There are fifteen books in the Inspector Thanet series, published between 1980 and 1999."

Q: "What is the first book in the Inspector Thanet series?"

"The first book in the Inspector Thanet series is The Night She Died, published in 1980."

Q: "What is the Inspector Thanet series about?"

"Inspector Luke Thanet is a detective with the Kent police force, a thoughtful and empathetic investigator whose cases typically arise from the hidden tensions of English village and suburban life. The series runs from The Night She Died (1980) to Dead and Gone (1999), with each book centered on a different murder investigation. Thanet is notable as a series detective for his focus on domestic detail and his interest in why people behave as they do, qualities that give the books a psychological depth beyond standard procedural plotting. Last Seen Alive (1985) won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	The Night She Died	1980	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
2	Six Feet Under	1982	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
3	Puppet For A Corpse	1982	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
4	Close Her Eyes	1984	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
5	Last Seen Alive	1985	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
6	Dead on Arrival	1986	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
7	Element of Doubt	1987	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
8	Suspicious Death	1988	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
9	Dead By Morning	1989	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
10	Doomed To Die	1991	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
11	Wake the Dead	1992	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
12	No Laughing Matter	1993	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
13	Day for Dying	1995	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
14	Once Too Often	1998	Dorothy Simpson	Buy
15	Dead and Gone	1999	Dorothy Simpson	Buy

The Inspector Thanet series is Dorothy Simpson’s life work as a crime writer, fifteen novels published across the final two decades of the twentieth century and set in the fictional Kent town of Sturrenden. Thanet himself is a family man — married, with children, committed to his domestic life as well as his professional one — and this grounding shapes the tone of the investigations. He brings patience and genuine curiosity to his cases rather than the cold brilliance of the classic detective or the hard-edged cynicism of noir.

Simpson used the series to map the underside of English country and suburban life — the affairs, resentments, financial pressures, and long-held secrets that accumulate in communities where everyone knows everyone. The Night She Died (1980) established the template, and she refined it consistently through the middle books, with Last Seen Alive (1985), Element of Doubt (1987), Suspicious Death (1988), and Dead By Morning (1989) representing the peak years.

The series wound down in the 1990s, with Day for Dying (1995), Once Too Often (1998), and Dead and Gone (1999) completing the arc. Reading in publication order gives the fullest experience of Simpson’s development as a writer and Thanet’s growth as a character through his career.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Inspector Thanet series?

There are fifteen books in the Inspector Thanet series, published between 1980 and 1999.

What is the first book in the Inspector Thanet series?

The first book in the Inspector Thanet series is The Night She Died, published in 1980.

What is the Inspector Thanet series about?

Inspector Luke Thanet is a detective with the Kent police force, a thoughtful and empathetic investigator whose cases typically arise from the hidden tensions of English village and suburban life. The series runs from The Night She Died (1980) to Dead and Gone (1999), with each book centered on a different murder investigation. Thanet is notable as a series detective for his focus on domestic detail and his interest in why people behave as they do, qualities that give the books a psychological depth beyond standard procedural plotting. Last Seen Alive (1985) won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order