Dead and Gone - Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Dead and Gone by Dorothy Simpson

Rating: Liked It
Source: Purchased

Description:  During a small and uncomfortable dinner party, Virginia Mintar, wife of a prominent lawyer, disappears, and is found hours later in the garden well of her estate. Inspector Luke Thanet and his partner, Sergeant Mike Lineham, quickly discern that Virginia's scandalous behavior had earned her the rage of family, friends, and lovers. Who had been finally driven to kill her?

Genre: Mystery - Police Procedural

Why I Picked This Book:  I feel like I have read Dorothy Simpson in the past and enjoyed her books plus the premise intrigued me.

My Impression:  This book was published in the '90s so I refuse to call it a classic BUT it has all the feels of a good classic mystery.  There's relatively no blood, the plot is fairly stream lined and to the point, and the detectives are likable but not in the slightest bit quirky.  The Mintar family has been plagued with tragedy.  First their oldest daughter elopes with an unsuitable man and after several years not only have they not heard from her but they are unable to trace her.  Then the wife goes missing during a dinner party only to be found in the well the next day  

DI Thanet and his trusty sergeant are on the case and not only are they smart and capable but they are also extremely nice ordinary men.  Their personal lives do come a bit - especially Thanet's as we see his wife and scenes at home while they wait for news of their daughter who is going through a difficult first pregnancy.  These are not the kind of detective from many procedurals where the detective is so dysfunctional I sometimes wonder how they've managed to hold any kind of job or basically get through the day.  Thanet is an ordinary nice guy who I can easily imagine being friends with.  He even thinks to buy his wife a Christmas present during the investigation!

The mystery is an interesting one with lots of possibilities and I really wasn't sure who the killer was or why until the very end.  Like many classic style mysteries it was a touch dry but not so dry that it was boring.  I do wish the conclusion had been laid out a little different as there are a few events that happen right at the end so it was hard to focus solely on the reveal.  Simpson is an author that I'm looking forward to reading more from and I especially looking forward to seeing more of her police team.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  This is a series I'm hoping to start from the beginning and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of these characters.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy a straight forward classic style mystery then I think this would be a book you'd enjoy!