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Rating: 
Summary: Tribulations of a Member of Parliament
Review: Inspector Luke Thanet and his wife Joan attend a fete at the estate of a Member of Parliament when the MP's mother turns up murdered. The woman had been in very bad health. The fete was good for Fairleigh's public image. Sergeant Lineham was Thanet's extra ears and eyes and he felt thwarted when Lineham was not present. Eventually, of course, he is brought into the picture. Thanet's wife Joan was a probation officer. She usually did not bring her work home, but at this stage she was concerned about Michele, someone who was a battered girl friend. Through the investigation, contacts made in the course of it, Thanet is able to suggest a job for her. The victim had a sister who lived with the Fairleighs. The victim's sister had hidden depths. She was a secret gambler. The victim was apt to be manipulative in order to get her way according to some of the persons interviewed by the police. Along the way Sergeant Lineham learns that his son is dyslexic. I do not want to disclose the ending, particularly because I liked some of the characters and did not like seeing them pained. The writing is elegant and good. Undoubtedly the series is well worth following.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and heartbreaking
Review: Marvelous. The local MP is hosting a sort of fair in the grounds of his house when he finds his elderly mother dead in her bed. I've always enjoyed Inspector Thanet, and this is an excellent example of the British "cozy" -- except that it does point out that, for all the noise about serial killers, sometimes the worst things happen right in the bosom of the family.
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