Six Feet Under — Dorothy Simpson

An English village is shaken by murder in this police procedural from the “dependably pleasing” author of The Night She Died (The Boston Globe).

Det. Inspector Luke Thanet may be the only happy cop in England. He has two healthy children, a wonderful wife, and the inner peace that comes from knowing there's nothing on the job he can't handle. But all that changes the first day he goes to Nettleton, a little town with evil secrets -- and a body count on the rise.
 
The first victim is Carrie Birch, a quiet woman who lives with her elderly mother and has never made an enemy in her life. When she doesn't come home one night, her mother panics and calls the police. Inspector Thanet's partner, the brash young Mike Lineham, answers the call. He finds Carrie brutally murdered in a Nettleton bathroom, the first revelation in a series of shocks that will tear the little village wide open.
 
A classic British mystery, Six Feet Under is perfect for fans of Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, and the blockbuster television series Midsomer Murders.
 
Six Feet Under is the 2nd book in the Inspector Thanet Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.