Dead on Arrival — Dorothy Simpson

A British detective must find the killer of a much-despised villager in this mystery from “a modern-day version of Agatha Christie” (Booklist).

Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is brought in when a dead man is found in bed, apparently killed by a single blow with a blunt object. When the corpse is identified as Steven Long, the question is no longer who wanted to kill him, but who didn't? A troublemaker with enemies wherever he went, Long was loathed by everyone in town, from his long-suffering ex-wife to the man whose family he killed in a driving accident. To find the culprit, Thanet will have to get to the bottom of a lifetime of hate.

 The long-running series featuring Detective Inspector Thanet, which includes The Night She Died and CWA Silver Dagger winner Last Seen Alive, is perfect for fans of P. D. James and classic police procedurals. Dead on Arrival is “an intriguing tale not to be missed” (Yorkshire Post).
 
Dead on Arrival is the 6th book in the Inspector Thanet Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.