Peter Lovesey

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Diamond And The Eye

DIAMOND AND THE EYE was published in the UK by Sphere on July 8, 2021
and in the US by Soho Press on October 12, 2021

THE SHEAR AMAZING SLEUTH

Of all the weird characters Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond has met in Bath, this one is the most extreme: a twenty-first century private eye called Johnny Getz, whose office is over Shear Amazing, a hairdressing salon. Johnny has been hired by Ruby Hubbard, whose father, an antiques shop owner, has gone missing, and Johnny insists on involving ‘Pete’ in his investigation.

When Diamond, Johnny and Ruby enter the shop, they find a body and a murder investigation is launched. Diamond is forced to house his team in the dilapidated Corn Market building across the street. His problems grow when his boss appoints Lady Bede, from the Police Ethics Committee, as an observer. Worse still, Johnny conducts his own inquiry by latching onto Ruby’s stylish friend, a journalist called Olympia.

Shootings from a drive-by gunman at key players create mayhem and the pressure is really on. Can the team stop more killings in this normally peaceful city? What happened to Ruby’s father? And will Johnny crack the case before Diamond does?

This is the twentieth Peter Diamond novel. Books in the series have twice won the Crime Writers’ Association Silver Dagger as well as the Anthony, Barry and Macavity awards and been shortlisted for the Edgar and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Peter is the only living British author to have been honoured with the two top honours in crime writing: the CWA/Cartier Diamond Dagger and Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America.

Here’s a dip into the opening page:

‘Mind if I join you?’
Peter Diamond’s toes curled.
There’s no escape when you’re wedged into your favourite armchair in the corner of the lounge bar at the Francis observing the last rites of an exhausting week keeping a cap on crime. Tankard in hand, your third pint an inch from your mouth, you want to be left alone.
The stranger’s voice was throaty, the accent faux American from a grainy black-and-white film a lifetime ago. This Bogart impersonator was plainly as English as a cricket bat. His face wasn’t Bogart’s and he wasn’t talking through tobacco smoke, but he held a cocktail stick between two fingers as if it was a cigarette. Some years the wrong side of forty, he was dressed in a pale grey suit and floral shirt open at the neck to display a miniature magnifying glass on a leather cord.
‘Depends,’ Diamond said.
‘On what?’
‘Should I know you?’
‘No reason you should, bud.’
No one called Diamond ‘bud’. He’d have said so, but the soundtrack had already moved on.
‘I got your number. You’re the top gumshoe in this one-horse town and you’re here in the bar Friday nights when you’re not tied up on a case. What’s your poison? I’ll get you another.’
‘Don’t bother.’ Diamond wasn’t getting suckered into getting lumbered with a bar-room bore who called him bud and claimed to have got his number.
‘You’ll need something strong when you hear what I have to say.’ The bore pulled up a chair and the voice became even more husky. ‘Good to meet you, any road. I’m Johnny Getz, the private eye.’
‘Say that again, the last part.’
‘Private eye.’
Against all the evidence that this was a send-up, Diamond had to hear more. ‘Private eye? I thought they went out with Dick Tracy.’
‘Dick Tracy was a cop.’
‘Sam Spade, then. We’re talking private detectives, are we? I didn’t know we had one in Bath.’
‘What do you mean – “one”? I could name at least six others. The difference is they’re corporate. I’m the real deal. I work alone.’
‘Where?’
‘Over the hairdresser’s in Kingsmead Square.’ An address that lacked something compared to a seedy San Francisco side-street, which was probably why the self-styled private eye added, ‘The Shear Amazing Sleuth. Like it?’

The Finisher

Published in the UK in July 2020 in the USA in August 2020.

Fifty years after his career was launched with Wobble to Death, Peter returns to running as a theme in his new book The Finisher.

A killer strikes in the Bath half-marathon. No one in the local CID understands at first why Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is so agitated when he sees Tony Pinto paying unwanted attention to a young woman soon after the start. But Diamond remembers putting Pinto away for a vicious attack on a student, and now the man is on parole after years of good behaviour. Diamond’s fixation with this ex-convict will bring him into trouble from every side, including his boss Georgina and police headquarters.

Unknown to anyone at this stage, a murderer known as the Finisher has already been active in the city. Will the next victim be Maeve, who is running to salve her conscience after accidentally destroying a valuable item intended for charity? Olga, a rich Russian determined to shed weight and streamline her figure? Belinda, a painfully shy IT expert taking part in memory of her mother? Or Spiro, an Albanian fugitive on the run from modern slavery?

First, Diamond must prove that murder has been done and then discover where the corpse is hidden, a dangerous quest that leaves him with a crippling injury. Only he can unmask the Finisher …

UK Publisher:
Sphere 14 July 2020 ISBN: 978-0751580846

US Publisher:
Soho Crime 4 August 2020 ISBN: 978-1641291811

The Critics’ Verdict on The Finisher

‘In a peerlessly plotted mystery, Lovesey brings back his prickly rule-abhoring detective, Peter Diamond of the Bath police, who’s investigating a murder at a half-marathon. As readers who love the Diamond series know, the picture-perfect old British city, honeycombed with sluices, drains and sewers, offers unrivaled facilities for disposing of bodies. “The light and dark imagery is a fixture of Bath novels,” Marilyn Stasio writes in her crime column, “in which life is lived on many levels, some in full sunshine and others buried in shadow.’ Gregory Cowles in The New York Times

‘MWA Grand Master Lovesey’s masterly, atmospheric 19th investigation for Bath, England, Det Supt Peter Diamond . . . Lovesey neatly ties together all the disparate threads as the plot twists and turns to its taut conclusion. On the 50th anniversary of the publication of his first novel, Lovesey is still going strong.’ Publishers Weekly (starred review)

‘It is 50 years since Lovesey’s first novel, which also featured running. British mystery fiction’s reigning head of state returns to that sporting setting with his customary wit, humanity and unpredictable turns of plot.’ Mat Coward in The Morning Star

‘Threaded through this elegantly written mystery are vivid and timely subplots concerning Russian oligarchs and Albanian fugitives from modern slavery gangs. Peter Lovesey may now be in his 80s, but he tells his tale with all the verve and wit of a much younger man.’ Myles McWeeney in The Irish Independent

‘A witty, steadily absorbing procedural marked by Lovesey’s customary inventiveness and an unguessable solution.’ Kirkus Reviews

‘There’s a deeply satisfying symmetry in Peter Lovesey’s The Finisher, bringing the prolific and much-honored British writer’s 50-year career full circle by echoing his debut. His witty, low-key police detective, D.S. Peter Diamond, is leading security for a charity race, the Other Half, in his home city of Bath. . . . Throughout, Diamond remains his usual appealing self, and Lovesey retains his knack for tight plotting and supple prose.’ Adam Woog in The Seattle Times

‘Lovesey’s mystery fans will be sorry when The Finisher is over . . . On the 50th anniversary of his first novel, the British writer has created a brisk, colorful page-turner centered on mayhem at the springtime half-marathon in the city of Bath . . . Mr Lovesey’s descriptive passages will have armchair explorers champing at the bit.’ Robert Croan in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette

‘I came away impressed by the storytelling, the relative pace of the plot and of the frequent twists and turns that made this a compelling read.’ Malavika Praseed in the Chicago Review of Books

‘This is a story firmly set in the present day (or at least the immediate pre-pandemic present day!), but Peter Lovesey’s storytelling skills, and certainly his gift for constructing a fair-play puzzle, match those of the finest exponents of Golden Age fiction.’ Martin Edwards in Do You Write Under Your Own Name?

‘Lovesey brilliantly weaves all these disparate characters and storylines into a wonderfully entertaining and compelling story. His work is the gold standard for UK crime fiction writing.’ George Easter in Deadly Pleasures

‘There are those among us who would read Lovesey if he took to writing on the backs of cereal boxes. Blessedly, that hasn’t happened. Instead, we have the nineteenth novel featuring His Grumpiness, Detective Inspector Peter Diamond of the Bath Constabulary. All the signature elements of this acclaimed series are present: the gin-dry humor, the engaging characters, the ending that kills you before you know you’re dead. . . . Slowly, but with relentless pacing and magical writing – a rusty hinge “groans like a soul in torment” – the plotlines converge. Surprises abound, like the corpse with a mind of its own. Lovesey likes to tease his detective, describing him as “out of a ’40s film, a sleuth on the trail of Sidney Greenstreet.” But the finale reminds us that Diamond is a relentless, hard-edged, strictly business copper.’ Don Crinklaw in Booklist (starred review)

Killing With Confetti

Launched July 2019 in UK and USA

As a New Year begins in Bath, Ben Brace proposes to his long-term girlfriend, Caroline, the daughter of notorious crime baron, Joe Irving, who is coming to the end of a prison sentence. The problem is that Ben’s father, George, is the Deputy Chief Constable. A more uncomfortable set of in-laws would be hard to imagine. But mothers and sons are a formidable force: a wedding in the Abbey and reception in the Roman Baths are arranged before the career-obsessed DCC can step in.

Peter Diamond, Bath’s head of CID, is appalled to be put in charge of security on the day. Ordered to be discreet, he packs a gun and a guest list in his best suit and must somehow cope with potential killers, gang rivals, warring parents, bossy photographers and straying bridesmaids. The laid-back Joe Irving seems oblivious to the danger he is in from rival gang leaders while Brace can’t wait for the day to end. Will the photo session be a literal shoot? Will Joe Irving’s speech as father of the bride be his last words? Can Diamond pull off a miracle, avert a tragedy and send the happy couple on their honeymoon?

UK Publisher:
Sphere 9 July 2019 ISBN: 978-0751577495

US Publisher:
Soho Crime 9 July 2019 ISBN: 978-1641290593

The Critics’ Verdict on Killing with Confetti

‘Mr Lovesey’s book seems like a combination of Romeo and Juliet and The Day of the Jackal . . . Mr Lovesey has been writing his Peter Diamond series for nearly three decades, and it’s a pleasure to note no discernible flagging of energy in author or detective. And how refreshing to hear the inimitable Diamond erupt in righteous expletives, ‘F – forensics . . . We’re detectives . . . We investigate.’
Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

‘Lovesey plants clever clues, a big surprise and a tense climax in the labyrinthine ruins of the town’s Roman baths.’
Adam Woog, The Seattle Times

‘Fun is something guaranteed by the name Peter Lovesey on a book cover . . . There’s certainly going to be a killing, but as Lovesey fans will expect, there’ll be plenty of twists and misdirections before the story behind the death is finally unravelled.’
Mat Coward, The Morning Star

‘The crafting of all this is superb, and consistent with the author’s handling of the series. Killing with Confetti is book 18 in Lovesey’s Diamond mystery series, and it has yet to let readers down.
Carolyn Haley, New York Journal of Books

‘Two seemingly unconnected events are brought together in this marvelous mystery . . . Peter Lovesey brought us his first mystery in 1970 and since then has enjoyed a sterling career with many, many highlights along the way.’
George Easter, Deadly Pleasures

‘We’re treated to Lovesey’s enchanting style, urbane wordplay and sucker-punch plotting. Don’t believe anyone who says, “I knew it all along.”
Booklist

‘Lovesey connects the dots plausibly and as always lightens the plot with dry wit.’
Publishers Weekly

‘When I closed the cover, I thought, Where has this man been all my life? . . . Lovesey’s series is rich with the history of the scenic area of Bath, England, and laced with wit, danger, pathos, love and loss. His protagonist, Peter Diamond, is a fully rounded human being with his own unique crime-solving methods . . . So kick back and enjoy a delightful summer escape from the drumbeat of real-world events that pays off with a surprising, page-turning denouement.’
Roz Shea, BookReporter

‘I absolutely loved Peter Diamond. He’s a no-nonsense policeman and Lovesey is a no-nonsense writer. I felt like I was watching an episode of a British crime series and enjoyed every minute of it. I completely forgot I had jumped in at book 18.’
Kerry Hammond, Mystery Playground

‘A new novel by Peter Lovesey is always an event to be savoured . . . in breathtaking manner, Lovesey turns the story around so that we finish up with a highly entertaining puzzle involving an impossible crime and a reconstruction of what actually happened that results in a brilliant plot twist. This is an unexpected book by a master of tales of the unexpected.’
Martin Edwards, Do You Write Under Your Own Name?

Bertie: The Complete Prince of Wales Mysteries

Bertie: The Complete Prince of Wales Mysteries collects all three of Peter Lovesey’s charming and thrilling Bertie adventures in a single volume for the first time.

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales – Bertie, as he’s known – is the eldest son of Queen Victoria, and future King Edward VII. Bertie is a pleasure seeker, always searching out the best meals, the most beautiful women, and the most lavish parties.

As Prince Regent, Bertie is expected to behave like a proper royal and avoid scandal. Instead, his love of excitement leads him to a decidedly unprincely hobby: sleuthing. Bertie is not the best detective, but that does not stop him from trying to solve every case that crosses his path, including the feverish suicide of the greatest jockey of the century, the mysterious death of a member of the royal hunting party, and the murder of the son-in-law of an old friend.

US Publisher: Soho Crime, 2019 ISBN: 1-64129-049-8

Praise for the Prince of Wales mysteries

“Delightfully humorous . . . No one is more fun than Bertie.”
— Associated Press

“An utterly charming series . . . What a delight!”
— The New York Times

“Lovesey proved himself the world’s foremost concocter of latter-day Victoriana in his series of mysteries built around Sergeant Cribb . . . The rueful, candid voice he gives to the fleshy prince rings true, the details of the horse-racing and music-hall worlds are vivid, and much of the tale is sweetly funny.”
— Time

“An engaging conundrum in the tradition of Agatha Christie.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer

“Seamlessly plotted, populated with a dynamic cast, and often howlingly funny.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer

Beau Death

Launched December 2017 in UK and USA

Beau Death opens with a wrecking ball crashing into the roof of a small terraced house in Bath. When the dust has cleared, a skeleton in eighteenth century clothes is revealed. Can this possibly be Richard ‘Beau’ Nash, the man who by force of personality turned a Somerset backwater into the most fashionable city in Britain? Clues emerge that suggest as much and, more worryingly, that a murder was committed.

Peter Diamond and his team are reluctantly put to work on what seems an impossible historical quest. Then a modern murder is committed in front of a vast audience at the World Fireworks Competition right next to the Royal Crescent. This apparently unconnected killing galvanizes the team but has the unexpected effect of bringing Beau Nash and his death to centre stage.

Through a series of bizarre occurrences, the Beau refuses to be side-lined. Diamond is by turns mystified, angry and close to paranoia. Under such pressure can he solve both cases? Regular readers may guess the answer, but of course Diamond never relies on guesswork.

UK Publisher:
Sphere 14 December 2017 ISBN: 978-0751570687

US Publisher:
Soho Crime 5 December 2017 ISBN: 978-1616959050

The Critics’ Verdict on Beau Death

‘Astonishingly convincing and inventive . . . The two things you need to get you through the winter in one piece are the flu jab and a Lovesey whodunnit.’
Mat Coward in The Morning Star

‘A first-rate mystery. Peter Lovesey rarely puts a foot wrong.’
Barry Turner in The Daily Mail

‘Peter Lovesey – the dean of English mystery novelists – remains as ingenious as ever in Beau Death.’
Michael Dirda in The Washington Post

‘Beau Death is a doozy . . . Lovesey seems to have outdone himself with the labyrinthine maze of multiple murders and mysterious conundrums.’
Robert Alan Papinchek in The Strand Magazine

‘Peter Lovesey is one author who can grab me on the title page, . . . he’s very, very good and knows his Bath history inside out . . . This is a great puzzle plot that will keep you guessing. Just what Lovesey does best.’
Margaret Cannon in The Toronto Globe & Mail

‘The book, I am happy to say, is as tightly plotted and absorbing as the best of Lovesey’s long-running series.’
Adam Woog in The Seattle Times

‘Witty, stylish and a bit of a rogue – that’s what people said about Richard Nash, known as Beau, the notorious dandy who transformed the English city of Bath into “the18th-century equivalent of Vegas.” The same might be said of Peter Lovesey, whose elegant mysteries pay tribute to the past glories of this beautiful city.’
Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times

‘It’s a mystery that could easily be played for farce, but Lovesey employs his dry, caustic humor to cutting effect.’
Lloyd Sachs in The Chicago Tribune

‘Peter Lovesey has a knack – to borrow a phrase from the Roman philosopher Seneca – for grabbing readers by the lapels and leading or dragging them on, willy-nilly, through a maze of blind-corner surprises and unexpected plot twists . . . it’s hard to imagine a more pleasurable way to read away the long hours of a quiet, wintry night.’
Doug Childers in The Richmond Times Dispatch

‘Lovesey moves from one dexterously nested puzzle to the next with all the confidence of a magician who knows the audience won’t see through his deceptions no matter how slowly he unveils them.’
Kirkus Reviews

‘The plot is one of Lovesey’s cleverest and the book is full of his trademark wry humor.’
Publishers Weekly

‘It is a wonderful series which rivals in quality the best of Reginald Hill (Dalziel & Pascoe) and Colin Dexter (Inspector Morse). What’s not to like about the irascible and brilliant Peter Diamond? And how in the world does Peter Lovesey come up with the fascinatingly intricate plots based on esoteric subjects and backgrounds? A marvellous read and an extraordinary series by a proven pro.’
George Easter in Deadly Pleasures

‘One of the best entries in a long-running series, this exceptional police procedural is packed with imperfect and engaging characters, sophisticated plotting, and abundantly detailed historical tidbits.’
Library Journal

‘Highly readable . . . Mr Lovesey moves from a hilarious launching of the plot to a delectable collection of vivid characters and an avalanche of clues.’
Muriel Dobbin in The Washington Times

‘There’s plenty of suspense here – action too – all told in Lovesey’s effortlessly elegant manner.’
Booklist

‘Mystery fans who are just discovering Lovesey will no doubt be delighted to find that he has such a rich and deep back catalog to enjoy. His Grand Master award is well-deserved indeed.’
Sue Trowbridge in The Saturday Reader

‘If you like your police procedurals intriguing, solid and well-written, Lovesey’s your man – just as he’s been for dad and grandad.’
Jon Wise in Weekend Sport

‘Beau Death is a delight and an incentive to investigate other Detective Peter Diamond mysteries.’
Toni V Sweeney in the New York Journal of Books

‘He’s a wonderful entertainer . . . For me, Peter Lovesey’s characterisation, humour and plotting are key, and I’m glad to report that these are here in abundance.’
Martin Edwards in Do You Write Under Your Own Name?

‘As Beau Death elegantly demonstrates, nobody is better than Lovesey at mixing puzzle and procedural. Diamond with his mordant humor is, as always, razor sharp and thoroughly engaging.’
Irma Heldman in Open Letters Monthly

‘Lovesey’s signature understated humor, often historical and at times hysterical, finds its way onto pretty much every page.’
Bruce Tierney in BookPage

‘Beau Death is simply terrific . . . The humor is dry, but it is there in spades, as is the clever, puzzling and unforgettable mystery.’
Joe Hartlaub in 20SomethingReads

‘Beau Death is an absolute delight to read . . . There’s a very good reason why he has won lifetime achievement awards: he knows how to tell a tale that will keep you hooked from first page to last.’
Cathy in Kittling:Books

‘Why we really look forward every year to Peter Diamond’s return is Lovesey’s calm, professional mastery of the elements of crime fiction . . . Although there’s nor a sprig of holly, not a flake of snow in sight, Beau Death would make a splendid gift.’
Yvonne Klein in ReviewingtheEvidence.com

‘Peter Lovesey has created an intricate and multi-layered puzzle . . . Fans of Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson and Deborah Crombie are sure to love Beau Death.’
Jessica Howard in Shelf Awareness

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