Silver Dagger Award-winner Lovesey's 10th Peter Diamond investigation (after 2007's The Secret Hangman ) may offer a less intricate plot and more procedural work than usual, but Diamond remains one of the most realistic and human of fictional sleuths. During a recreation of an English Civil War battle outside Bath, Rupert Hope, an academic who's playing a cavalier, and another participant discover a human femur. Presented with this minor puzzle, the police eventually unearth the entire skeleton, minus the skull. After someone bludgeons Hope to death, Diamond wonders whether Hope's murder and the headless skeleton are connected, and his team redoubles their efforts to identify it. A zipper found near the skeleton may point to a link with London's Russian community. While some readers will anticipate the solution with little trouble, sharp prose and characterization make this another winner in this enduring series. (Sept.)
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At a reenactment of a major battle of the English Civil War, two participants discover the headless skeleton of a young woman. When one of the participants is later found murdered on Lansdown Hill, Bath Inspector Peter Diamond (The Secret Hangman) must coordinate a coinvestigation with the Bristol police. Finding what connects the two cases other than geography makes this a challenge for all involved. Winner of the CWA Silver, Gold, and Diamond Dagger Awards, plus the Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement, Lovesey is known for his complex mystery stories. VERDICT Lovesey's latest demonstrates his command of telling a tale that is engaging and puzzling for his readers and sleuths. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 5/1/09.]
Inspector Peter Diamond, in full curmudgeon mode, detects a fresh corpse at a Civil War (that's the Cavaliers versus the Roundheads) reenactment. Two "corpses," weary of lying dead during a reprise of the Battle of Lansdown 350 years after the fact, creep away to enjoy a six-pack hidden beneath a felled oak tree. Discovering a femur, presumably from the original battle, they decide to inter it once more. When Bristol University lecturer Rupert Hope returns to pick it up and show it off to his students, he's coshed from behind. At length the bone winds up on Inspector Peter Diamond's desk. Forensics proves it belonged to a young woman. Who was she and who killed her? Rupert is no help. First he's concussed, then he's dead. With two murder inquiries on his hands, Diamond (The Secret Hangman, 2007, etc.) finds Bristol CID only too eager to take on the second. Craftily circumventing territorial duels, he works out the relation between the murders and is soon chatting up members of the Lansdown Society, including his boss Georgina, Sir Colin Tipping and Major Swithin. Alas, typical Diamond missteps land one officer in hospital and assign a Ukrainian interpreter to an English-speaking suspect. Thanks to Lovesey's nonpareil deftness, however, Diamond ultimately prevails over murder past and present. History, humor, inspired clues, maniacal twists and a paean to the beauty of the Bath countryside. Lovesey, who's won every prize going, deserves another for Diamond's tenth.
Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient Mystery Writers of America 2018 GrandmasterSkeleton Hill —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review —The Seattle Times , Best Crime Fiction of the Year —The Denver Post "Lovesey's novels are consistently well plotted and his characters smart and witty."—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel —Kirkus Reviews , Starred Review —Publishers Weekly , Starred Review "The man writes flat-out great British police procedurals . . . Peter Lovesey, who has won just about every major mystery writing award on two continents, is in top form here."—Mystery Scene —Louise Penny —Sara Paretsky —The New York Times Book Review The Wall Street Journal —NPR
Superintendent Peter Diamond believes there's a link between two disappearances: a recent one involving an English Civil War reenactor and that of an Eastern European prostitute years ago. Simon Prebble gives a gruff voice to the detective as he makes his way through the case, seeming to plod but actually having a sharp eye and a keen brain. Prebble gives this procedural an air of routine that still manages to draw listeners in. His voice works well at blending the story’s intense moments, such as the shooting of a colleague, into the quieter aspects of English life. The aging detective's adventures engage listeners whether he's dealing with a mystery or a police physical. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
FEBRUARY 2010 - AudioFile
