The Last Detective

This is the first of the Peter Diamond series. I started somewhere in the middle and never did regroup enough to go after the early work and I'm sorry about that. Lovesey was writing for 20 years before he started the Diamond series and all that experience as a storyteller is up front and visible in this book. There's a dead redhead at the center of the book and a suspect who seems right for the crime, but Diamond isn't so sure. She was certainly at the wrong place at the wrong time but he just can't see it. There are too many unexplained coincidences and too many stories with changeable endings. Throw in the incomparable architecture and baths of Bath and a couple of letters that may have been written by Jane Austen and you have a lively tale. And a wonderful introduction to this great series.

Peter Lovesey writes the PERFECT blend of credible, fallible, sometimes funny characters. Chief Inspector Peter Diamond is a classic grump who refuses to move into the computer age...or any other age where he would have to rely on more than his eyes and his instincts. In this installment of the Diamond series, which I consider one of his best, Diamond is confounded by his junior officer, the ever watchful (but not quite so bright) Wigful. His frustration mounts as the suspects all turn out to have solid alibis, except for the one he is certain DIDN'T do it. He is called on the carpet and resigns in a fit of pique...but he can't give it up and plods along piecing is life together and following the case ...assisting with the final conclusion. A SATISFYING read to the last word! Lovesey is one of the FEW authors who doesn't do a "quick wrap" leaving you feeling "well this author had to wrap this up some way so they just finished it...not satisfying AT ALL" But this book is s true mystery until the last word. It is bright, funny and a quick read. I would recommend it to ANYBODY who loves English atmosphere and local history. Perfect descriptions of the area, the people and the story. Once you've read any of his work, you'll want them ALL!

I read all the Cribb/Thackery series awhile ago, and this is my first of Lovesey's series with Peter Diamond. I'm glad to be reading him again. He is a veteran novelist. Although this series is entirely different than Cribb and Thackery, Lovesey's talent as a novelist is very apparant. His writing is a bit painstaking at first as he sets up the scene for the murder and denouement, but it still keeps your interest. In this first book in the Diamond series we are introduced to Peter Diamond who is a Detective Superintendent in Bath, England. A body of a woman is fished out of the lake and when the body is finally identified it is determined that she was a television star. In trying to unravel the mystery of this death, Diamond finds out that Mrs. Geraldine Jackman was not a particularly nice person. Diamond finds himself at odds with his partner while trying to determine the murderer, and it ends up costing him is job with the police. Diamond still doggedly pursues enquiries on his own and is almost killed himself. Although I had guessed the murderer about halfway through the book, there were enough other surprises that kept coming up to keep my interest. I am very interested in reading other books in this series.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Peter Lovesey's books for many years. I have a large number of his novels on my shelf, mostly from the Sgt. Cribb series. In looking over them I realized that while they were readable, there were not particularly memorable and were all somewhat unsatisfactory. "The Last Detective" is a bit of a change in pace, in that it really is a notch better than the Lovesey standard.Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond fluctuates between being interesting and being thoroughly unlikable. While not anti-computer, he is quite distrustful of them, and is unhappy with their effect on police work. As a result he has come to style himself as 'the last detective.' His overall personality is overbearing and a bit egotistical which makes him a bit unpopular with both his co-workers and the top brass. As a reader I found that he had his moments, but I liked his second in command, John Wigful, quite a bit better.The plot, which centers on a drowned woman who turns out to be a 'retired' soap star with the personality of a rabid mink and the morals of a sociopathic rabbit. Singularly murderable, if I say so myself. The most prominent of the suspects are much more likeable. In a Lovesey novel this usually means that they will be subjected to a fair amount of hectoring by the investigator, and this is no exception. In this case, the police make a highly dubious arrest. Detective Diamond is so disturbed by the process that he resigns his position and resolves to do some investigation on his own.While the path to the true murderer is a bit complex it does not justify the length of the novel. Pacing is often uneven. Lovesey uses an unusual device in this story, i.e., in addition to the normal third person narrative; two large sections are done in the first person by the suspects. This works fairly well for the narrative done by the victim's husband, Gregory Jackman. Unfortunately, Lovesey does not do as well with Dana Didrikson, the female suspect who is entangled with Jackman. Even if you think it's sexist to believe that women don't quite think like men, you have to concede that it is highly unlikely that Dana's narrative would be exactly like the Lovesey's, but such is the case.In spite of all this criticism, 'The Last Detective' is readable. Lovesey can craft a plot, and does a decent job with most of his characters. It did win the 1992 Anthony Boucher Award for Best Mystery Novel, so it cetainly has redeeming qualities. People who like Lovesey will find this their cup of tea. Those of us who find him a bit unsatisfactory will find their opinions softened a bit, but still confirmed.

The Last Detective is Peter Lovesey at his best. Peter Diamond, my favorite of Lovesey's many crimesolvers, resigns from the Bath police force in the middle of this complicated and intriguing case,involving drugs, drowning, and several wonderfully depicted characters. A truly classic British police procedural that deserves at least five stars!