Customer Reviews

Last Detective, The

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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.

Peter Diamond is something of an anachronism on the police force--a stickler for old-fashioned detection in a business that relies almost completely on state-of-the-art computers and genetic engineering to catch crooks. So when he is called in to investigate the death of a woman found floating nude in a river near Bath, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to prove himself as "the last detective." On the way, Diamond repeatedly risks not only life and limb but the most important thing to him--his job.

There are plenty of entertaining moments here. The examination of the fierce backstage politics at Scotland Yard is fascinating, and Lovesey, ever the consummate researcher, weaves in an intriguing subplot involving two mysterious letters penned by the late, great Jane Austen. Unfortunately, he may have heaped a bit too much on his plate; there isn't enough emphasis on what should be the real heart of the novel--the mystery itself.

That, in addition to excessive length, is a real problem. Even Lovesey's crisp, lighter-than-air prose can't overcome a plot this bulky and unfocused. The use of alternating points of view tends to bog down rather than advance the narrative, while other story devices--such as a clumsy attempt at courtroom drama--are just plain unnecessary. The mystery never achieves the level of complexity needed to justify the extraordinary length of time that Diamond takes to unravel it--in fact, it's rather shallow. Not to mention the fact that the identity of the murderer becomes a foregone conclusion well before THE LAST DETECTIVE enters its final pages--don't expect to be surprised.

And finally, the greatest stumbling block turns out to be the detective himself. Peter Diamond may be as pompous as Hercule Poirot and as grumpy as Inspector Morse, but he lacks the endearing charm that made the latter two such enjoyable company--in short, spending so much time with Diamond is an oddly unrewarding experience. And ultimately, that's as fitting a way as any to sum up the experience of reading THE LAST DETECTIVE.

This was my first Peter Lovesey mystery. I had mixed feelings.

Positive: the writing is excellent - evocative but concise, dialogue is natural, and description is not overdone. The mystery itself is ingenious, with plenty of twists and turns. Characters are well-drawn and mostly convincing. There is genuine wit in the writing. I enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading until the end. Also, for anyone who loves the city of Bath, as I do, the locations are a real treat. The plot also manages to involve Jane Austen (yes, "Pride and Prejudice" Jane Austen).

Negative: (1) The climactic courtroom scene is one of phoniest, most unbelievable unravelings of a mystery I have ever read. Without giving away the details, I will say that someone just spills his guts under cross-examination, confessing to a whole pile of serious crimes apparently without once thinking, "Gee, maybe I should just deny all this crap, get off the witness stand, and get a good lawyer." It reminded me of those endearingly phony Perry Mason television scenes where the witness, broken down by Mason's grueling cross-examination, finally blurts out, "Yes, all right, I killed him! And I'm glad I did it!" (Gasps throughout the courtroom, bailiff leads the shaking witness away, Mason glows and his innocent client slumps in relief.) (2) I was not really taken with the detective, Peter Diamond. He's as surly as Inspector Morse but without the intriguing and endearing qualities.

Notwithstanding the foregoing criticisms, I do recommend this book. And I'm definitely going to read more of the Peter Lovesey/Peter Diamond mysteries; I'm hoping the detective will improve and grow on me.

This first book in the Peter Diamond series finds the fat protagonist working as Chief Super of the Avon and Somerset homicide division, following an incident that stained his career with the Met in London. Originally published in 1991, the book stresses the emergence of high-tech forensics and databases in policing -- a development that serves as a major irritant to the old-fashioned Diamond (an early indication of his sensibilities is given when he charts the decline of Britain to the abolishment of capital punishment in 1964). The story concerns the discovery of a naked woman in a lake, and the subsequent investigation of who she was, and what happened to her. This involves her marital affairs, her English professor husband, his saving of a schoolboy from drowning, the schoolboy's mother's job as a chauffeur, two potentially valuable rediscovered letters of Jane Austen, and Diamond's inexplicable resignation. Unfortunately, the resolution of this crime is a jumbled and rather unsatisfying mess.

Some blame alls on the construction -- the book is mainly told from Diamond's perspective, but twice shifts into lengthy first-person statements from two main characters, which feel quite awkward. Another problem is that the story is injected with several obvious clues that are overlooked for far too long, until they are unveiled in the climactic courtroom scene. (A note to aspiring mystery writers: any time a reader learns that there are two identical objects or people in a story, we're have a pretty good idea that this will come into play at some point.) However, the real damage comes in the form of the courtroom drama which plays out at the end of the book. It's one of the weakest I've come across, starting with Diamond not being a participant, but reduced to watching from the gallery like the reader. More problematically, the resolution depends on a pretty cool customer completely falling apart and admitting all manner of criminal behavior without being confronted with a shred of physical evidence. All the witness has to do is simply stonewall and say "That's not true and I challenge you to prove otherwise " or "Your fanciful suppositions are of no relevance because I'm not the one of trial here." Instead, we are supposed to believe that this man (who has quite a bit to lose), simply folds under the steely gaze of a barrister.

Finally, you know a murder story isn't that good when you suddenly realize after all the courtroom theatrics that the murderer still hasn't been identified. And when it is finally anticlimactically done so, the identity and motive are so wildly improbable that the entire story feels quite hollow. From plot to character, this is not a particularly good series debut, and I'm disinclined to continue when there are so many other good procedural series I haven't finished (such as Bill James' Harpur & Iles series and Peter Turnbull's Q Street series).

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.

The Last Detective was the first book I read in this wonderful series featuring irascible police detective Peter Diamond. Because of this book, I've hurried to read several more. In some series, the writing and plots begin to seem repetitive and flat, as if the author has run out of original situations or stories to tell. Not so in this case! Mr. Lovesey isn't afraid to cover new ground and shake things up a bit, which is always welcome in an established series. Each book provides an intriguing mystery for the reader to unravel along with sharply drawn characters that keep you hooked. Most of the action takes place in Bath, England and the author brings the area to life vividly and realistically.

This series is a rare treat for crime fiction fans!

First Sentence: A man stood thigh-deep in water, motionless, absorbed, unaware of what was drifting towards him.

A naked woman is found dead. The first challenging is determining her cause of death; the second is finding out who she is. Eventually the identity is known and an obvious suspect presents itself. Or does it?

While the justice system is determined to convict their suspect, Diamond is so certain they are wrong, he makes an important personal decision that alters his life but not his determination to find real killer.

I loved the description of Diamond: "You're the end of an era. The last detective. A genuine gumshoe, not some lad out of police school with a degree in computer studies." I like that, in a technological age, he is something of a luddite and believes in traditional investigative techniques.

At the same time, I liked the contract between Diamond and Wigfull. For some reason, I was surprised that Diamond is married but loved the story of how he met his wife and felt his being so was a nice, unexpected surprise as it gives the character added dimension.

There is wonderful, subtle humor to the story, particularly around the Jane Austen exhibit. I laughed at the idea of it and found myself agreeing with Diamond's view on venerating authors or any celebrity.

The best part of the story, for me, was the plot. There was twist upon twist. It never felt contrived and I certainly was never able to accurately predict where the plot was going. This was a wonderful book and I've already ordered the next four in the series.

THE LAST DETECTIVE (Pol Proc-DS Peter Diamond-England-Cont) - Ex

Lovesey, Peter - 1st in series

SoHo Crime, 2003, US Hardcover (reprint) - ISBN 978-1569472095

Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond enjoys the view of elegant streets filled with fine and stately homes as he drives into Bath each morning. But at the same time, the policeman in him cannot forget the dark, dirty backsides to those buildings, symbolic of the inner fears and demons that can drive even the most upright citizen to murder.

This book is a twentieth anniversary edition of the first Peter Diamond novel by Peter Lovesey and is being released concurrently with "Stagestruck," the latest and eleventh in the series.

In this story Peter Diamond wears with pride the title, The Last Detective, bestowed upon him by a retiring fellow officer. Not for him are the computers, databases, and DNA fingerprinting that have come to dominate the police situation room. He believes that old-fashioned police work is the key to solving a crime. And the crime in this case is murder . . . or is it?

A woman's naked body has risen to the surface of a lake and Diamond and his team go to work. Who is she? How did she die? Where did she die? With little to go on this begins to look like an unsolvable puzzle.

Compounding Diamond's problems are the circumstances under which he was transferred to Bath two years prior--when charges of excessive force were filed against him. He expects to be exonerated, but two years is a long time to wait. In the meantime he must not only continue to work to win the trust and respect of his team, but keep his larger-than-life personality in check so as not to provide fresh ammunition that can be used against him. Things come to a head when Diamond is yet again accused of using excessive force and his career is threatened.

Peter Lovesey is a master of both plot and pacing. The storyline of "The Last Detective" ebbs and flows in a natural rhythm that allows a pleasing mixture of police procedural work, chases and suspense, moments of introspection, and -- always necessary in even the most grim business -- humor.

Reviewed by Andrew MacRae for Suspense Magazine

I was going through a list of authors I'd like to try, and decided to take a chance on Peter Lovesey. The British police procedural is one of my favorite genres and Lovesey is a great discovery. I will definitely look for more of his books.

Peter Lovesey's The Last Detective is the proverbial page-turner murder mystery, written with humor and surprises. Lovesey builds a case to elicit a confession by the first suspect, who stubbornly will not confess. The next obvious suspect's case takes the rest of the book to build. Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is pulled off the case and almost murdered before he solves the crime. Personalities of Diamond and his reluctant sidekick, their boss, the suspects, the victim, the solicitor, and the murderer play off each other in humorous ways throughout. Of literary interest are two Jane Austen letters that figure into the plot.