Sat 19 Jun 2010
Reviewed by Walter Albert: PETER LOVESEY – Skeleton Hill.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[11] Comments
PETER LOVESEY – Skeleton Hill. Soho Press, hardcover, September 2009; trade paperback, September 2010.
In this novel, the tenth in the Peter Diamond series, the discovery of a headless skeleton and the subsequent disappearance of a university lecturer seem to present Diamond with two cases to manage.
However, when the missing lecturer turns up dead, Diamond’s always difficult (from his point of view) boss, Assistant Constable Georgina Dallymore, informs him that the case is being transferred to Bristol, where the lecturer was teaching.
Faced with the prospect of losing what seems to be the more viable case, Diamond convinces Georgina to loan him out to Bristol to head the investigation, while his capable assistant Keith Halliwell takes the lead on the skeleton case.
Although it’s Diamond’s opinion that the two cases are connected, the evidence doesn’t support that early on. However, when the break does come that confirms the link, Diamond is repositioned as the lead investigator, and the measured pulse of the initial stages of the investigation accelerates with almost unbearable intensity.
I have thought that, since the murder of his wife, Diamond had been somewhat off his form, but there’s no question of that in this superbly paced addition to the series.
Bibliographic Notes: Besides the ten books in his Peter Diamond series, Peter Lovesey was also the author of eight adventures of Sergeant Cribb, set in 1880s London, threee books with Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (aka Bertie), and two cases for Inspector Hen Mallin. (Hen is short for Henrietta.) As if this were not enough, he has also written another ten or so non-series books, not all of which may be criminous.
Previously reviewed on this blog —
Bloodhounds (by L. J. Roberts)
June 19th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Peter Lovesey’s Sgt. Cribb books all came out during my span as mystery reviewer for the Hartford Courant, 1970 to 1978, and I think I read them all. Given the gap between the last one and now, I believe it is safe to assume that the eight books are all that there going to be.
Since those first books, though, even though I’ve enjoyed them all, it’s been hit or miss as to whether I’ve read any of the others. I have a “Bertie” book in progress even as I type this, and so far I’ve read two of the Peter Diamond’s.
It’s good to know that Lovesey is still actively writing, and that this latest one is fully up to par, as Walter reports. I will wait for the paperback, more than likely, and in the meantime see if I can’t catch up on his output a bit.
June 19th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
After the Cribb books and the Bertie books I loved THE FALSE INSPECTOR DEW, but for some reason Lovesey dropped off my reading list around the time of the Diamond books — maybe I just wanted him to continue the historical stuff.
Walter and L.J. keep tempting me though…
Lovely cover for this one. Looks like a scene from German Expressionist Silent Cinema — or a Universal Horror film. With so many hardcover and paperback covers so uninteresting these days it’s always nice to see one that catches the eye.
June 19th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
I have several of these Diamond books, including Skeleton Hill, but have only read (and enjoyed) one, Bloodhounds, his John Dickson Carr homage.
Like Steve and David, I used to read Lovesey a lot back in the 1980s, along with Robert Barnard as well.
The Soho Press books are very nice quality, glad to see Lovesey has a good American publisher.
I regret that Lovesey found it necessary to kill Diamond’s wife. The police detective with the tragically expired wife has become rather a modern cliche, I think (we see the same thing in the Lewis television series). Are no police detectives allowed to be happy?
June 20th, 2010 at 3:20 am
Read this a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I must admit that I was a little surprised to discover that Lovesey is now in his 70s. His advancing maturity doesn’t seem to have slowed him down at all, I’m pleased to see, and there are still quite a number of his books that I haven’t read (I still have to catch up with some of the non-series books).
Apparently, Mrs Diamond was killed off because the author decided that the series needed shaking up a bit. It was upsetting, but a very good book came out of it, and I’m rather taken with Diamond’s ongoing, hesitant romance in the new book.
Read MURDER ON THE SHORT LIST a few weeks ago, and it was nice to see that Cribb makes a triumphant return in some of the short stories.
June 20th, 2010 at 5:37 am
I agree with the sentiments expressed above by Steve and David in particular. I liked the Cribbs, found the Berties amusing and loved THE FALSE INSPECTOR DEW. I’ve also read and enjoyed several volumes of Lovesey’s stories. In fact I’m shocked to see by my database that I’ve read 27 of his books.
But for whatever reason I haven’t read a Diamond book since BLOODHOUNDS. I just didn’t find his character all that engaging.
June 21st, 2010 at 3:47 pm
I didn’t realize it until this morning, but I have a review that Barry Gardner did of one of Lovesey’s Peter Diamond books, and I’ll post it on the blog soon.
What struck me most about his comments, to say something here briefly, is that he didn’t care for it as much as he did Cribb and Bertie, either.
Lovesey must like the character, but surprisingly, his readers, his long-term ones, are going along, but only grudgingly.
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:08 pm
I think it’s possible that there are two, quite distinct, readerships here. A series doesn’t get to ten books unless it is selling well, so there are obviously a lot of fans of the Diamond books (there was talk of a TV series at one point). My guess is that the current readership consists of A) people like myself, who followed him from the CRIBB books and telly series B) A far bigger group who started off with the Diamond books, and then worked their way back to the historicals. Surfing through the internet, I’ve been fascinated to discover some people who don’t care for the historicals, whilst loving the Diamond and Mallin books.
Quite why this should be, I’m not sure. I know that my sister was a fan of the earlier books, and I had to nag her into trying some of the Diamond series before she ultimately became a fan. In general I tend to agree with a lot of the opinions concerning mystery/detective fiction on this thread, but it does seem that I’m rather on my own as regards my passionate regard for these books.
I have to say that I’m a little puzzled by the dislike of Diamond’s character. Everyone’s tastes are different, but I don’t see that he is anymore determinedly grumpy or unpleasant than 90% of contemporary fictional detectives (or even Cribb and Bertie, who each have their own particular foibles).
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Bradstreet
I think you’ve taken the reservations expressed about the Diamond books to mean “dislike,” and reading through the comments again, I don’t believe that that’s the case.
I can speak only for myself, of course!
Walter’s original review was positive, speaking of SKELETON HILL — he called the book “superbly paced” — while saying that he felt that Lovesey had been off his form in some of the earlier ones.
Everyone else has said they prefer the older books and/or their enthusiasm for the Diamond books has diminished.
Not quite the same thing as “dislike,” but then again I did use the word “grugingly,” didn’t I?
And what you said before that I’m sure has to be true. A lot of Lovesey’s readers know him only for the Diamond books, and are always looking forward to the next one — and are probably only mildly interested in the older ones, at the most, if they know about them at all.
— Steve
June 22nd, 2010 at 4:55 pm
“Dislike”.
I tried to find the right word, but it’s quite difficult. Everyone here is very reasonable, so there are no “Haters”, but it’s true to say that some of you are less enthused about the more recent books.
Looking at the Lovesey site, it comes as a shock to realise that his first book, WOBBLE TO DEATH, was written 40 years ago. 40 YEARS! I read my first Lovesey 30 years ago, after seeing WAXWORK on TV for the first time. I hope you don’t mind if I go and have a little nap, as I’m suddenly feeling quite old…
August 16th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
[…] Skeleton Hill (by Walter Albert) Bloodhounds (by L. J. Roberts) […]
August 17th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I have to say that I have loved everything that Lovesey has written, especially Swing, Swing Together and the Bertie books. I, too, was upset that Mrs. Diamond had to be dispatched, but I’ve forgiven that one lapse and look forward to any new ones that come out. I started with Rough Cider in 1994 and have been steadily reading and re-reading through his output since then. I think that he is not so well known in the States and I hope that will change. His characters and plots are original and the writing is superb!