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The Last Detective Audiobook
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(3.01) - 825 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is the last detective: a genuine gumshoe, committed to door stopping and deduction rather than fancy computer gadgetry.
So when the naked body of a woman is found floating in the weeds in a lake near Bath with no one willing to identify her, no marks and no murder weapon, his sleuthing abilities are tested to the limit. Struggling with a jigsaw puzzle of truant choirboys, teddy bears, a black Mercedes, and Jane Austen memorabilia, Diamond persists, even after the powers-that-be have decided there's enough evidence to make a conviction.
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"This book was actually a pick for my mystery book club and my first chance to read a book by Lovesey. I found that I really enjoyed reading about Lovesey's Diamond and found it to be a really good mystery. I really liked how Lovesey changed points of view throughout the book giving the reader the opportunity to get different points of view of the same event as well as a better development of the characters involved. Gregory and Dana were both developed very well considering that both turned out to be suspects of the book's murder. Lovesey also did a great job developing his main character and detective Diamond. The book's mystery was well done and consisted of main twists and turns. Overall this was a great read if you enjoy mysteries, and I would definitely check out another book by this author."
— Susan (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A bravura performance…Slyly paced, marbled with surprise, and in the end, strangely affecting.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Not only a good story but a compelling one.”
— Boston Globe -
“Thickly textured, amusing, unpredictably mixing puzzle and procedural…One of the best.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“A treasure.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“Witty…One surprise after another.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Top-form Lovesey.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Witty…A perfectly realized murder mystery.”
— Wall Street Journal
The Last Detective Listener Reviews
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" Easter was a quiet day and I just wanted to relax and read so I chose this book which I had purchased at the library book sale. It was exactly what I needed and I finished it in little over a day. I like his use of language and needing to use a dictionary to increase my vocabulary, unlike so many popular novels today which don't use extensive language. "
— Elaine, 2/20/2014 -
" I first class police procedural. Highly enjoyable. "
— Lee, 2/15/2014 -
" I liked this enough to read another. Well written. Interesting detective. "
— Sharon, 1/31/2014 -
" Charmingly British, engaging plot and characters, and a plethora of plot twists. I'll look for the next one in the series. "
— Kathy, 1/14/2014 -
" The Last Detective is the first novel in a detective series featuring Peter Diamond. Diamond is a burly "old school" detective connected with the Avon and Somerset CID. He is nicknamed the Last Detective because he shuns new-fangled technology and relies on old-fashioned detecting. He's surly, out of shape, and a thorn in the side of his superiors. When a soap opera star is found dead in lake, Diamond's investigation finds few leads. The writing is witty although the narrative technique seemed a bit heavy on conversation to move the story along. I will be looking for installment #2. "
— Deb, 12/31/2013 -
" I like all of Peter Lovesey books, I like his style and sense of humor. "
— Shoehn, 12/29/2013 -
" I first read Diamond Solitaire, which got me hooked on Peter Lovesey and Peter Diamond. I many times start with the second book in a series because I find that the author is more comfortable with the returning characters and their universe, thus the second book is a truer reflection of the series as a whole. I'm glad that I did so with the Peter Diamond series because I couldn't really get into The Last Detective and stopped in the middle. Maybe it was because I knew already that he was out of work, maybe it was because I liked book #2 better. I've now read The Summons (book #3), which I've also liked, so maybe I will someday come back to this book and try it again. "
— Lyn, 12/26/2013 -
" This is a very cleverly written and plotted book with a lot of twists. The revelation of the murderer at the end was a complete surprise to me. "
— Marie, 12/24/2013 -
" Diamond investigates a murder and looses his job for pissing off the brass. Not his best Diamond book. "
— Andrea, 12/5/2013 -
" Pretty good story...kept me reading. Main character somewhat annoying, but I'll try another in the series. "
— mvanhouten, 11/17/2013 -
" Read this in one day. I thought it was pretty good, but nothing exceptional - and Professor Jackman ended up being the only character I actually liked. "
— Cecily, 11/5/2013 -
" Well plotted. I liked the story told from different perspectives. It made it feel very realistic. No two people every see the same thing in the same way. "
— Nancy, 10/29/2013 -
" Well-written with likable characters, even if the mystery was not very suspenseful or hard to solve. Note that it's not related to the British ITV series of the same name. That's good too, though "
— Karen, 10/13/2013 -
" The first mystery about Detective Supt. Peter Diamond. "
— Nancy, 9/15/2013 -
" The first in the detective Diamond series. I enjoyed his occasional humorous line. This was the first novel I have read that required me to look up British slang. I am eager to read the second book in the series. "
— Denise, 9/7/2013 -
" Very enjoyable. A good old whodunnit with no frills. "
— Andrea, 11/28/2012 -
" not bad but a bit guessable as to whudunnit "
— Sandyboy, 6/22/2012 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed this Peter Diamond thriller. It is well written, entertaining and kept my interest throughout the story. I have lined up the next book in the series Diamond Solitaire to read asap. "
— Vicki, 6/16/2012 -
" I enjoyed the descriptions of Bath, but I was not enamored of the writing style in the first few sections of the book. The main character grows on you after a while, so I may try other books in the series. "
— Lois, 6/2/2012 -
" For the first half of the book I was pretty enthusiastic - a slowish but steady plot and some moments of great writing. However, it went on too long and by the end I was bored and the mystery held little interest. Too bad. "
— Sarah, 4/7/2012 -
" This is a great read about a detective who loses his job with the police force but keeps investigating crimes. He is down on his luck, but not down on his job. "
— Ed, 5/7/2011 -
" Introducing Peter Diamond. Book 1. "
— Ginny, 12/26/2010
About Peter Lovesey
Peter Lovesey, the author of more than thirty highly praised mystery novels, has won the British Crime Writers’ Association Silver and Gold Dagger awards as well as the Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement and the Strand Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. In the United States, he has received Edgar and Dilys nominations, an Anthony Award and a Macavity Award, and the Ellery Queen Readers Award, among others. In 2018, he was named a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master.