I was first introduced to English writer Peter Lovesey many years ago, when I read Wobble to Death (1970). This was the first of his novels featuring Victorian era detective Sergeant Daniel Cribb and his assistant Constable Thackeray and saw them investigating the murder of one of the contestants in a 6 Day race in the 1800s. It was a wonderful read that brought the age of Pedestrianism to life.
Being a keep Track & Field follower, I also have copies of two of Lovesey's non fiction reference books
The Kings of Distance (1968)
The Official Centenary History of the Amateur Athletic Association (1979).
He is indeed a multi-talented writer.
I have just finished reading the sixth of his Peter Diamond novels, namely The Vault (1999).
What a wonderful book!
A synopsis: A skeletal hand is unearthed in the vault under the Pump Room in Bath, England, near the site where Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Then a skull is excavated. The bones came from different corpses, and one is modern. Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond must solve a series of crimes including murder and forgery, requiring a knowledge of history, nineteenth century art, literature . . . and human nature.
The book is wonderfully crafted on many fronts. The plot is intricate, with all the various threads coming together at the end in a most satisfying way. The characters are also wonderfully painted and all true to life. A wry humour purvades the book. It has so many things to recommend it.
I shall have to read more of Diamond. For starters, I recently purchased Lovesey's latest novel, The Finisher (2020), which is the 20th outing for Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond. I have started to read it but got distracted and must get back to it soon!
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