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DubaiReader

DubaiReader

A well balanced who-done-it.

The Last Detective / Diamond Solitaire - Peter Lovesey

I'm not normally a fan of crime writing, particularly if a fair chunk of it takes place in the courtroom. However, I do listen to such novels when I come across them as audiobooks. This unabridged version of The Last Detective happened to come my way and I was pleasantly surprised at how it kept my interest, even through the court case.

 

An unidentified woman is found floating on a lake near Bath and Detective Inspector Diamond has the task of identifying her and ascertaining the cause of death, and who was responsible. This all sounds pretty cliche, and in many respects it was, but I enjoyed the way the narrative unfolded and, as I lived nine years in Bristol, the location of Bath was an added bonus.

 

Diamond was a sufficiently lovable character, a detective of the old-school, with a deep suspicion of computers as used in crime detection. The denouement was good, right up until the final confession, which was a bit weak.

 

This was the first in the series and I may well read more, particularly because of the local connection.