Beau death : a Peter Diamond investigation / Peter Lovesey.
Material type: TextSeries: A Peter Diamond series ; [17] | Lovesey, Peter. Peter Diamond mystery ; 17.Publisher: New York, NY : Soho Crime, [2017]Copyright date: ©2017Description: 406 pages ; 22 cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781616959050
- 1616959053
- 823/.914 23
- PR6062.O86 B43 2017
- FIC022020
Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Book | Bedford Public Library Mystery | Fiction | F LOV | Available | 32500005415626 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Peter Diamond, British detective extraordinaire, must dig deep into Bath history to ferret out the secrets of one of its most famous (and scandalous) icons : Richard "Beau" Nash, who might be the victim of a centuries old murder.
Bath, England: A wrecking crew is demolishing a row of townhouses in order to build a grocery store when they uncover a skeleton in one of the attics. The dead man is wearing authentic 1760s garb and on the floor next to it is a white tricorn hat--the ostentatious signature accessory of Beau Nash, one of Bath's most famous historical men-about-town, a fashion icon and incurable rake who, some say, ended up in a pauper's grave. Or did the Beau actually end up in a townhouse attic? The Beau Nash Society will be all in a tizzy when the truth is revealed to them.
Superintendent Peter Diamond, who has been assigned to identify the remains, starts making discoveries that turn Nash scholarship on its ear. But one of his constables is stubbornly insisting the corpse can't be Nash's--the non-believer threatens to spoil Diamond's favorite theory, especially when he offers some pretty irrefutable evidence. Is Diamond on a historical goose chase? Should he actually be investigating a much more modern murder?
"In the seventeenth installment in Peter Lovesey's timeless British detective series, Peter Diamond digs deep into Bath history to ferret out the secrets of one of its most famous (and scandalous) icons: Richard "Beau" Nash, who might have been the victim of a centuries-old murder. Bath, England: A wrecking crew is demolishing a row of townhouses in order to build a grocery store when they uncover a skeleton in one of the attics. The dead man is wearing authentic 1760s garb and on the floor next to it is a white tricorn hat--the ostentatious signature accessory of Beau Nash, one of Bath's most famous historical men-about-town, a fashion icon and incurable rake who, some say, ended up in a pauper's grave. Or did the Beau actually end up in a townhouse attic? The Beau Nash Society will be all in a tizzy when the truth is revealed to them. Chief Inspector Peter Diamond, who has been assigned to identify the remains, begins to fantasize about turning Nash scholarship on its ear. But one of his constables is stubbornly insisting the corpse can't be Nash's--the non-believer threatens to spoil Diamond's favorite theory, especially when he offers some pretty irrefutable evidence. Is Diamond on a historical goose chase? Should he actually be investigating a much more modern murder?"-- Provided by publisher.
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Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
A demolished English townhouse reveals a skeleton dressed in 18th-century period clothing; could the body be that of that famous dandy and Bath master of ceremonies Beau Nash? In their 17th outing (after Another One Goes Tonight), Chief Inspector Diamond and his unit dig deep into Bath history to resolve the intriguing case. Also on Diamond's plate is the death of an addict who had staged a fireworks extravaganza honoring Jane -Austen and Nash. Diamond is aided-and annoyed-by friend and lover Paloma Kean, ACC Georgina Dallymore, and his stalwart team members. The Bath setting is almost a character in its own right. The wry humor (including scenes of the potbellied Diamond in 18th-century attire attending a social event related to Beau Nash) adds charm to the story line. VERDICT One of the best entries in a long-running series, this exceptional police procedural is packed with imperfect and engaging characters, sophisticated plotting, and abundantly detailed historical tidbits. A surefire recommendation for fans of Christopher Fowler's "Bryant and May" series, which is quirkier but has many of the same appeal factors, and J.M. -Gregson's crime novels.-ACT © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Publishers Weekly Review
Det. Supt. Peter Diamond has a very cold case to crack in Edgar-finalist Lovesey's fine 17th novel featuring the Bath police detective (after 2016's Another One Goes Tonight). The demolition of a condemned house reveals a gruesome find in the attic: a male skeleton, dressed in 18th-century clothes and seated in a chair. Despite the age of the remains, Diamond's officious boss, Asst. Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore, insists that he devote his team's resources to investigating the circumstances of the man's death. The corpse's garb suggests that it might belong to Beau Nash, a legendary local rake, who became known as the King of Bath after a suspicious death in a duel elevated him to the position of master of ceremonies for the city's Vegas-like entertainment and gaming. The prospect of identifying the cause of Nash's death almost three centuries earlier is daunting, and the stakes rise when the autopsy shows that the dead man was fatally stabbed. The plot is one of Lovesey's cleverest, and the book is full of his trademark wry humor. Agent: Jane Gelfman, Gelfman Schneider. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.Booklist Review
Here's another of Lovesey's classy entertainments featuring the put-upon, slyly funny, and usually dead-on right Peter Diamond, detective superintendent of the Bath police. This time Diamond shares the spotlight with a chap who's been dead for 300 years, eighteenth-century slick Richard Beau Nash. It was Nash's talent for promotion that turned Bath into a world-class city, though it earned him a pauper's grave. Or maybe not. A headache ball flattening a building has exposed a skeleton wearing Nash-style clothes and bearing marks that point to murder. Diamond dreams of having some fun with conventional Nash scholarship, but a fresh murder claims him, and he must investigate the killing of a modern-day promoter. In hilarious scenes, which have become Lovesey trademarks, the cops traipse about, straining their patience while they interview witnesses who misunderstand the questions or would rather talk about themselves, until Diamond's eye for detail catches the tiny incongruity that brings the solution. There's plenty of suspense here action, too all told in Lovesey's effortlessly elegant manner.--Crinklaw, Don Copyright 2017 BooklistAuthor notes provided by Syndetics
Peter Lovesey was born in Whitton, Middlesex in 1936. He was a teacher before becoming a full-time writer.Lovesey's first mystery novel was Wobble to Death which introduced Victorian detective Sergeant Cribb. He later introduced Peter Diamond and Bertie in his novels to follow. He also writes under the pseudonym Peter Lear. His works have been translated into 22 languages and several of them were adapted for television and film.
Lovesey's works have earned him numerous awards. He is a three time winner of the CWA Silver Dagger. He also won the CWA Gold Dagger in 1982 and the 2000 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award in recognition of his career in mystery writing. He is the recipient of the Anthony Award, McAvity Award, Ellery Queen Readers' Award and the Mystery Writers of America Golden Mysteries Short Story Prize. Internationally, he has won the Grand Prix de littérature Policiére and the Prix du Roman d'Adventures.
(Bowker Author Biography)