A story full of surprises, The Finisher is one of Peter Lovesey’s best, which is saying a lot for a prolific author who has attracted a galaxy of star ratings

An intricate, well-paced murder mystery set against the beauties of Georgian Bath, solved less by cold reason than by
instinct and gut feelings on the part of the amiable old-fashioned copper, with his loathing of modern bureaucracy in the police force, and distrust of technology . . . Cat-loving DS Diamond, with his dog-loving girlfriend, Paloma, is the most amiable copper to come our way since the demise of the immortal duo of Ruth Rendell’s Wexford

Lovesey brilliantly weaves all these disparate characters and storylines into a wonderfully entertaining and compelling story. His work is the gold standard for UK crime fiction writing

Threaded through this elegantly written mystery are vivid and timely subplots concerning Russian oligarchs and Albanian fugitives from modern slavery gangs. Peter Lovesey may now be in his eighties, but he tells his tale with all the wit and verve of a much younger man

A witty, steadily absorbing procedural marked by Lovesey’s customary inventiveness and an unguessable solution

I loved this book and hope that Lovesey, who is in his eighties, will just keep on writing. I adored my virtual trip to Bath and the time spent with this book and its characters

An enthralling read, with an intriguing plot…deals with serious issues of modern life in a compassionate but honest way. The dynamics between Diamond and his team are cleverly portrayed and totally believable

Masterly, atmospheric . . .On the 50th anniversary of the publication of his first novel, Lovesey is still going strong

This is a story firmly set in the present day (or at least the immediate pre-pandemic present day!) but Peter Lovesey’s storytelling skills, and certainly his gift for constructing a fair play puzzle, match those of the finest exponents of Golden Age fiction

In a peerlessly plotted mystery, Lovesey brings back his prickly rule-abhoring detective, Peter Diamond of the Bath police, who’s investigating a murder at a half-marathon. As readers who love the Diamond series know, the picture-perfect old British city, honeycombed with sluices, drains and sewers, offers unrivalled facilities for disposing of bodies

It is 50 years since Lovesey’s first novel, which also featured running. British mystery fiction’s reigning head of state returns to that sporting setting with his customary wit, humanity and unpredictable turns of plot

Throughout, Diamond remains his usual appealing self, and Lovesey retains his knack for tight plotting and supple prose

Mr Lovesey’s descriptive passages will have armchair explorers champing at the bit

I came away impressed by the storytelling, the relative pace of the plot and of the frequent twists and turns that made this a compelling read

There are those among us who would read Lovesey if he took to writing on the backs of cereal boxes . . . All the signature elements of this acclaimed series are present: the gin-dry humour, the engaging characters, the ending that kills you before you know you’re dead . . . Slowly, but with relentless pacing and magical writing . . . the plotlines converge

It’s hard to believe that Peter Lovesey has been writing for half a century and reading his latest you’ll feel he hasn’t missed a step