The Last Detective

An Inspector Peter Diamond Investigation

By: Peter Lovesey

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

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.

Crack another case with Peter Diamond.©2006 Peter Lovesey. All rights reserved. (P)2010 BBC Audiobooks America

Disappointed

The narrator’s performance and the writing were great. Unfortunately, I didn’t like any of the characters, and it felt odd not to root for anyone. The ending left me feeling unsatisfied—but I guess it’s a tribute to the writing that I hung on to the end. I don’t think I’ll continue with the series, however.

Well-crafted mystery, beautifully performed

The skillful and inspired narration by Simon Prebble makes this a perfect audiobook experience. He switches voices and accents—South London, Welsh, Yorkshire, posh, working-class, male, female, teenaged—so convincingly that one can forget it is all voiced by the same actor. The mystery itself is beautifully written, with convincing levels of detail and a palpable sense of place. The story keeps you guessing up to the very end even if you catch the clues going by.

Good mystery and excellent narrator

I liked this book. It was the first I listened to by this author. I think it would have been better if I had familiarity with the characters. I enjoyed it enough to want to start from the beginning of the series.

Slow Start - But stick with it!

The opening chapters gave the idea that this would be just an ordinary police mystery. Jaded, old fashioned police detective VS irritating younger officers. But the story develops into a complex mystery told by three different characters. The main characters are well developed, especially Peter Diamond, the lead character. Simon Prebble, the narrator, is excellent, as usual. I've listened to several of his recordings - always perfectly performed.

Disappointing

Started out competently enough and then completely falls apart at the end When the author has the spoon feed you