Beau Death

By: Peter Lovesey

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

In the 17th 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 him 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 nonbeliever 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?

©2017 Peter Lovesey (P)2017 Recorded Books

3

The first intriguing half of this book
reminded me so much of a similar premise I'd once read ... but so well written is this book the detective work
here wins out. The strange final pages win the day, though I usually have trouble suspending belief :-)
I just really like this author. This book not so much.

Peter Lovesey on top form!

Loved everything about this. I've read all the Diamond books and this newest one has everything that makes Peter Lovesey great: complex story, keeping you guessing, all the regulars, interesting cast of new characters, his signature humor - I laughed out loud so many times. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. My only quibble, this narrator was good but not great, I prefer Simon Prebble. But once I got used to Crossley, he was pretty good. If you are already a Detective Superintendent Diamond fan, you are in for a treat.

Good one!

Really enjoyed this book, plot, characters, and narrator. This is such a good series, because the stories are interesting, and also make one laugh. Had missed this one somehow, and was glad to have it to enjoy now.

I couldn't do it

I've been working my way through all of the Peter Diamond novels, and even managed to make it through those titles narrated by Michael Healy. But this version, with Steven Crossley, adds a second mystery atop that in Peter Lovesey's novel : "Why couldn't the publish Simon Prebble to narrate this one?" I returned the audiobook and picked up the paperback at Barnes & Noble.

Note: this audio version might be fine if the listener prefers all the main characters to sound like the rustic Players from "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Enjoyed the story...disliked the narration

I very much enjoyed the story and continued character development. However, I really disliked the narrator's interpretation of the characters. They all sounded like they were slow. I much prefer Simon Prebble.

Narrator Takes Away From Story

Beau Death is an average Peter Diamond book. Two plot lines brought together at the end. A couple of "Aha" moments that seem to occur predictable. However, my major objection is not the book but Stven Crossley, the narrator. He is no Simon Prebble. Crossley Peter Diamond voice is weak with little difference from other male characters. His voice for Ina Smith is an adolescent girl not an experienced detective and former journalist. Stick with Prebble - he makes the characters believable.

Not one of Lovesey’s best

I love Lovesey’s Peter Diamond stories but this one fell a little flat for me. It started with the reader. He just doesn’t portray Peter Diamond as well as Simon Prebble. For me Prebble IS Diamond.
Maybe because of this, I never got into the intricacies of the plot as I normally do with Lovesey’s work.

Good Book

Story was a little slower than usual. Narrative was well done. Took a lot of time describing costumes, not the usual suspence.

Twisted

Great story. Twisted ending. Never saw it coming. And this book was particularly funny. The narrator does a terrific job!

Narration editing weirdness

This didn’t listen smoothly. It sounded as if the narrator recorded all the voices separately & then they were poorly spliced together —with too much space between voices/speakers — so that the dialogue didn’t flow. That, in turn, was exacerbated by too many “bumpkin” voices. In sum, the narration was annoying rather than captivating. Too bad because it’s a great, fun story.