The Finisher

Peter Diamond, Book 19

By: Peter Lovesey

Narrated by: James Langton

On the 50th anniversary of the publication of his first novel, Peter Lovesey, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and titan of the British detective novel, returns to the subject of his very first mystery: running.

Through a particularly ill-fated series of events, couch potato Maeve Kelly, an elementary school teacher whose mother always assured her curvy girls shouldn't waste their time trying to be fit, has been forced to sign up for the Other Half, Bath's springtime half marathon. The training is brutal, but she must disprove her mother and collect pledges for her aunt's beloved charity. What Maeve doesn't know is just how vicious some of the other runners are.

Meanwhile, Detective Peter Diamond is tasked with crowd control on the raucous day of the race - and catches sight of a violent criminal he put away a decade ago, and who very much seems to be up to his old tricks now that he is paroled. Diamond's hackles are already up when he learns that one of the runners never crossed the finish line and disappeared without a trace. Was Diamond a spectator to murder?

©2020 Peter Lovesey (P)2020 Recorded Books, Inc.

Witty, Gritty and fun

I love the series. This one is exceptionally witty on Diamond’s part. Very clever mystery with great character development.

Better with age

Wow, Lovesey is 84 and has been publishing to 50 years. He seems to get better with age. I totally enjoyed this book with its plot twists and familiar characters. I hope he continues his book writing.

Wonderful anniversary gift for Lovesey’s fans

The Finisher is fantastic. Anyone who has read and enjoyed any of the many Books in the Peter Diamond series will love this book. It has everything one would want—a wide variety of bad guys, not so bad guys, and great detection by a beloved character. There is also Bath, a character in its own right. That this book pays homage to the very first book in this series decades ago makes it even more special. All that being said, I suspect this book would be accessible to first time readers of the series. Lovesey hasn’t lost any of his juice.

Very Fine. A Flawless Diamond.

Loved the setting details that make the plot come alive in such a picturesque way. Greeted Diamond and his usual cohort with fond confidence that they'd get to the bottom of very twisty mysteries. Especially liked the way Lovesey resolved the fates of various characters with poetic if not strictly legal justice. Also totally enjoyed Olga, the Russian woman, so expansively full of life and zest. A virtuoso performance by the narrator too.

Thoroughly enjoyed this edition of the series

If you have been a fan of this series, all the wonderful characters are present. The journey to the end is filled with smiles and a challenging mystery.

James Langton does an excellent narration

While we’re all spoiled to have had Simon Prebble narrate so many books in this series, I have to say that Langton does a fantastic job.
And I agree with other reviewers, this is an excellent Diamond book. Very enjoyable from start to finish.

another good book in the series

I've read them all and enjoyed this one it had a good tale that was interesting and believable. the author once again covered some contemporary issues I know mostly dealing with British issues but they resonate in America with immigrants trying to survive. His backstory to the ultimate investigations was interesting. The performance was good it's still very difficult in this type of book with so many different characters coming together to differentiate between each one and the performer did a good job. Lucky you if you haven't read any of these I would recommend starting from the beginning and enjoying them all because there are interconnected threads that go between every story in the books.

Spectacular...!!!

Love this series. Spectacular writing, plot, narrative and dialogue. The new and Final narrator for the current series is simply Grand, quite the equal of Simon Preble. The authors skill is as stated simply spectacular. Love this series. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

4

Why have I never read read this author?
Smart, Wodehousey, British, non urban. Now its make up for lost time
time :-)

An inspiration to mature listeners

Vintage Peter Lovesey his writings seems to improve with age! Don’t stop anytime soon. His main character meeting the challenges of new technology and embracing the usefulness with the right attitude.