Peter Lovesey at Tangled Web UK

Page Updated: 08/10/2007

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Peter Lovesey - Page 1

The Secret Hangman

The Verdict of Us All

The Circle

The House Sitter

The Sedgemoor Strangler and other Stories of Crime

Audio Titles

Peter Lovesey Interview by Martin Edwards

WebPage: http://www.peterlovesey.com

About the Author (Photo (c) Mike Eddowes)

Bibliography

First British Edition Sphere (2007)

The Secret Hangman
Peter Diamond, the Bath detective, is having woman trouble.
His boss wants him to find a missing person, the daughter of one of her friends in the choir. He is not enthusiastic. Another woman, who calls herself his Secret Admirer, wants to set up a meeting in a local pub. He tries ignoring her. Then there is sexy Ingeborg Smith, the ex journo detective constable, distracting the murder squad from their duties. No one ignores Ingeborg.
Murder becomes a possibility when a woman’s body is found hanging from a playground swing in Sydney Gardens and a suspicious second ligature mark is found around her neck. Diamond investigates the victim’s colourful past. More hangings are discovered and soon he is certain that a secret hangman is at work in the city.
Is it the mounting pressure of this gruesome case, or just a dislike of living alone that propels Diamond into the arms of the Secret Admirer? Is his boss right to suspect he is sidetracked? The hunt for the killer, through abandoned mine-workings and the deserted city by night, galvanizes the entire squad and forces Diamond to face his own demons as well as the secret hangman.
'A consummate storyteller' Colin Dexter
‘Lovesey believes in (and serves up) good writing, a well-planned plot, lively characters and a satisfying array of twists, right to the last page’ The Times
‘No one has done this thing better since Dorothy L Sayers. A must for crime buffs’ Mail on Sunday
‘Pure joy’ The Scotsman
‘A mystery lover’s dream’ Daily Mail
‘Britain has spawned many great crime writers, Peter Lovesey among them… Lovesey’s storytelling talents propel the readers to the end and leave them panting from more’ Time Out

First British Edition Allison & Busby (2006)

The Verdict of Us All
Edited by Peter Lovesey with a foreword by Dick Francis
The Detection Club has always counted the crème de la crème of crime fiction within its ranks; previous presidents have included Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, GK Chesterton and, of course, the venerable HRF Keating. Now, in honour of his eightieth birthday, Keating’s fellow Detection Club members and the leading lights of contemporary crime fiction serve up a selection of tantalising conundrums.
Take the phone off the hook, draw the curtains closed and snuggle up on the sofa, ready to enjoy the wickedly wonderful short-story birthday presents on offer from some of Britain’s best loved crime writers. The contributing authors include Len Deighton, Reginald Hill, Colin Dexter, PD James, Simon Brett and Liza Cody, and with Dick Francis penning the foreword and Peter Lovesey putting the collection together, there is sure to he something to delight all crime fans.

The Detection Clubwas informally founded around 1928 by a group of British mystery writers including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, GK Chesterton, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, and Ronald Knox. Membership is much coveted and by invitation only. A writer must he sponsored by two other members and approved by the existing members. Membership numbers are small, with the leading crime writers of the day generally included.
In addition to meeting for dinners, the members of the club must agree to adhere to a code of ethics in their writing to give the reader a fair chance at guessing the guilty party. Each new member is required to undergo an initiation involving a skull called Eric, black candles and a crimson cloak.
The Detection Club presidents include:

GK Chesterton 1930 -1936
EC Bentley 1936 -1949
Dorothy L Sayers 1949 -1957
Agatha Christie 1958 -1976
(Lord Gorell, vice-president: 1958 -1963)
Julian Symons 1976 -1985
HRF Keating 1985 - 2000
Simon Brett 2000 - present

First British Edition Little,Brown (2005)

The Circle
When Parcel Force driver Bob Naylor plucks up courage to join his local writers’ circle in Chichester he is nervous. He’s not much of a reader, let alone a writer. He expects to meet people unlike himself with names like Maurice, Amelia, Zach and Thomasine - and he finds them. But while he is prepared for some naked ambition, he doesn’t know it will include murder ...
The death in a house fire of publisher Edgar Blacker propels Bob straight into a murder mystery. For Blacker had only recently addressed the circle. Most of its members had shown him their work and he’d actually promised to publish Maurice’s book about unsolved murders. And then, for some reason, he pulled out of the deal.
Being catapulted into the middle of a detective story excites and inspires some of the circle. Bob is pressed into helping Thomasine’s unofficial investigation. Naomi and Zach go one step further - they start writing an online, blow-by-blow account of the case. Soon they are relaying news of an attempted murder and the death of another of the circle.
For the real-life detective Henrietta Mallin, these amateur sleuths muddy the waters. Especially as one thinks he’s a genius, one may well be a genius, and one has more in common with Lady Macbeth than Jane Austen. But Hen won’t take nonsense from any of them as she unravels the sinister secret of the circle.

First British Edition Little,Brown (2003)

The House Sitter

`If you were planning a murder and wanted a place to carry it out, a beach would do nicely. . .’

At first, everyone presumed that the woman behind the windbreak was asleep. It was only when the tide was coming in, and all but lapping at her feet, that the astonishing truth was discovered. On a sunny summer’s afternoon at Wightview Sands, surrounded by swimmers, sunbathers and small children, the most horrific of crimes had been carried out.
But before the investigation can become whodunnit, there’s the even more pressing question of who-is-it. With no car left in the car park, no bag on the beach, discovering the woman’s identity is going to be a challenge in itself. And these aren’t the only problems facing Sussex police: by the time they reach Wightview Sands, the crime scene has been washed away and crucial witnesses have disappeared home.
The first that Bath Detective Peter Diamond knows about the crime is when the victim is traced back to his city. Soon the murder inquiry becomes a joint investigation, and not just between the two forces. For the dead woman turns out to be a top psychologist and crime profiler. And at the time of her death, she was working on a highly classified case for the National Crime Faculty, attempting to crack the identity of a cold and clever serial killer...

First British Edition Allison & Busby (2002)

The Sedgemoor Strangler and other Stories of Crime
The Sedgemoor Strangler and Other Stories of Crime is a brand new collection of short stories from the award winning writer Peter Lovesey. It contains 16 brilliantly crafted bite-sized tales designed to intrigue and enthral the reader. Collected around the theme of the perfect crime, Lovesey explores the methods criminals use to manipulate and deceive and investigates how some people can get away with murder.
The stories have a variety of settings, both historical and contemporary, and there are a few familiar figures from the world of crime thrown into the mix. Ingenious and intelligent, shocking and surprising and most of all, thoroughly satisfying. This is a masterful collection that is too good to miss.
Praise for Peter Lovesey
'One of the very best of the current generation of crime writers' Evening Standard
'it is masterfully plotted stuff, and distinguished by Lovesey's array of neatly sketched characters' The Observer
'This enjoyably complicated puzzle is unravelled by Peter Lovesey with his customary skill' The Sunday Times
'Lovesey's short stories are highly addictive ... small, maybe, but perfectly formed' Yorkshire Post

About The Author
After a career in further education, Peter Lovesey became a full-time author and began his writing career with Wobble to Death in 1970, introducing Sergeant Cribb, the Victorian detective, who went on to feature in seven more books and two television series. His recent novels have alternated between two contrasting detectives: Peter Diamond, and the Victorian sleuth, Bertie. He was Chairman of the Crime Writers Association in 1991-2. He now lives near Chichester.
Peter Lovesey 's crime novels have been translated into 22 languages and 10 of them are currently under film and TV options.
Lovesey's mysteries and short stories have won him awards all over the world. He won the CWA Gold Dagger in 1982 and has won the CWA Silver Dagger three times. He is the winner of the 2000 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award. In France he has been awarded the Grand Prix de littérature Policiére and the Prix du Roman d'Adventures and in the USA he has received the Anthony Award, McAvity Award, Ellery Queen Readers' Award and the Mystery Writers of America Golden Mysteries Short Story Prize.

Thousands of New and used Books at your Fingertips...
Support Tangled Web - Buy Your Books Online

Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.

The Secret Hangman (Sphere, 2007) (Peter Diamond)

The Verdict of Us All Short Stories (Allison & Busby, 2006)

The Circle (Little,Brown, 2005) timewarner Pbk Mar 06

The House Sitter (Little,Brown, 2003)

The Sedgemoor Strangler and other Stories of Crime (Allison & Busby, 2002)

Diamond Dust (Little,Brown, 2002) timewarner Pbk Mar 03 (Peter Diamond)

The Reaper (Little,Brown, 2000)

The Vault (Little,Brown, 1999) Warner Pbk Mar 00 (Peter Diamond)

Do Not Exceed The Stated Dose Short Stories (Little,Brown, 1998) Warner Pbk Apr 99

Upon a Dark Night (Little,Brown, 1997) Warner Pbk 1998 (Peter Diamond)

Bloodhounds (Little,Brown, 1996) winner of the CWA/Macallan Silver dagger Warner Pbk 1997 (Peter Diamond)

The Summons (Little,Brown, 1995) winner of the CWA/Macallan Silver dagger

Bertie and the Crime of Passion (Little,Brown, 1993) (Bertie Prince of Wales)

Diamond Solitaire (Little,Brown, 1992) (Peter Diamond)

The Last Detective (Doubleday, 1991)

Bertie and the Seven Bodies (Century, 1990) (Bertie Prince of Wales)

On the Edge (Century, 1989)

Bertie and the Tinman (Bodley Head, 1987) (Bertie Prince of Wales)

Rough Cider (Bodley Head, 1986)

Butchers and other Stories of Crime Short Stories (Macmillan, 1985)

Keystone (Macmillan, 1983)

The False Inspector Dew (Macmillan, 1982) winner of 1983 CWA Gold Dagger

Waxwork (Macmillan, 1978) winner of 1978 CWA Silver Dagger ( Cribb & Thackeray)

Swing, Swing Together (Macmillan, 1976) ( Cribb & Thackeray)

A Case of Spirits (Macmillan, 1975) ( Cribb & Thackeray)

Invitation to a Dynamite Party (Macmillan, 1974) a.k.a. The Tick of Death Allison & Busby Pbk May 02 ( Cribb & Thackeray)

Mad Hatter's Holiday (Macmillan, 1973) ( Cribb & Thackeray)

Abracadaver (Macmillan, 1972) Allison & Busby Pbk Apr 00 ( Cribb & Thackeray)

The Detective Wore Silk Drawers (Macmillan, 1971) Allison & Busby Pbk Oct 99 ( Cribb & Thackeray)

Wobble to Death (Macmillan, 1970) Allison & Busby Pbk Jul 99 ( Cribb & Thackeray)

The Crime Of Miss Oyster Brown And Other Stories Short Stories