Against the Grain

Peter Diamond, Book 22

By: Peter Lovesey

Narrated by: James Langton

Detective Peter Diamond, chief of the Avon and Somerset Murder Squad, is taking a short holiday in the country. His former colleague Julie Hargreaves has invited Diamond and his partner, Paloma, to visit the idyllic village of Baskerville (no relation to the Sherlock Holmes story, so he’s told). It turns out Julie’s invitation was not without ulterior motives. The woman who owns the village’s largest dairy farm has been convicted of manslaughter following a terrible accident in her grain silo. Julie’s ex-investigator instinct tells her there has been a miscarriage of justice and a murderer is on the loose—but Julie’s been keeping secrets of her own, and can’t take her inquiry any further.

Diamond takes the bait; the case is a fascinating one, and he’s quite enjoying his incognito information-gathering, getting to know the villagers as they prepare for their annual Harvest Festival. The deeper into the cow dung Diamond mucks, the more convinced he becomes there was foul play. But maintaining his innocent tourist façade becomes harder as he closes in on his suspects. To protect his alias, he might have to learn how to operate a tractor or drive a herd of wayward cows. He might even be forced to attend a hoedown—not that he’d dance, not even to catch a killer. Or would he? The curmudgeonly detective has plenty to learn about himself as he tries on some new hats: undercover private investigator; village detective; country gentleman.

Over 30 years and 21 other novels, Peter Lovesey has bewitched his enormous fandom with the wry, stubborn, and fiendishly clever Peter Diamond. Now he brings his Anthony, Macavity, and CWA Dagger-winning series to a close with this delightful and bittersweet final installment.

©2024 Peter Lovesey (P)2024 Recorded Books

Diamond Solitaire

While I enjoyed the book, somehow Diamond alone was not satisfying. Since we know from the beginning Lucy is not guilty, it was easy to figure out the killer as there is one clue that says it all. Still, after many years with Diamond, this ending is appropriate, he will be missed.

Thank you, Mr. Lovesey

Over the years the books you wrote have given me so much enjoyment. Thank you and Bravo!

Going to sorely miss Peter Diamond!

This final Peter Diamond installment had me feeling nostalgic and wanting to start the series all over again from the beginning. I loved the story — Diamond’s first village murder — and found the return of Sergeant Hargreaves especially fitting for his last case. I especially enjoyed the humor in all of Diamond’s deception to avoid being found out as police. I’m going to miss these characters but am reassured that they live in my audible library whenever I want to revisit them.

Diamond in the Rough

Maybe it’s because I’m older with a bit too much girth and my wife has taken to calling my friends and me “grumpy old men,) but I love the Peter Diamond series more with each addition.

IMO, a weak entry in this series

The Peter Diamond books usually grab me much more than this one did. It had an interesting premise, but there were so many unrealistic aspects to the story that I wanted to give the author a good shake. Or perhaps Lovesey's editor was too uncritical or too timid to bring those issues to his attention. In any case, it was a bit of a disappointment. I also continue to pine for Simon Prebble, who narrated several of the earlier Diamond books. James Langton renders dialogue well, but he reads descriptive passages in a sort of whimsical manner that I find distracting and unnecessary.