Diamond Solitaire

By: Peter Lovesey

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

One time police detective Peter Diamond loses his job as a security guard when he fails to spot a small Japanese child hiding in the furniture department of Harrods. Weeks later, she's still unclaimed; Diamond is unable to forget the frightened eyes of the silent little girl and takes on the challenge of uncovering her identity. Now Diamond is back in the sleuthing business, following a trail that leads from London to New York to Tokyo and to a shocking climax that may shatter his heart or cost him his life.

©Copyright © 2007 by Peter Lovesey. All rights reserved.; 2007 by Peter Lovesey. All rights reserved.

A fun romp— far fetched plot but at least it wasn’t that racist

Is someone very familiar with Japanese culture I was afraid that this would be full of generalizations and semi-racist stereotypes, but was pleased to find that this wasn’t too much in evidence. I have no familiarity with what the discourse about autism was when this book was written, but was pleased that it seemed to be treated with empathy and sensitivity.
I enjoyed the way that the (very good) narrator kind of made the New Yorkers sound like 1930s gangsters and it was fun to hear about places that I -a New Yorker- know very well like the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the Hungarian Pastry Shop from a British perspective in a book so old that they have Concorde planes and the Twin Towers. The scene with the priest at the beginning really was pointless but I’m dying with laughter at the reviewers on here who can read a whole book about child abduction and murder, but get offended by the “f word” 🤣 if you’re more bothered by swear words than by violence you need to reconsider your values!

Suspension of Disbelief

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story really pushes on the ability to "suspend disbelief". And yet, I kept listening.The events seemed implausible: the abandonement of a Japanese autistic child in a major department store, a former chief inspector volunteering at a school for autistic children,a meeting with a sumo wrestler, flights to the United States and Japan.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Any changes to the story would upset the balance of the incredible and make it a totally unbelievable story.

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Simon Prebble is one of the best narrators, but I find the older audios more difficult to understand.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It took more than one sitting to finish this audio book, but I stayed awake at night to follow it to some of its incredible junctures.

good solid 4 stars

I did like the first book in the series a little better, but this was a good solid four star read, and I'm starting the next in the series.

Brilliant work!

I love this book! Peter Diamond is a terrific character, one of the best detectives I’ve encountered.
Simon Prebble is incredible in narration. Something that becomes painfully obvious when I attempted 3-4 other books in the series were read by narrators so poor I couldn’t get past the first 30minutes.

Loved this story!

The character Peter Diamond is so lovable in this story. I enjoyed the complexity of story and variety of characters.

Full of Whoppers!

If you can get over the holes and incredulities, it's a good yarn. Prebble is priceless, as always. Love the way the lowly priest gets to introduce us to one of the more colorful plot events.

an interesting story

this story has some references to modern covid-19 times in the sense of how much money is made for drugs how much money is going to be made in the upcoming vaccine set in the late 80s and has an international flair including England New York and Japan. a good performance in a very interesting storyline about a person's commitment and how it relates to the Japanese sense of commitment as well.

Why not a movie?

Wonderful story so well told that it's hard to put down. Simon Prebble does a terrific job as the story teller. It' surprising that Diamond Solitaire hasn't been made a movie. I realize the Sumo wrestler part would be a challenge, but oh how I would love to see it!

Just great!

I very much enjoyed "The Last Detective", and "Diamond Solitaire" even more. Very well written and narrated. I especially enjoyed the Japanese connection, as I've been to Japan, and work in a US Japanese spa, with Japanese co-workers. Love their culture. On to the next book in this series.

Love the series

Very enjoyable plot with well delivered story. I enjoy the series and the narration is spot on