[Peter Diamond 03] • The Summons

"Good stuff . . . Breezy, British, and as comfy as a Cotswold cottage."—The New York Times Book Review

"Written with energy and style, a masterly performance."—Rocky Mountain News

John Mountjoy has escaped from prison and taken a hostage, and the only person he’ll talk to is Detective Peter Diamond, who arrested him four years earlier for the murder of a young journalist. Diamond must follow a cold trail to find another killer and clear Mountjoy’s name before someone else dies.

Peter Lovesey is the author of 23 highly-praised mysteries and has been awarded the CWA’s Gold, Silver, and Diamond Daggers, as well as many U.S. honors. He lives in West Sussex, England.

Amazon.com ReviewPeter Diamond is unemployed and down-and-out, but his old CID department comes knocking when they need him. John Mountjoy, a murderer, has broken out of prison and taken a hostage -- and the only person he'll talk to is Diamond, who arrested him four years earlier. Unless Diamond can follow a very cold murder trail to find another killer and clear Mountjoy's name, another woman will die.

From Publishers WeeklyA resourceful convict's escape from a prison dubbed "the British Alcatraz" launches Peter Diamond's third case (after Diamond Solitaire). Once out of Albany Prison, John Mountjoy kidnaps the Assistant Chief Constable's daughter in order to force the Bath police to reopen his case. His demand: that the detective who put him away for murder now find the real killer. What he doesn't know is that Diamond?fat, bald and brilliant?has resigned from the force in a huff and lives in London, where his odd jobs include "collecting supermarket trolleys from a car park." But his old bosses need him desperately and, to his own astonishment, he begins to be pursuaded that he had indeed goofed the first time. But a race is on between Diamond (with one helper, Detective Inspector Julie Hargreaves) and a team of trigger-happy cops who are itching to run Mountjoy down. The chase leads to a "crusty" (hippy) encampment, a horse funeral, a battered husband, "buskers" (street entertainers) and a siege of a huge old empty luxury hotel. Except for one irritating device used to delay the denouement, the action proceeds logically, with solid plot construction, savvy dialogue and great good humor. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.