Bloodhounds

Mystery lovers will delight in this police thriller about a stamp theft and a locked-room murder among a society of crime fiction aficionados - the Bloodhounds of Bath. When the bludgeoned body of a member of the Bloodhounds is found inside a padlocked houseboat, Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond has to match wits with a criminal worthy of the classic novels of detection. Christopher Kay reads the novel with a melodious, singsong style, which is versatile and a pleasure to listen to but is unfortunately mismatched to this tale. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Starred review from December 2, 1996
The Last Detective (1992) inaugurated this series with a bang. It was followed by Diamond Solitaire (1993) and 1995's Edgar-nominated The Summons. With this fourth installment, veteran English author Lovesey gives us his laconic Bath policeman Peter Diamond in full dazzle. The Bloodhounds are a diverse group of mystery fans who meet in a dark crypt and talk. One night before the subject of locked-room puzzles is brought up, Milo, one of the group, opens a prized book and finds the rare Penny Black stamp recently stolen from a nearby museum. Milo is suitably puzzled. A little later, Milo is found dead in his tightly locked riverboat. The coppers have two perplexing puzzles to solve, and Diamond's sharp temper is soon sorely tested by the thief/killer, who sends the police and the media cute riddles. Diamond comes up with a perfectly workable scenario for what happened, which readers are given just enough time to swallow before Lovesey reveals the real thief and killer. With this especially effective conclusion, Lovesey demonstrates that his embrace of crime fiction reaches from John Dickson Carr to Andrew Vachss as he skillfully pays homage to the old style whodunit in this thoroughly modern mystery.