The Secret Hangman

Starred review from April 2, 2007
British author Lovesey deftly blends suspense and humor in his excellent ninth whodunit to feature Peter Diamond (after 2004's The House Sitter
). Diamond, a detective superintendent in Bath, though still traumatized by the murder of his wife, finds himself the object of amorous attention from two women, one an admirer who sends him anonymous letters. The curmudgeonly but astute sleuth also finds himself again at odds with his superior, Assistant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore, when his investigation into the separate hangings of a woman and her one-time partner suggests that both were murdered, contrary to the ACC's belief that they were victims of a murder-suicide. Fighting to devote precious time and resources to the inquiry, Diamond soon discovers evidence of a history of similar crimes and suspects the serial killer will strike again. While the solution isn't Lovesey's trickiest, its ingeniousness amply demonstrates that this classic series is still going strong.

Starred review from April 1, 2007
Inspector Peter Diamond of the Bath Police investigates a series of suspicious hangings: a waitress is found hung from a child's swing set, and then the father of the woman's two children is found dead, also hung. A case of murder/suicide? As he pursues this case, the widowed Diamond also must identify a secret admirer. The winner of the Crime Writers Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, Lovesey continues to excel, with cleverly plotted mysteries filled with detailed behind-the-scenes police work. Patrons who like Reginald Hill, Ian Rankin, and Stephen Booth will snap this one up.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2007
The latest entry in the Detective Inspector Peter Diamond series doesn't play fair with the reader since--s" poiler alert--"the resolution entirely depends on Diamond being pursued by a strange woman with whom he develops a romantic relationship. Lovesey has, in effect, "fixed up" Diamond, not only with the woman who stalks him successfully but with the solution to his case. Apart from this glaring defect, which may have readers steaming by the book's end, Lovesey turns in a perfectly acceptable entry in a long-running and popular British procedural series. Diamond, whose private life has become a "black hole" since the murder of his wife three years ago, attempts to focus on work as he investigates a series of murders in his home city of Bath. Diamond is a bit of a cipher (why do mystery writers persist in thinking depressives are interesting?), but the Bath setting always delivers, and the series of murders, involving the hanging of victims in very public places, is suitably jarring. A weak entry in a strong series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)