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nietzschesghost's review
4.0
The Finisher is the nineteenth instalment in the critically-acclaimed and multiple award-winning Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond series; On the 50th anniversary of the publication of his first novel, Peter Lovesey, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and titan of the British detective novel, returns to the subject of his very first mystery—running.
A killer strikes in the Bath half-marathon. No one in the local CID understands at first why DS Peter Diamond is so agitated when he sees Tony Pinto paying unwanted attention to a young woman soon after the start. But Diamond remembers putting Pinto away for a vicious attack on a student, and now the man is on parole after years of good behaviour. Diamond’s fixation with this ex-convict will bring him into trouble from every side, including his boss Georgina and police headquarters.
Unknown to anyone at this stage, a murderer is known as the Finisher has already been active in the city. Will the next victim be Maeve, who is running to salve her conscience after accidentally destroying a valuable item intended for charity? Olga, a rich Russian determined to shed weight and streamline her figure? Belinda, a painfully shy IT expert taking part in memory of her mother? Or Spiro, an Albanian fugitive on the run from modern slavery? First, Diamond must prove that murder has been done and then discover where the corpse is hidden, a dangerous quest that leaves him with a crippling injury. Only he can unmask the Finisher...
The inimitable Peter Lovesey returns with another masterfully plotted mystery that had me completely riveted from the very beginning. Immersive from first page to last, this is a book that is every thriller lovers dream. Putting it down was not an option and so I devoured the whole thing within hours. As always with his books, there are a number of strands to the plot but it never becomes confusing even though the story is a complex one. This is a page-turner in every sense with dry humour throughout, expert plotting, a vivid setting in Bath and excellent characterisation. If you enjoy gritty and original thrillers then this is a must-read. Many thanks to Sphere for an ARC.
A killer strikes in the Bath half-marathon. No one in the local CID understands at first why DS Peter Diamond is so agitated when he sees Tony Pinto paying unwanted attention to a young woman soon after the start. But Diamond remembers putting Pinto away for a vicious attack on a student, and now the man is on parole after years of good behaviour. Diamond’s fixation with this ex-convict will bring him into trouble from every side, including his boss Georgina and police headquarters.
Unknown to anyone at this stage, a murderer is known as the Finisher has already been active in the city. Will the next victim be Maeve, who is running to salve her conscience after accidentally destroying a valuable item intended for charity? Olga, a rich Russian determined to shed weight and streamline her figure? Belinda, a painfully shy IT expert taking part in memory of her mother? Or Spiro, an Albanian fugitive on the run from modern slavery? First, Diamond must prove that murder has been done and then discover where the corpse is hidden, a dangerous quest that leaves him with a crippling injury. Only he can unmask the Finisher...
The inimitable Peter Lovesey returns with another masterfully plotted mystery that had me completely riveted from the very beginning. Immersive from first page to last, this is a book that is every thriller lovers dream. Putting it down was not an option and so I devoured the whole thing within hours. As always with his books, there are a number of strands to the plot but it never becomes confusing even though the story is a complex one. This is a page-turner in every sense with dry humour throughout, expert plotting, a vivid setting in Bath and excellent characterisation. If you enjoy gritty and original thrillers then this is a must-read. Many thanks to Sphere for an ARC.
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