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mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
3.0
This book was the contemporary offering in the most recent "then and now" book club at Mystery Loves Company. This tale shared some of the same elements of [b:Northhanger Abbey|12292354|Northhanger Abbey|Jane Austen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1321326084s/12292354.jpg|4039699], which was the "then" book it was pared with. Both stories are set in Bath, England, mention the Pump Room, and have literary elements as part of the plot. This one is part of a series featuring policeman Peter Diamond -- of which I've read a few. While I haven't read this series in order, I have enjoyed the books and recurring characters quite a bit and will continue to read this series. This one has a connection to [b:Frankenstein|18490|Frankenstein|Mary Shelley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1381512375s/18490.jpg|4836639] and inspired me to add it to my "to read" list -- how I've missed reading this classic previously is a mystery to me! Fans of British police procedurals with an element of art should definitely check out this fine series and get to know Peter Diamond.
nlgauvreau's review against another edition
This is the book that introduced me to the Peter Diamond series and Peter Lovesey as an author around a decade ago when I checked this out from my school library.
Despite being the 6th book in the series, I wasn't lost (but definitely knew I was missing background) and I've gone on to not read the series in any real order.
Despite being the 6th book in the series, I wasn't lost (but definitely knew I was missing background) and I've gone on to not read the series in any real order.
narniaru's review against another edition
3.0
Not one of the best, and a tad confusing at times, but still made for an exciting read
gracenow's review against another edition
2.0
The writing style was breezy and interesting for sure but some of the police conclusions as they worked to find a killer were absolutely absurd. The actual killer was so ridiculous, I could not suspend disbelief about the entire situation, even after it had been explained. Absurd. I will not be reading any more books by this author, that's for sure.
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this Peter Diamond mystery, but it wasn't a page turner and took me a while to finish.
bucherca49's review against another edition
4.0
This Peter Diamond was hard to put down. Lovesey has several plot lines that initially appear independent but converge by the end of the book. Bath, the Roman Baths, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, and William Blake all put in an appearance.
howjessicareads's review
4.0
Set in Bath, this is a surprisingly funny, fairly traditional British mystery. A murder linked to the Shelleys and Frankenstein, that becomes a modern mess for Peter Diamond to deal with. Intriguing, a bit predictable, but still a nice ending, and Diamond is a hilarious, likeable character, which makes the book quite good.
ericwelch's review against another edition
3.0
Detective Superintendent Diamond, of Bath, has a peculiar crime on his hands. A pair of hands is discovered by workmen excavating a old cellar that turns out to be the vault of an old house that once had belonged to Mary Shelley, and it appears she had written Frankenstein while in residence there. Professor Joe Dougan from Ohio has found a book of Milton’s poetry with the initials M.W.G. inscribed inside the cover (Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was Mary Shelley’s maiden name when she lived in Bath.) Clearly the book had belonged to the author while she was working on her famous novel. The case suddenly becomes complicated when the professor's wife disappears, and the body of Peg Redbird, owner of the Noble and Nude Antique Shop, washes up at the weir. Dougan had been at the Noble and Nude trying to trace the provenance of his book, and Peg had told him it had originally been found in an old writing box that Dougan hopes might have belonged to Shelley. Another Frankenstein connection appears in the guise of two paintings that may have been done by Blake as illustrations for the original publication. Then Joe Wigman, another detective assigned to the case, is found in a field, the back of his head coshed in. Diamond is a refreshing character, no drinking problem, he loves his wife, but there is enough of the curmudgeon in him to be constantly irritated by his boss, the assistant chief constable (Georgina) and her requests to cater to the councilmen and politicos (one of whom is her boyfriend) and reporters (whom Diamond generally loathes). Valuable clues keep popping up courtesy of one of these reporters who’s dying to become a police detective herself, much to Diamond’s consternation.
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