Scan barcode
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, this book has a completely ridiculous plot, but I still loved it! Sumo wrestlers, autistic children, the mob, pharmaceutical companies, all mixed together. Preposterous, but I read it in a day and can't wait to read the next in the series.
nonna7's review against another edition
3.0
After leaving the CID in a huff, Peter Diamond is working as the head of security at Harrod's. However, when a little Japanese girl is discovered in the furniture department after hours, Peter loses his job. However, he hasn't lost his zest for finding the truth. This novel is alternately serious, comic and even zany as Peter travels from London where he meets a famous sumo wrestler who takes a personal interest in the abandoned child, to NYC, to Japan where he meets the sumo wrestler once again for a rollicking finish that is highly unlikely, but a lot of fun.
nocto's review against another edition
4.0
It's taken me forever to get hold of this second book in the series - it's been out of print and I only found out about this omnibus edition (with The Last Detective that I've already read) by accident. Definitely a series to read more of if a bit far fetched at times.
bridgetbo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Suicide, and Ableism
Moderate: Xenophobia
gulshanbatra's review against another edition
3.0
Diamond Solitaire is the second adventure of the larger-than-life Detective-Chief Peter Diamond, and in many ways you can see how the author tried to recreate a story to equate the convoluted puzzle from the first, but didn't quite get it.
The story starts off with a promising premise, but quickly devolves into an aimless and underwhelming plot, with uninteresting twists and turns, some half-interesting but underexplored characters, and a really quick denouement at the very end.
There are elements of an international mystery here, and the author does up some interesting threads but follows up on none of them. The factory accident is wasted, the subsequent car accident is wasted, the long-winded introduction to the pastor is wasted... wouldn't want to reveal much of the plotline but there are more misses.
Worst of all, IMO, was the character of Diamond - he is shown as this bull of a guy, who can literally stare you down into submission, but he too fails - more than once, and there are large swathes of the storyline where Diamond is nowhere near to what's happening.
A sad addition to the series. I will perhaps still look for more in the series, but this one is average, at best.
The story starts off with a promising premise, but quickly devolves into an aimless and underwhelming plot, with uninteresting twists and turns, some half-interesting but underexplored characters, and a really quick denouement at the very end.
There are elements of an international mystery here, and the author does up some interesting threads but follows up on none of them. The factory accident is wasted, the subsequent car accident is wasted, the long-winded introduction to the pastor is wasted... wouldn't want to reveal much of the plotline but there are more misses.
Worst of all, IMO, was the character of Diamond - he is shown as this bull of a guy, who can literally stare you down into submission, but he too fails - more than once, and there are large swathes of the storyline where Diamond is nowhere near to what's happening.
A sad addition to the series. I will perhaps still look for more in the series, but this one is average, at best.
c713914's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed this quite a bit more than the first entry in the series - Diamond isn’t nearly as unlikeable in this book and the plot took some twists and turns you don’t normally see in this type of mystery novel. The very dated descriptions and broad generalizations of autistic kids were a little off putting at times, but I can’t blame the author based on when the book was written.
kimmerp's review against another edition
4.0
Solid story. More of a chase than a mystery though. Listened to this one and it brought out the wit and tongue in cheek aspect of the writing.
bexellency's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Decent mystery but hopelessly old fashioned particularly in the treatment of women, foreigners, the disabled.
howjessicareads's review against another edition
4.0
One of the Peter Diamond mysteries, but different in that Diamond resigned from his Detective Superintendant position with the Bath police force at the end of the previous book, and has been working as a night watchman at Harrods. A small Asian girl, apparently autistic, is found abandoned at the store, and this sends Diamond off on a whirlwhind trip from London to New York and beyond in the attempt to discover the link between this small girl, a fire and a car accident in Italy, and the release of a potentially life-changing new Alzheimer's drug in the U.S. Not quite as good as the regular police procedurals, but still a good read, with the imperturbable and enormous Diamond this time contrasted with an even more imperturable and enormous sumo wrestler who lends him aid in his search for the girl.