A review by anika_bush
The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey

3.0

It was interesting to read a detective novel written by a short story author--this book is broken up into sections that read like short stories told from the perspective of different suspects in the murder of the "Lady of the Lake" (the victim was found floating dead and naked in a reservoir lake near Bath), tied together by the narrative of the police action. At times, it felt disjointed...tangents that seemingly have nothing to do with the murder at hand, so tangential that at some points I wondered if I'd somehow gotten a corrupted audiobook that somehow had sections of another book inadvertently added in. I suppose I'm just used to reading more straightforward mysteries (though, that being said, it's not my favorite genre so I don't have a lot to compare it to). Finally, though, it came together and in a rather satisfactory conclusion. I like that the Chief Superintendent is old school, preferring actual detective work rather than relying on technology to get the job done (the title referencing the fact that he was the last of his kind in his department, reluctant to adopt a reliance on technology.)
This is the first of 16 Peter Diamond mysteries...I don't know if I'll read another (but, really, only because I'm not a huge fan of mysteries...other than those written by Louise Penny and Robert Galbraith. If I end up becoming a mystery junkie one day down the road, I may revisit this series).