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The Secret Hangman

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Paperback
$16.95 US
4.99"W x 7.46"H x 0.87"D   | 11 oz | 28 per carton
On sale Apr 01, 2008 | 368 Pages | 9781569474884
“Lovesey’s delicate balance of humor and suspense [is] one of the delights of contemporary crime fiction.” Wall Street Journal

Delia Williamson, a waitress and mother of two young girls, is reported missing. She is soon found in a public park, hanging from the crossbar of a children’s swing set. The postmortem reveals that she has been murdered. Her current partner, ex-husband, and a traveling salesman who frequented her restaurant are all suspects. Before Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond can solve the mystery, more will die. But even as he pursues a killer, he finds himself pursued by a secret admirer.
Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Mystery Writers of America 2018 Grandmaster

Praise for The Secret Hangman

 
An Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Killer Book
 
“When it comes to the classic British puzzle mystery . . . Peter Lovesey is your man. His latest, The Secret Hangman . . . is a special treat . . . Lovesey proves that the traditional puzzle mystery is always a bit of fun and games.”
The New York Times Book Review

“Lovesey’s delicate balance of humor and suspense [is] one of the delights of contemporary crime fiction.”
Wall Street Journal
 
“Lovesey continues to excel, with clever plotted mysteries filled with detailed behind-the-scenes police work.”
Library Journal, Starred Review
 
“Lovesey deftly blends suspense and humor in this excellent ninth whodunit to feature Peter Diamond . . . This classic series is still going strong.”
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
 
“Lovesey, winner of many honors, including a Gold Dagger Award, should be on every British mystery lover’s short list, and this is a fine place to start.”
Rocky Mountain News
 
“Lovesey has cloaked the classic ‘puzzle’ mystery in a fully realized world of coppers and local landmarks . . . Masterful.”
Houston Chronicle

Praise for The Peter Diamond series


“Peter Diamond is impatient, belligerent, cunning, insightful, foul, laugh-out-loud funny . . . A superb series.”
—Louise Penny
 
“I’m jealous of everyone discovering Lovesey and Diamond for the first time—you have a wonderful backlist to catch up on. Me, all I can do is wait for the next book.”
—Sara Paretsky
 
“What'll it be today? A knotty puzzle mystery? A fast-paced police procedural? Something more high-toned, with a bit of wit? With the British author Peter Lovesey, there's no need to make those agonizing decisions, because his books have it all.”
—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Mr. Lovesey's narrative is swift, but he takes time out for local color and abundant humor, the latter springing from the book's quirky characters . . . Lovesey is a wizard at mixing character-driven comedy with realistic-to-grim suspense. And in a writing career spanning four decades, he has created a stylish and varied body of work.”
The Wall Street Journal
 
“Next to Jane Austen, Peter Lovesey is the writer the tourist board of Bath, England, extols most proudly . . . The enduring draw of the Peter Diamond books derives both from the beguiling Bath cityscape and the brusque character of Diamond himself.”
—NPR
Peter Lovesey is the author of more than thirty highly praised mystery novels, including the Peter Diamond Investigations and the Sergeant Cribb Investigations. He has been awarded the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, the Strand Magazine Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and many other honors. He lives in West Sussex, England. View titles by Peter Lovesey

About

“Lovesey’s delicate balance of humor and suspense [is] one of the delights of contemporary crime fiction.” Wall Street Journal

Delia Williamson, a waitress and mother of two young girls, is reported missing. She is soon found in a public park, hanging from the crossbar of a children’s swing set. The postmortem reveals that she has been murdered. Her current partner, ex-husband, and a traveling salesman who frequented her restaurant are all suspects. Before Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond can solve the mystery, more will die. But even as he pursues a killer, he finds himself pursued by a secret admirer.

Praise

Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Mystery Writers of America 2018 Grandmaster

Praise for The Secret Hangman

 
An Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Killer Book
 
“When it comes to the classic British puzzle mystery . . . Peter Lovesey is your man. His latest, The Secret Hangman . . . is a special treat . . . Lovesey proves that the traditional puzzle mystery is always a bit of fun and games.”
The New York Times Book Review

“Lovesey’s delicate balance of humor and suspense [is] one of the delights of contemporary crime fiction.”
Wall Street Journal
 
“Lovesey continues to excel, with clever plotted mysteries filled with detailed behind-the-scenes police work.”
Library Journal, Starred Review
 
“Lovesey deftly blends suspense and humor in this excellent ninth whodunit to feature Peter Diamond . . . This classic series is still going strong.”
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
 
“Lovesey, winner of many honors, including a Gold Dagger Award, should be on every British mystery lover’s short list, and this is a fine place to start.”
Rocky Mountain News
 
“Lovesey has cloaked the classic ‘puzzle’ mystery in a fully realized world of coppers and local landmarks . . . Masterful.”
Houston Chronicle

Praise for The Peter Diamond series


“Peter Diamond is impatient, belligerent, cunning, insightful, foul, laugh-out-loud funny . . . A superb series.”
—Louise Penny
 
“I’m jealous of everyone discovering Lovesey and Diamond for the first time—you have a wonderful backlist to catch up on. Me, all I can do is wait for the next book.”
—Sara Paretsky
 
“What'll it be today? A knotty puzzle mystery? A fast-paced police procedural? Something more high-toned, with a bit of wit? With the British author Peter Lovesey, there's no need to make those agonizing decisions, because his books have it all.”
—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Mr. Lovesey's narrative is swift, but he takes time out for local color and abundant humor, the latter springing from the book's quirky characters . . . Lovesey is a wizard at mixing character-driven comedy with realistic-to-grim suspense. And in a writing career spanning four decades, he has created a stylish and varied body of work.”
The Wall Street Journal
 
“Next to Jane Austen, Peter Lovesey is the writer the tourist board of Bath, England, extols most proudly . . . The enduring draw of the Peter Diamond books derives both from the beguiling Bath cityscape and the brusque character of Diamond himself.”
—NPR

Author

Peter Lovesey is the author of more than thirty highly praised mystery novels, including the Peter Diamond Investigations and the Sergeant Cribb Investigations. He has been awarded the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, the Strand Magazine Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and many other honors. He lives in West Sussex, England. View titles by Peter Lovesey