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Skeleton Hill

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Paperback
$17.95 US
5"W x 7.5"H x 0.86"D   | 12 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Sep 01, 2010 | 350 Pages | 9781569478530
“Peter Lovesey is the real deal. A top master of the police procedural British subgenre, he's an ace at spinning out teasingly slow plot revelations . . . crisp prose and humane characterizations.” The Seattle Times

On Lansdown Hill, near Bath, a battle between Roundheads and Cavaliers that took place over 350 years ago is annually reenacted. Two of the reenactors discover a skeleton that is female, headless, and only about twenty years old. One of them, a professor who played a Cavalier, is later found murdered. In the course of his investigation, Peter Diamond butts heads with the group of vigilantes who call themselves the Lansdown Society, discovering in the process that his boss Georgina is a member. She resolves to sideline Diamond, but matters don’t pan out in accordance with her plans.
Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Mystery Writers of America 2018 Grandmaster

Praise for Skeleton Hill


"Diamond is a classic—better catch him while you can."
—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

“Peter Lovesey is the real deal. A top master of the police procedural British subgenre, he's an ace at spinning out teasingly slow plot revelations . . . crisp prose and humane characterizations.”
The Seattle Times, Best Crime Fiction of the Year

"Nobody can write the modern traditional detective novel as perfectly as Lovesey."
The Denver Post

"Lovesey's novels are consistently well plotted and his characters smart and witty."
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 

"History, humor, inspired clues, maniacal twists and a paean to the beauty of the Bath countryside. Lovesey, who’s won every prize going, deserves another for Diamond’s tenth."
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Diamond remains one of the most realistic and human of fictional sleuths . . . another winner in this enduring series."
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"The man writes flat-out great British police procedurals . . . Peter Lovesey, who has won just about every major mystery writing award on two continents, is in top form here."
—Mystery Scene

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

“Peter Lovesey is the real deal. A top master of the police procedural British subgenre, he's an ace at spinning out teasingly slow plot revelations . . . crisp prose and humane characterizations.” The Seattle Times

On Lansdown Hill, near Bath, a battle between Roundheads and Cavaliers that took place over 350 years ago is annually reenacted. Two of the reenactors discover a skeleton that is female, headless, and only about twenty years old. One of them, a professor who played a Cavalier, is later found murdered. In the course of his investigation, Peter Diamond butts heads with the group of vigilantes who call themselves the Lansdown Society, discovering in the process that his boss Georgina is a member. She resolves to sideline Diamond, but matters don’t pan out in accordance with her plans.

Praise

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

Praise for Skeleton Hill


"Diamond is a classic—better catch him while you can."
—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

“Peter Lovesey is the real deal. A top master of the police procedural British subgenre, he's an ace at spinning out teasingly slow plot revelations . . . crisp prose and humane characterizations.”
The Seattle Times, Best Crime Fiction of the Year

"Nobody can write the modern traditional detective novel as perfectly as Lovesey."
The Denver Post

"Lovesey's novels are consistently well plotted and his characters smart and witty."
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 

"History, humor, inspired clues, maniacal twists and a paean to the beauty of the Bath countryside. Lovesey, who’s won every prize going, deserves another for Diamond’s tenth."
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Diamond remains one of the most realistic and human of fictional sleuths . . . another winner in this enduring series."
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"The man writes flat-out great British police procedurals . . . Peter Lovesey, who has won just about every major mystery writing award on two continents, is in top form here."
—Mystery Scene

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