The Summons

"The Summons" by Peter Lovesey, published by Soho Crime. It is past midnight when two callers come knocking at the London flat of down-and-out, long-out-of-work Peter Diamond. When they turn out to be two CID men from his former police division of Avon and Somerset, he's baffled. When they order him to accompany them, he's mad as hell at being rousted from his warm bed - and intrigued. When it turns out his old department has an emergency only he can handle, he can barely stop himself from saying ''I told you so. '' John Mountjoy, a woman-hating murderer Diamond arrested four years earlier has broken out of prison and taken a CID officer's daughter hostage. His demand is to talk to Peter Diamond. His reason? He wants Diamond to clear his name, insisting he never brutally stabbed a beautiful reporter to death and filled her mouth with roses as a macabre touch. But he will kill the hostage, unless Diamond gets the proof to overturn his conviction. Review Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient Mystery Writers of America 2018 Grandmaster Praise for The Summons Winner of the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Nominee Critics' Choice Award Selection Good stuff . . . Breezy, British, and as comfy as a Cotswold cottage. The New York Times Book Review The Summons is a classic. The Economist Written with energy and style, a masterly performance. Rocky Mountain News Lovesey provides a riveting and ingenious plot, clever characterizations, and splendid humor, plusbest of allthe unparalleled Peter Diamond. Rates a definite thumbs-up! B ooklist A splendid idea worked out with surpassing ingenuity. Full marks to Diamond and his inventive creator. Kirkus Reviews P raise for the Peter Diamond series Peter Diamond is impatient, belligerent, cunning, insightful, foul, laugh-out-loud funny . . . A superb series. Louise Penny Im jealous of everyone discovering Lovesey and Diamond for the first timeyou 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 About the Author Peter Lovesey is the author of more than thirty highly praised mystery novels. He has been awarded the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, theStrand MagazineAward for Lifetime Achievement, the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and many other honors. He lives in West Sussex, England. Book details: 300 pages, published 1995. Order now on BookShops.in with fast, reliable delivery across India.