I imagine that Peter Lovesey must be one of our more prolific writers of crime fiction. After all, I think that this must take the list of books featuring the querulous Superintendent Peter Diamond beyond twenty, and he has written two or three other series too, as well as several standalone novels. Interestingly, however, Peter Diamond does not seem to have aged much in the three decades since I first started reading about him, although in this latest instalment, his boss does make ominous references to the prospect of retirement.

In this case, Diamond finds himself brought in to investigate a series of incidents that have befallen the popular television series Swift. Over the years, a couple of people from the support crew have gone missing and others have suffered strange accidents. Shortly before the main action of the story one of the cast suffers a heart attack after coming upon an intruder in their house. The local press picks up on this, and publishes an article about the jinx that is troubling the show. I won’t divulge much more of the plot from fear of inadvertent spoilers.

Diamond is on good form, and the plot is convincing. Indeed, I felt that this book marked a return to form after a couple of weaker recent instalments. All the regular characters are there, and they come together effectively. I have often wondered why this series hasn’t made it on to television. After all, with such a scenic setting as Bath, and with a maverick central figure like Diamond, it would be bound to draw a large and loyal audience. ( )

Latest in a generally competent, enjoyable (and long!) classic British police procedural series. There have been a few titles where author Peter Lovesey rather phoned it in, but this one is back in good form. Detective Peter Diamond is mellowing a bit as he ages, has moved in with his longtime lover Paloma, and indulges his cat. He has also developed a finer appreciation of his colleagues - a diverse-ish bunch (several women, youngsters with sharp computer skills, one with some neurodivergent traits that are used to good effect). An interesting setting in this outing - a long-running hit TV crime show with a large "cast" of director, producers, assistants, actors, stunt doubles, riggers, grips, etc. - suffering an unsettling string of disappearances, injuries, accidents, and deaths. Lovesey drops the right crumbs of clues in the right places; even if you peg the guilty, there are still surprises to be sprung, ferreted out by Diamond's smart, brave colleagues as he puts pieces together (sometimes very incorrectly indeed!). Nice job done by both Peters. ( )

Nothing spells reading enjoyment like a Peter Diamond mystery with its wit, humor, clever plots, and iconic main character. Think you know all about backseat drivers? If you haven't been graced with Peter Diamond as a passenger, think again. Moreover, no one can ignore technology like he can. Fortunately, he has a team that works like a well-oiled machine, a team that's aware of this man's quirks and can deal with them without even blinking an eye. Diamond may enjoy teasing members of his team, but he's also quick to praise them when a job is well done.

In Showstopper, Diamond and his team get a real workout as they try to discover why so many things are going wrong on the set of the hit television series Swift, and I have to admit that I had to wait for Diamond to work his magic because I was nowhere close to solving the case myself.

I enjoyed the devious plot. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters. I enjoyed the backstage look at filming a hit TV show. And I certainly enjoyed Lovesey's knack for turning a vivid phrase ("an ancient wisteria with vines like petrified pythons"). If you haven't made the acquaintance of Peter Diamond, feel free to start right here with Showstopper. Yes, the characters do grow as the series progresses, but Lovesey is a master at treating each book as if it's a standalone. I jumped in about six or seven books ago and have never felt lost. However, I've also gathered together several of the earlier books to read at my leisure because Peter Diamond is one of those very addictive characters whom you just can't ignore.

(Reading copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) ( )

Peter Diamond's boss is making noises about his retirement, which throws him into an uncharacteristic panic. When a missing persons case presents itself, he's ready to seize on it to show he's still a sharp investigator. As usually happens, the plot thickens as the team learns another member of the same television production crew also vanished a few years earlier. Are they related? And could they have anything to do with the death of an elderly and popular cast member, who surprised a burglar at her home and was shocked into a fatal heart attack.

Diamond digs in, and suspicions grow, especially when the leather belt a vagrant picked up at the airfield where the missing man was last seen turns out to be stained with blood. Could the vagrant, a strangely erudite and assertive man, be the killer? Or could it be down to rivalries among the fractious company, many of them well-equipped to lie with conviction?

I didn't find this as strong as other entries in this long-running and usually top-notch series. Diamond, in particular, seemed far too quick to spin up elaborate theories as soon as he fastened on a suspect, which seemed unrealistic for a seasoned detective, even if he was rattled at the thought of retirement. The television setting was, as usual, richly drawn, and some of the red herrings were nicely diversionary, but the passages devoted to hashing out the possibilities and, too often, seeming convinced of a perpetrator on slim evidence slowed the pace down. Maybe when Diamond returns, he'll be back on his game and less distracted by shiny objects and fear of retirement.