Diamond Solitaire

Peter Diamond #2

by Peter Lovesey

The second Peter Diamond investigation

Fired from the police force for insubordination, Peter Diamond is reduced to working as a security guard at Harrod’s. Turns out he can’t even hold that job—he gets fired after finding an abandoned Japanese girl in the store after closing. “Naomi,” as he calls her, exhibits strong signs of autism, and he devotes himself to communicating with her in order to glean her identity and return her to her rightful home. Weeks later, a Japanese woman appears out of the blue to claim the little girl, and it appears as though Diamond’s job is done. If only that were true. Armed only with only Naomi’s drawings as clues, Diamond races to track down her kidnappers and save her life.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, British Literature, Detective, Mystery Thriller

340 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Peter Harmer Lovesey, also known by his pen name Peter Lear, was a British writer of historical and contemporary detective novels and short stories. His best-known series characters are Sergeant Cribb, a Victorian-era police detective based in London, and Peter Diamond, a modern-day police detective in Bath. He was also one of the world's leading track and field statisticians.

Reviews

[Ammar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting sequel to The Last Detective
two separate storylines
one is English
the other American
they merge somehow
a child mute
autistic
found in Harrods
and a pharmaceutical giant shady business with
the mafia

Book 3 soon

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. Diamond is such a solid presence. This one has an abandoned autistic girl, corporate chicanery and a sumo wrestler.

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read by.................. Simon Prebble
Total Runtime......... 10 Hours 46 Mins

Description: Stripped of his Police rank, ex-detective Diamond is working as a Harrods' rent-a-cop, until a young Japanese girl is found hiding in the store during his watch and he receives another pink slip. With time free, he investigates the identity of the youngster, now named Naomi, who remains silent and unclaimed. When she is abducted, Diamond traces her to New York and Japan where a Sumo wrestler agrees to bankroll the ex-copper's highly unofficial investigation. Lovesey's grip on the plot never loosens as Diamond, with gentle humor, bluffs his way past authorities by feigning a clout he no longer possesses. At the beginning of the book, a drug company is rocked by both the death of its president and an explosion at an Italian chemical plant. The ensuing corporate power struggle suggests to ever-observant organized crime factions that a buck might be made, and a murder is arranged. How this fits into the moving tale of the mute girl who draws diamonds on paper to symbolize her new friend is clarified only near the conclusion. It's a powerful moment in a book that, without gimmickry or cross-genre splicing, delivers superb, unashamedly traditional crime writing.



No part of this story is the least part realistic which meant total immersion was impossible. That is not to say Diamond Solitaire was a total waste of time, there were redeeming sections, however overall, this wasn't my cup of tea.

On an up-note, Prebble makes Diamond sound like Hoskins.

3* The Last Detective (Peter Diamond, #1)
2* Diamond Solitaire (Peter Diamond #2)
3* Bloodhounds (Peter Diamond, #4)
3* Diamond Dust (Peter Diamond, #7)

[Deb Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finding the Peter Diamond series of police procedurals/crime novels to be good reads with interesting characters, enticing plots, and well-paced momentum.

In Diamond Solitaire, the former CID detective loses yet another job but inadvertently finds a new one when an abandoned child catches his attention. Diamond's detective skills are put to the test as he must unravel a scenario that becomes more complex as the days go by.

Author Peter Lovesey has done a nice job of allowing each of the books in the Peter Diamond series to be read as stand-alones because he catches the reader up on previous details. However, as with any series, reading them in order allows for the enjoyment of seeing the main characters grow and change over time.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Lovesey's The Last Detective, which introduced the character Peter Diamond. This follow-up, while palpably more far-fetched, is even more entertaining. Fired (er, "resigned") from the cops, Diamond is reduced to working as a night security man at Harrods. One night the alarm goes off, and it's discovered an autistic Japanese toddler has been dumped in Diamond's area. Sacked for negligence, he decides to solve the mystery of where the little girl came from, a quest that takes him eventually to NYC and to Japan. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (some to do with Diamond's non-prowess as a home handyman, others concerning this very British bobby's interaction with the NYPD), but what stick more in the mind are the moments of genuine emotion. This is a gloriously fast read: get it and read it gloriously fast!

I have a confession to make. Many years ago I took a small daughter to an Author Event at the Exeter (UK) Waterstones. One of the authors was Peter Lovesey. He has the look of an English vicar whose tea parties are the scandal of the parish. He also has extraordinarily bushy eyebrows. He's got extraordinarily bushy eyebrows! said my daughter in one of those whispers that may one day reach Alpha Centauri. Lovesey looked across at us and, if ever eyebrows could be said to twinkle, his did.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diamond Solitaire is the second book in the Peter Diamond series. Peter lost his detective job in the first book. Diamond Solitaire starts out with Peter being a security guard at Harrods on floor seven. Floor seven is the furniture store and computer security goes off regarding movement on that floor. The police arrive and a small Japanese girl is discovered under the cushions. Peter loses his job at Harrods. He and his wife 's standard of living has gone down considerably since the loss of his detective job. Peter is overweight, gruff, with a hidden soft interior and a tenacious personality when he is on the trail of solving a mystery.

He becomes involved with finding out who the child is. The child is exhibiting autistic tendencies. The intrigue begins-travel to several countries, a fire, murder and a star sumo wrestler. I enjoyed this read very much and am looking forward to continuing the series. I can see why it is a long lasting series.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten about this series, but found my library had recently purchased the kindle books for circulation. This was a rather fun book that starts off with downers - Diamond is fired from his security job at Harrod's because a little Japanese girl is found in the furniture department on Floor 7 after hours, so off he goes home with the intent of repainting a ceiling and not doing a good job of that either.
The little girl stays on his mind and he takes up the investigation that includes drug company market manipulation. Along the way he gains support of a famous Sumo wrestler, allowing him to fly in pursuit to New York. Interaction with NYC police is great fun.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite mysteries. The final scene has stayed with me for years.

*Addition* Upon rereading, I saw problems I missed the first time and changed the rating accordingly. The ending still has a scene that is a show stopper.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. More of a hopscotched story than others I’ve read in the series. This was distracting for me, and I was more interested in some of the story lines than others. A fairly interesting and loveable detective just manages to hold the book together.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this dang thang. Diamond is such a curmudgeonly old pushover--what is it that reminds me of the best of men? I don't mind someone being impatient with the slowest among us, as long as they have a better idea. And Diamond always does. And not only that: he is kind, and well-meaning, and willing to put his mouth...well, where his mind [read:stomach] is, anyway. This is one mad-cap race around New York and Tokyo. His observations about NYC manners and cops are priceless, and sumo wrestlers also come in for some good-natured jabs--with chopsticks--in their amply-displayed naked buttocks.

Best of all, Lovesey combines some pretty wide-ranging events, i.e., a Japanese autistic child abandoned in Harrods in London, with a stock manipulation in New York, a factory fire in Italy, and a researcher at a Japanese university. It's a wild and improbable ride, but there is something recognizable and quite vulnerable about old Diamond being fired (yes, again) for the second time. I like the guy, and what an ol' softie he is when it comes to children.

[Kirsten Mattingly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retirement doesn’t suit Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond, and he quickly involves himself in investigating who abandoned an eight year old girl in a London department store and why. He follows the trail of evidence and soon he’s a threat to the plans of a whole lot of bad people. He’s in danger, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll survive to the end of the book, but we know he’s going to live because there are twenty more books in the series for him to star in.

In book one, we saw Diamond’s gruff demeanor, and here in book two we encounter his tender side as he bonds with the abandoned child and protects her. I enjoyed reading this entertaining and engaging mystery. I think it’s much better than the first book, and I plan to continue reading the Peter Diamond series.

[Stephen Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way Peter Lovesey sets up his mysteries. You have the one story arc, namely Peter Diamond, Lovesey's Middle aged, rather fat and bald with a fringe of hair around the side main protagonist. Then you have the second cast of character who are involved with the mystery. Part of the fun is how these two parts meet up. All the characters are fleshed out nicely and Lovesey knows how to put the reader on edge.

[Maria Almaguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the late Peter Lovesey's Peter Diamond mystery series was not as engrossing as his first (The Last Detective, which was brilliant). This one was very convoluted, though exciting in parts. Diamond is a former detective with the British police who finds himself determined to solve the mystery of a young Japanese girl seemingly abandoned at Harrod's. She's mute, so the investigation takes off with Diamond flying to New York and even Japan, befriending the interest of a world famous sumo wrestler, who agrees to fund Diamond's investigation. Along the way, we learn that a pharmaceutical company is also involved. (I said convoluted, didn't I)? After this, I'm not sure if I'll read on with this series but, if I need a book, I may try again.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Sentence: An alert shattered the silence in Harrods, a piercing, continuous note.

Ex-CID Peter Diamond missed seeing a small Japanese girl hiding in the furniture department of Harrods, resulting in his being fired. He can’t forget the girl, particularly after finding out she doesn’t speak, is being labeled autistic and no one has claimed her.

Japan’s top sumo wrestler offers unlimited funds to Diamond for finding the girl’s family, but she is kidnapped by a woman, later found murdered. Diamond is committed to finding the girl’s family and learning why is so important to someone.

As relevant today as when it was written, Lovesey presents a depressing, but realistic analysis of the pharmaceutical industrial.

Peter Diamond is great character. A big, fat man with a soft heart who is self-effacing, loves his very understanding wife, is dogged in pursuit of his case and tough as a diamond when he needs to be.

The story was completely engrossing in spite of a couple small bumps. There was an error of equating a derby with a trilby hat (very different styles) and a major premise that was a bit questionable. However, the sense of place, dialogue, suspense and action were very good.

I am delighted to know many more Diamond books await me.

DIAMOND SOLITAIRE (Unl. Inv.- Peter Diamond-England/NYC/China-Cont) – VG
Lovesey, Peter – 2nd in series
Mysterious Press, 1992, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0892965355

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this second in the Peter Diamond series quite enjoyable even if a bit unrealistic. The mix of story lines between Naomi, the young Japanese autistic girl that captures Diamond's heart, and the pharmaceutical plot that also unfolds in the book was intriguing. Diamond himself is much softer and more likable than in the first book, and there is more about his life at home than in the first one, which I like. Moving from Diamond's job as a security guard at Harrod's in London to world-wide international flights, navigating New York City and various international customs and police departments, to a madcap chase in Japan with the worlds greatest sumo wrestler were all fun additions to a regular police procedural genre.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Diamond, former police detective, while in Harrods, finds a Japanese child hiding in the furniture department. To learn the identity of the child and the reason she was abandoned, Diamond would have to follow the clues from London, to New York then to Tokyo.

Diamond Solitaire is a book you’d want to listen to on a quiet night. Simon Prebble’s storytelling made the characters come to life.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was laugh out loud funny in places. Even thought Peter Diamond is no longer with the police, he still is big and intimidating. I especially liked the fact he was trying to help the little girl that was found in Harrods. He really went the distance to figure out why she didn't speak and why she was the way she was.

I kind of figured some of the things out before they were revealed, but I still enjoyed how we got there. I have read other books by Mr Lovesey and I don't remember liking them as much as I did this one. Now I need to read the series in order to see how things progress.

The only criticism that I have is that when Peter is in America and the Americans are talking, the dialogue is more British than American English. I can live with the small imperfection, simply because I love Peter Diamond!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the second book in the series, former Detective Superintendent Diamond tracks a missing child wherever the trail leads. This book isn’t exactly a mystery like the first book in the series because there isn’t a case the reader can solve from clues and deductions, but it isn’t exactly a suspense/thriller because, despite the serious nature of the crimes involved, there is a lot of incidental humor. Diamond is an engaging character, but the resolution of the plot had some major holes.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining audiobook although one thing marred my enjoyment. Simon Prebble was fantastic as always, but I simply did not believe that FORMER Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond could sashay off to New York and Japan and pass himself off as an active police officer when he was not. Even in 1992, people had phones!

I did enjoy the sumo wrestler.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a new favorite detective – Peter Diamond! He seems an unlikely favorite since he is elderly, overweight, unable to keep a job or his opinions to himself. At the beginning of Diamond Solitaire, Diamond is once again let go from his job. He had been working security at Harrod’s in London. He had neglected to note that there was a young Japanese girl on the 7th floor after the store had closed. The girl was autistic and mute and no one seemed to be looking for her. Even after pleas on the news, she remained unclaimed and was placed in a special school until her parents could be found. Diamond finds himself very sympathetic to this young girl who is unable to communicate. A bond forms between them and when she is kidnapped from her school, Diamond jumps into action. He travels from London to New York City and then on to Japan. He receives support from an unlikely source – a famous sumo wrestler. There was a second plot about a drug company that was getting ready to release a drug that would cure Alzheimer’s. I wasn’t sure how these two stories would come together, but they did brilliantly. I’ve already put the next book in this series on hold at the library – I can’t wait to read more about Peter Diamond!

[beti_czyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tym razem trochę słabiej ,ale i tak sięgnę po kolejną część .
Diamond pracuje jako ochroniarz w Harrodsie ,gdzie na jego zmianie zostaje znaleziona dziewczynka.
Niestety Diamond przez to traci prace ,ale nie byłby sobą gdyby nie zainteresował się losem dziewczynki, gdyż niestety nikt się po nią nie zgłasza.
Trochę przeszedł i nawet sporo podróżował prowadząc śledztwo .
Książkę polecam tym którzy lubią dobry kryminał ,bez rozlewu krwi :-) .

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I discovered the Peter Diamond series recently via the first book in the series - The Last Detective. It seemed like a really solid start to a promising series. So I was excited to read #2. But wow - did this book ever jump the shark all over the place. The conclusions that Diamond and others reached based on scanty facts were just ludicrous. I kept reading largely because I thought and hoped things would settle down and make more sense. But the ending scene (without giving too much away) felt like the Incredible Hulk jumped in to save the day.

I'll still probably read or at least start #3 just to see if things become more believable. The characters were interesting at least as far as they were allowed to develop.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Diamond has been fired from the police force and cannot even keep his job as a Harrod’s cop. A young Japanese girl is found hiding in the store during his watch and, since he has nothing better to do with his time, he becomes determined to discover her identity. This is not so easy since the girl is mute and tentatively diagnosed as autistic. When she is kidnapped and taken to New York, Diamond follows and gets to match wits with the NYPD as well as the criminals. Still on her trail, he ends up in Japan with a Sumo wrestler as impromptu partner. Improbabilities abound, but the story is still very compelling. I was impressed with the author’s development of the role of the little girl. Diamond cannot accept the diagnosis and looks for an alternative explanation for her condition such as trauma. The book describes how parents of children diagnosed as autistic go through the same process as he does of desperately to make some connection with the child. As a reader I found myself in the same state of hoping that her condition would be explained by the kidnapping and violence she witnessed as well as her sudden removal to an alien culture. A faint glimpse into the experience of parents with such unresponsive children.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immediately before this novel I had read the first in the series, The Last Detective which I had enjoyed for a number of reasons ( see my review). I was a little surprised therefore at the first few chapters of this one which appeared to have sacrificed several of these reasons. Away from the familiar streets of Bath this new book features London, Italy, New York and Tokyo and it appeared that there were going to be a larger cast of characters involved.
And so a very different book to the first and to begin with, I felt a little let down/cheated but soon the story picked up. As before the well described characters were soon engraved in my mind. The story is well told and the book soon becomes a page turner.
In the last book, I knew the area of Bath in which it was set. In this one, I know a little of London, nothing of New York but much more about Tokyo and have been lucky enough to visit the Nation Sumo Stadium on the Sumida river which features here. I could identify with some of Diamonds thoughts on seeing the city for the first time.
Although different to the first book in many ways, another enjoyable read and for the first time in years I am moving straight on to the third book in the series.

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

1992, #2 Peter Diamond, ex-CID, London, NYC, Tokyo; professional as amateur sleuth.

When an autistic child is found hidden in Harrods, Diamond tries to find her family and winds up in an international brou-ha-ha that includes Mafiosi, pharmaceutical scams and coverups, arson, and murder, and a spectacular star turn by an enormous Sumo wrestler. More thriller than mystery, and extremely well-paced and solidly plotted, but somehow lacks heart. Diamond doesn’t seem “at home” in any of it, and his motivation for getting involved in the beginning is incredibly slim, yet he goes on to suffer myriad beatings and troubles in his travels.

Lovesey’s professional pacing and smooth writing made me want to keep turning the pages, but this is a “train wreck” sort of book, not one in which you empathise with the protagonists or victims. Entertaining, but not Lovesey’s best.

The first in series was far better IMO. I hope Lovesey puts Diamond back in London or Bath as a PI, think that will work well, far better than this attempt at “super sleuthing” Diamond.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Diamond returns from "The Last Detective'' as an unemployed homicide detective. He and his wife have been forced to move from the lovely Bath to live in a shabby London apartment while Peter unhappily works as a security guard in Harrods Department Store. One night when the alarms go off, he discovers a young Japanese girl who will not speak. Peter is sacked for missing the breach in security. Concerned about the girl, who hasn't been claimed, he begins on his own to investigate who she is and where she belongs. His detective work takes him to New York City and Tokyo before uncovering how the little girl is involved in a complicated plot. The ending is most satisfying, and I look forward to reading more Peter Diamond mysteries!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Peter Diamond, ex-Chief Superintendent in New Scotland Yard, has been fired from his job as security guard in Harrods when he neglects to spot an autistic Japanese child hiding in his section. No one come forward to claim her and no one knows who she is. Diamond is moved by her plight and takes it upon himself to attempt to discover her identity. His investigation leads him into an international web of mystery, a murder, a run-in with the Mafia, and an auspicious relationship with a celebrity Japanese sumo wrestler. Diamond is not known for finesse, but he gets the job done!

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was a bit disjointed I couldn't help but like Peter Diamond and his wry little observations. He is no longer with the police force and has started working security at a department store. A little Japanese girl is found locked in the store and nobody has come forward to claim her. Furthermore she doesn't speak and appears to be autistic. Diamond feels compelled to track down her family. Through some crazy turn of events involving trips to NYC and Japan with the help of a famous sumo wrestler, the truth comes out regarding the girl's family. I didn't buy into Diamond's actions but he was so darn charming it didn't bother me as much as it should have.

[Robert Gluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started the Peter Diamond series by reading #3, went back and read #1 and now I've finished the best of the lot, #3, "Diamond Solitaire." We see more of Diamond the person, get a view into his relationship with his wife, and see him struggling with his path in life. Combined with a nifty plot that eventually ties together two plot lines that a first seem totally separate, this is a very fine read.

[Tgordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Great book! I didn’t read the first of the series but I have it on reserve now! I can wait to read more of these! Detective Diamond is a cop for Harrods who gets let go after a Japanese mute girl is found in the locked store. He then goes around the world and back to figure out who this girl is and why she was left alone in the store! Fast paced and forever moving!!!