The Stone Wife

Peter Diamond #14

by Peter Lovesey

Just as the bidding gets exciting in a Bath auction house, three armed men stage a hold-up and attempt to steal Lot 129, a medieval carving of the Wife of Bath. The highest bidder, appalled to have the prize snatched away, tries to stop them and is shot dead.

Peter Diamond, head of the murder squad, soon finds himself sharing an office with the stone wife - until he is ejected. To his extreme annoyance the lump of stone appears to exert a malign influence over him and his investigation. Refusing to be beaten, he rallies his team and begins finding suspects and motives.

The case demands that someone goes undercover. The dangerous mission falls to Sergeant Ingeborg Smith, reverting to her journalist persona to get the confidence of a wealthy local criminal through his pop star girlfriend. And soon, murder makes a reappearance . . .

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

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

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

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

12 hours 13 mins, read by Michael Tudor Barnes

Description: Just as the bidding gets exciting in a Bath auction house, three armed men stage a hold-up and attempt to steal Lot 129, a medieval carving of the Wife of Bath. The highest bidder, appalled to have the prize snatched away, tries to stop them and is shot dead. Peter Diamond, head of the murder squad, soon finds himself sharing an office with the stone wife - until he is ejected. To his extreme annoyance the lump of stone appears to exert a malign influence over him and his investigation. Refusing to be beaten, he rallies his team and begins finding suspects and motives. The case demands that someone goes undercover. The dangerous mission falls to Sergeant Ingeborg Smith, reverting to her journalist persona to get the confidence of a wealthy local criminal through his pop star girlfriend. And soon, murder makes a reappearance...

This is the one about Chaucer, his forester son Thomas, and the Wife of Bath carved in Bath stone. There is murder and the Alfred Jewel.

This is the last one I have in the collection, so Peter and I part company here and what a paltry episode this was, the worst so far.

Geoffrey Chaucer.

Thomas Chaucer

Alfred Jewel

3* The Last Detective (Peter Diamond, #1)
2* Diamond Solitaire (Peter Diamond #2)
3* The Summons (Peter Diamond #3)
3* Bloodhounds (Peter Diamond, #4)
3.5* Upon A Dark Night (Peter Diamond #5)
3.5* The Vault (Peter Diamond, #6)
3* Diamond Dust (Peter Diamond, #7)
3.5* The House Sitter (Peter Diamond, #8)
2.5* The Secret Hangman (Peter Diamond, #9)
3* Skeleton Hill (Peter Diamond, #10)
3* Stagestruck (Peter Diamond, #11)
3* Cop to Corpse
3* The Tooth Tattoo (Peter Diamond, #13)
2* The Stone Wife (Peter Diamond #14)

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting investigation for anyone with interest in Chaucer. I have not had the opportunity to read very many of these Peter Diamond books, but I hope to find more of them before too long. I read the only one my library has in e-book format some time ago, so the spacing of my reads allows enough time to forget the details of his life. This one comes later in his career where he is now a superintendent and also a widower.
The group that works together has respect for their leader, but also understandable grievances. In one instance the rookie of the group is nearly killed because he has not been advised of undercover work going on by one of their team. Diamond keeps the solution to a murder under his hat but minimally prepares some in a direction to bring cuffs. I should think it would be more than annoying to work for such a secretive head man.
The focus is finding who killed a Chaucer expert bidding at auction for a stone relief of The Wife of Bath. Within the framework of this investigation he assigns one member with undercover work that may or may not be connected in the wide net Diamond casts.
Pace is slow and methodical for the most part, but it picks up tempo toward the dramatic end.
There is subtle humour to be had throughout, the kind enjoyed in your comfy reading chair. Diamond embraces a new favorite word, "Byzantine!"

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did Peter Lovesey really write this book? I am a huge Peter Diamond fan and usually an even bigger fan of Peter Lovesey's writing, but this book left me flat to say the least. There were huge and glaring holes in the plot, the storyline was disjointed and the characters were like caricatures of themselves. The premise is a good one. It is based on historic artifacts from Geoffrey Chaucer, and Chaucer's life is covered in some detail in the book. Peter Diamond and his team are on the trail of a murderous trio from an auction house. A stone carving of The Wife of Bath (also from Chaucer) was on the block and bringing much higher bids than the auctioneer had predicted. Then three men enter the sale trying to steal the huge carving, and by the time they leave one of the bidders has been shot dead and The Wife of Bath is still sitting on the floor as the gang of thieves left it behind. Peter has to do a little historical research for this case and that is where the Chaucer references come in. But the book was so disjointed and let me say silly, that I found I really didn't care by the end who had done the murder. I certainly hope that this book isn't a preview of others to come in this series, as I really want to get back to the old Peter Diamond stories. They are usually books that I find full of wit and humour and they usually have a fairly tricky mystery. This one is not that kind of book.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stone Wife is a thoroughly enjoyable mix of real estate development, academic lunacy, murder mystery, Chaucer, sex and love run riot set in Bath, as always. This Peter Diamond series of Lovesey's would almost be a guilty, tantalizing pleasure if the books were not so expertly-written. Generally, when I finish one of these books I find I feel like I need to get to Bath asap. This time, I also felt an urge to reread The Canterbury Tales. So, proceed to read at your pleasure and peril.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually REALLY enjoy Lovesey, but this book dragged at first, declined into improbability, and had an ending that came out of left field. We listened to it in the car on a trip, and I was distressed that I used it to introduce my husband to the series!

[Larraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Peter Lovesey and his character, DI Peter Diamond. However, this one not only featured a lot of loose ends, but it really annoys me when some "clues" are held back. This is the usual complicated story that I love though. A large stone with a carving of the Wife of Bath is being auctioned off. The bidding is heated and the price goes much higher than the original valuation by the auction house. In the middle of the bidding, three armed men break and in attempt to stop the bidding. The man who is winning the bidding war so far, a Chaucer expert at a local university, is shot after protesting. The attempted robbery is aborted, and they get away. However, the shot that should have been a serious wound turns out to be a fatal one. Soon Diamond and his team are checking out every possible motive as well as trying to track down the guns used. Because of tight British gun laws, it seems that most crooks just "rent" guns from illegal gun dealers. Diamond suspects that the guns may have come from a well known dealer who has been very slick over the years. Ingeborge Smith, a former journalist, now police officer and recently promoted to Detective Sargeant, goes under cover to see what she can find out. One review I read said that the plot suffered from the main character not being in every part of the story. I don't agree with that. What surprised me was the lack of explanation when a major player in the story supposedly commits suicide. It may have been a handy way to get rid of him, but I think I would have found a different method. Still, it is an entertaining story and certainly worth reading. If nothing else, you'll brush up on your Chaucer!

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some books a 4* is a brilliant score but for this author in this series it is a bit of a disappointment. Dont get me wrong, it is still a most emjoyable read with a good long section of page-turning excitement but, I am sorry to say, I found a couple of 'niggles' with this one.

I found it a bit hard to accept that both of the supposedly 'tough guys' of the story seemed to turn into very chatty and helpful interviewees all of a sudden.

My other niggle was ( and here I have to be careful to avoid a spoiler) that the circumstances behind the body found in the water, were never really explained other than as someone's theory. Reasons were given why this person needn't have committed suicide but did I miss something?

I cant put my finger on what I thought was missing from the novel as a whole but I wonder if it had anything to do with the big slice of the story that moved from Diamond to Detective Sergeant Ingebord Smith and the movement of much of the action away from Bath. I dont know. May be it has something to do with my coming to the end of the my books of the series.

Looking at the explanation of the stars that we can give to the books we read, 4* is 'really liked it' and once again, I did.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled a bit with this one. But Lovesay redeemed himself at the end. It was a wonderfully complex drama with a host of characters introduced right at the end that made it lovable.

Ingebord does some undercover work that strains credulity but willful suspension of disbelief is always necessary for good reads. Anyway, it did not blunt my admiration for the Crime Dagger Winner. I'm still a huge fan, especially after this reminder of the skill and clarity of Chaucer, that old wag.

[Nancy Oakes]

This type of crime light isn't really my usual thing, since I prefer exploring the darker side of human nature, but I started this series eons ago & on the whole I've really enjoyed it, so I keep up to date with it. Plus, I sort of needed something on the lighter side right now, so it works for me at this particular moment in time.

for plot etc you can click here to get to my online reading journal; otherwise, just read on for what I thought about the book.

As with many of the Diamond novels, The Stone Wife reaches into Bath's historical and archaeological past; since Chaucer figures prominently in this novel there is also some discussion about the author's life, history, and works as well. The plot is not at all complicated and very easy to read -- this is definitely, as I noted, crime light, in a good way that brings out some of Diamond's little trademark eccentricities while he and the team solve a most baffling case with a wide array of potential suspects. There are also a few scenes that draw the reader to the plight of modern development impinging on historical or natural landscapes, and the powerlessness of locals who try to stop it. On the other hand, the liveliness that exists between Diamond and the other members of his crime-solving team just isn't there this time as it has been in the past and I missed it. Another point: there was much more going on than I felt necessary in terms of Ingeborg's undercover work -- imho, that part took up more space and reader attention than it really needed to, and sort of drew away from the main thrust of the story.

If you haven't read the Diamond novels before, you could still read The Stone Wife as a standalone, but you'll have a much better grasp of the intrepid Inspector if you start from the beginning of the series. This is a good novel for readers of crime light -- not that there's anything light about a murder, but there's no major character angst, no gratuitous violence or sex, and it really is a good old-fashioned murder mystery that you can just curl up and escape with for a few hours. While it's not my normal thing, I have a lot of personal history invested in this series and I will always make time to catch up on what Peter Diamond and his crew are up to. Recommended, especially for those who like their crime and crimesolvers on the the tame side.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notified this morning of my First Reads win! Looking forward to the latest Lovesey...review to follow of the advance uncopyedited edition I received:


Lately, it seems that many of the detective series that are my favorites have the protagonist facing down the looming specter of retirement and ghosts from long careers. Another theme that recently keeps recurring is art theft. So, when I began The Stone Wife I half expected that Peter Diamond would be considering retirement as he solved the theft that occurred during an art auction. Happily, only the art theme is present and Diamond shows little evidence of slowing down. I would so hate to lose another favorite sleuth!

As always, Bath and its history play an important role in the novel as does Chaucer's tales and his Wife of Bath. A would-be theft goes wrong during an auction of the stone slab purported to be a carving of the Wife of Bath, leaving one of the bidders dead. Diamond and his team investigate far and wide in areas of academia as well as the criminal underworld and antiques dealers. Ingeborg Smith is front and center in much of the book, numerous red herrings abound and much history is learned as you read the complicated tale. The characters and their interaction with each other were well done. And while the novel is not as taut as some others in the series, it still is a very satisfying read served with a dollop or two of suspense. I understand there are possibly two more Diamonds in the works, so I am both happy and grateful that Peter Lovesey continues writing more adventures for us to relish.

Thanks to First Reads for the opportunity to yet again enter the intriguing world Lovesey has created!

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A auction goes terribly awry when a large slab of carved stone goes on the block. The stone is claimed to be related to Chaucer and his book "Wife of Bath." Soon its a matter for police led by Peter Diamond.

Diamond and his team are quickly on the hunt not only to discover whether it is a robbery gone bad or a murder planned to look like a robbery but it origins. Before long, though its giving Diamond physical and emotion grief. But the intrepid investigator keeps plodding along investigating the various and sundry suspects and eventually, finds the clues to wrap up the mystery.

An enjoyable read, well-written and a creative solution. I'm not as enamored with Diamond as I have been with other recent police inspectors but its hard not to root for his team as they track down clues and possible motives.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A medieval stone carving of Chaucer’s Wife of Bath is being bid for at auction when masked gunmen attempt to steal it. In the course of the attempted robbery one of the bidders is shot dead and the gunmen flee, leaving the Wife of Bath behind. As evidence in the murder investigation, she ends up in Peter Diamond’s office, much to his displeasure. This starts off as quite a good mystery, but later it turns into more of a thriller, with car chases and guns and kidnappings and shootings. Ingeborg’s adventures became quite James Bond-like. And I never quite worked out what some of the characters were there for. But it was all quite fun.

[Carl Hruza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoiler alert

I'm a Lovesey fan at large, but his talent for building a cohesive plot seems to be dwindling.

This book is replete with glaring inconsistency and will leave anyone raised on classic crime novelists wondering WTF?

For starters, the whole premise of the botched theft of the stone is based around the three characters entering the auction house, in the middle of the proceedings, with the intent to steal the damn thing. Then we're told that the stone sat in the stock room where it was available for previewing for days leading up to the actual auction. So why didn't the three stooges just role up in the middle of the night and steal the bloody thing? Why swing-in all Tarzan-like in front of dozens of witnesses and shoot one of the buggers?
Also, the last chapter describes the physical effort needed to move the stone. The three original robbers had to enlist the help of others, just to get the stone from the van to its new location. How did these dumb twits expect to steal the bloody thing in the first instance, in front of dozens of people in a crowded auction room? Come on, this is just plain barmy. It's incredulous and takes away from the integrity of the book.

Then who was the Nathan guy and why the heck was he even in the book to begin with? It wasn't his guns used in the robbery....why did he commit suicide? It would've been more cohesive had the author linked the stone to the selling off of the antique property from within Nathan's home, as with the suits of armor etc. A missed opportunity to actually connect him to the plot.

I think Lovesey is basically in Grisham mode, churning out these novels to order, to keep his publisher happy. The difference is that Grisham's novels have some degree of cohesion, so it seems that the team who write them are at least talking to one another.

Don't waste your time on this book.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting is a Bath Auction house where people are frantically bidding on a stone slab that is supposedly related to Chaucer. At the height of the bidding, three masked robbers attempt to steal the stone and shots ring out. A man who had been the fiercest bidder is shot and killed. The dead man was a professor who had recognized the figure carved in the stone as Chaucer's wife. The would be thieves leave leaving the stone behind. Peter Diamond and his team are assigned to investigate and the stone is moved into Peter's office. He unwittingly trips over the stone and hurts himself and begins to think the stone is haunted. An expert on Chaucer is brought in and much detail is presented about his life and the characters he created. I loved this book, especially since I majored in British literature and taught a class about Chaucer and the period he lived in. Peter Lovesey is one of my favorite so it was a win-win. Much information is presented about the area where Chaucer had lived. A modern day triangle of marital infidelity adds to the suspense and interest. I highly recommend the novel.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A university don engages in bidding at an antiquities auction on behalf of a museum. He gets shot dead for his troubles at the height of the bidding. The item he was bidding on (a carving of characters from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales) turns out to be too heavy too carry away, or the killers are too flustered to focus on anything but their escape, or the killers weren't interested in the item. Superintendent Diamond's team investigates (one dangerously under cover) while the object sits in Diamond's office. There's a lot of to and froing, and the book cuts back and forth between the undercover officer (Ingeborg Smith) and Diamond , but it maintains a fairly high interest level. As usual, Diamond is a large, blunt force (like the large, blunt item in his office)—like a slightly more ciovilized and less funny Andy Dalziell in Reginald Hill's novels. It's not hard to imagine Diamond and Dalziell fighting for territory.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just when I think there is no more history about Bath that can be of interest to Lovesey and his readers, he comes up with a whole Chaucer/Wife of Bath theme. I haven't gone out and searched for the Canterbury Tales yet, but I can see that they would be intriguing to read in modern English. The Chaucer info, academia insights, and the British Museum tie-in were interesting. Spoiler alert coming up--I found the whole undercover effort of Ingeborg too long, too improbable, and I thought it did not really add that much to the overall book. But I do enjoy this series, and even when one doesn't bowl me over, I will keep going on them.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I greatly enjoy this series but the undercover portion of this novel was a bit too over the top for me. Someone as public as a former journalist wouldn't go undercover with her real name.
Lovesey has Peter Diamond fumble a bit, and he's often a bit off the cuff but I felt this novel was stretching a bit.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the long running Peter Diamond series by Peter Lovesey. Several plot lines which may or may not be connected and ultimately a sorted out conclusion.

[Colin Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Superintendent Diamond novels that I have come to so far. An irate Professor is shot dead during an attempted hi-jacking of a large stone statue, thought to be the Wife of Bath from Chaucer's tale. At first, there are no leads until all sorts of intrigue, gun dealing, suicide, and dodgy dealing are all uncovered.

As irascible as ever, Ingeborg Smith is an excellent foil. Leaman and Halliwell all play the expected parts. Paul Gilbert is the young tearaway Detective Constable, who is beginning to learn to listen. All a good mix and a 4 star read.

[Ron Chicaferro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Peter Diamond series of books are all very good - he's a likable leader of the Bath (UK) police detectives - - - yes, he's crotchety (and getting more so as he ages) but he still has a great mind for solving crimes - The Stone Wife is a complicated murder case - made more so by one of his team going undercover and another member going missing - - as each new character is introduced you start thinking they are the guilty one, but, you need to keep reading - - If you've read some of the other Peter Diamond books you'll like this one - - if this is your first book in the series you'll enjoy the energy and twisting investigation -

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would have guessed that policeman Peter Diamond would discover an affinity with that bawdy, forthright lady, Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, but a murder in an auction house finds Diamond sharing his office with the Wife of Bath (carved in stone) and Sergeant Ingeborg Smith takes on a tricky assignment as they hunt for the motive and culprit.

[Adelaide Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery was good, and I think that many people would enjoy it. For some reason I had trouble staying with it.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but I was a bit dissatisfied, with characters I expected more from, and some loose ends. But I will probably try more from this author and series.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok

[Dawn Leitheuser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good English mystery. Tangled in the art world with deceit, crime and revenge.

[Sarah Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve read books in this series, but was fine jumping in on the 14th book in the series. It had a great plot and lots of action! Plus a fun setting.

[Anne Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Peter Lovesey's WHOLE Peter Diamond series (16 books in all) in June and July of 2017, sequentially and without an iota of boredom. Forgive me for posting this as a comment/review into each book's space: I didn't think to do it as I was reading morning to night with no intervening literature.

The main detective, Peter Diamond, a few other police types, and a couple of non-police characters are incorporated into a series of crimes set in and around Bath, England. Historical and literary inclusions enrich the texts without being excessive. The inclusion of the music of a string quartet in one book was stupefying to this music lover.

The depth of description of the main characters is Just Right: they are rich, real, fully settled in the time and place where they appear. Minor characters reappear and are developed as their roles in each book's situation grows. There are a couple of emotionally shocking developments (no need for suspension of disbelief) one of which made me quite sad on a summer's day.

I was so absorbed by these book (MUST read chronologically) that I was unable to take in any other book in Lovesey's prolific bibliography. Probably my fault. They weren't Peter Diamond books, hence not worthy....

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The centrepiece of an auction is The Wife of Bath, a medieval statue based on a character from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The intense bidding is interrupted by the appearance of armed men who plan to abscond with the statue. One of the bidders intervenes, receiving a fatal gunshot wound. In the commotion, the gunmen vanish without the statue.

This case has Detective Superintendent, Peter Diamond, following several paths of inquiry which will lead him from the halls of academia to trekking after dodgy builders. The red herrings were well laid out, but the case came to an abrupt end which left me with more questions than answers. Specifically, a suicide near the end puzzled me as it didn't add anything to the plot or character arc. Overall though, this was a decent read. The Stone Wife is my first Peter Lovesey novel, but the 14th in the Peter Diamond series. I'll be checking out other Lovesey books.

[Eliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mastery of red herrings and misdirection.
A stone tablet from Chaucer's home is stolen from an auction and a bidder killed.
The former husband of the man killed is suspected, the academic rival is suspected, a gun runner and friend of the former husband is infiltrated and the love of his life is assisted in fleeing. One of Diamonds constables falls out of a tree while surveilling the home of the gun runner.
The gun runner jumps off a bridge (with a broken heart) and it is supposed that the body is that of the constable.
In the end, it is some local folk who are trying to maintain their own Chaucer museum and wanted to keep the stone tablet from the British Museum.
Angie Boyter put it succinctly: this book dragged at first, declined into improbability, and had an ending that came out of left field.