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Peter Diamond #15
Down Among the Dead Men: Detective Peter Diamond Book 15
A nightmare discovery in the boot of a stolen BMW plunges car thief Danny Stapleton into the worst trouble of his life. What links his misfortune to the mysterious disappearance of an art teacher at a private school for girls in Chichester?
Orders from above push Peter Diamond of Bath CID into investigating a police corruption case in the Chichester force, and he soon finds himself reluctantly dealing with spirited schoolgirls, eccentric artists and his formidable old colleague, Hen Mallin.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2015
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921 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lovesey
295 books643 followersPeter 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
August 31, 2022
I found that the plot was more complicated than it really needed to be and involved not only murder, but some disappearances, some drugs, as well as students and teachers at a local girls' school. It's listed as a "police procedural" but it is also a book about relationships. I hated Peter's superior, Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore. She's an overbearing individual that is constantly on a self-proclaimed pedestal when it comes to her rank and doesn't let her underlings ever forget exactly who is in charge here. She spent the majority of the book bossing Peter around as well as anyone else that came into her view. If she makes no effort to conceal that she certainly disapproves of Peter's sometimes "unorthodox" ways, she is more than happy to employ his talents as a detective to boost her "look how good I look" record. Peter has no desire to make the trip to the school, especially under the thumb of his irritating superior. The saving grace here is that the exchange between them is comical at times. The story slipped off into the realm of slapstick comedy when Peter was faced with, not weapons of mass destruction, but weapons of the household variety...like a frying pan and a chainsaw. The mystery is excellent, and the story is well told. You could describe it as entertaining as well as suspenseful and well worth the reading time.
May 7, 2023
This series always provides a good mystery. Never disappoints.
August 27, 2016
One of the best Lovesey novels I've read in a while. He's one of those writers whose works I always enjoy reading but often find it hard to be enthusiastic about. This time he seems to have got just about everything right. (That said, in the ARC I read there were some continuity errors and the like. I'm assuming they were cleared up before publication.)
Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond (Lovesey's longtime series hero) and his immediate boss, Assistant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore, have a prickly relationship, made pricklier by the fact that Diamond can never quite erase the suspicion that she has designs upon him. When she announces that the two of them are going to spend some time away together investigating a possible case of police corruption in another part of the country, his alarm sirens start wailing at full pitch.
Some years ago a man was arrested and convicted as an accessory to murder. He admitted to being a car thief, but claimed -- and still claims -- complete ignorance of the fact that the stolen car he was driving had a stiff in the trunk. The police-corruption case concerns the lack of action taken when, a few years later, new DNA evidence arrived that linked the car, and thus the crime, to the niece of a serving Detective Chief Inspector. When Diamond arrives he discovers that the DCI in question, currently suspended, is his old pal Hen Mallin -- chief protagonist of another (albeit only two books strong) series of Lovesey's.
Much more recently, the art teacher of a posh girls' boarding school in the region suddenly went missing. Mallin believes the case, and that of the body in the trunk, is linked to a whole string of disappearances that have been occurring all along the English south coast. It's her belief that someone has set up a corpse-disposal service, making it easier for the racketeers and gangsters to get rid of the most important piece of evidence any time they've committed a murder. Between them, Diamond and Mallin -- occasionally helped but more usually hindered by Dallymore -- solve the case.
There's a kind of saucy-seaside-postcard sensibility to much of Lovesey's writing, and sometimes it can misfire terribly ("I'm sure I can squeeze you in somehow"; "What a beautiful pair"); but if you and he are lucky, which is the case most of the time here, it can create a pretty effective juxtapositionary mood to contrast with some of the grimmer events that are happening in the foreground -- some of which are really quite grim, including the murder of perhaps my favorite character in the book. Where he's writing pure humor, Lovesey can be very funny indeed; the first few chapters of Down Among the Dead Men, set among the adolescent girls who (with one exception) mourn not at all the disappearance of the old art teacher and have varying degrees of crush on her male replacement -- varying from total to more than that -- had me chuckling a lot. Yes, sure, some of the jokes were predictable, but jokes become predictable precisely because they were good ones to begin with.
The final revelation definitely came as a bit of a surprise to me, but everything had been fairly clued beforehand. All in all, then, no life-changer but a very satisfying piece of light reading.
Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond (Lovesey's longtime series hero) and his immediate boss, Assistant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore, have a prickly relationship, made pricklier by the fact that Diamond can never quite erase the suspicion that she has designs upon him. When she announces that the two of them are going to spend some time away together investigating a possible case of police corruption in another part of the country, his alarm sirens start wailing at full pitch.
Some years ago a man was arrested and convicted as an accessory to murder. He admitted to being a car thief, but claimed -- and still claims -- complete ignorance of the fact that the stolen car he was driving had a stiff in the trunk. The police-corruption case concerns the lack of action taken when, a few years later, new DNA evidence arrived that linked the car, and thus the crime, to the niece of a serving Detective Chief Inspector. When Diamond arrives he discovers that the DCI in question, currently suspended, is his old pal Hen Mallin -- chief protagonist of another (albeit only two books strong) series of Lovesey's.
Much more recently, the art teacher of a posh girls' boarding school in the region suddenly went missing. Mallin believes the case, and that of the body in the trunk, is linked to a whole string of disappearances that have been occurring all along the English south coast. It's her belief that someone has set up a corpse-disposal service, making it easier for the racketeers and gangsters to get rid of the most important piece of evidence any time they've committed a murder. Between them, Diamond and Mallin -- occasionally helped but more usually hindered by Dallymore -- solve the case.
There's a kind of saucy-seaside-postcard sensibility to much of Lovesey's writing, and sometimes it can misfire terribly ("I'm sure I can squeeze you in somehow"; "What a beautiful pair"); but if you and he are lucky, which is the case most of the time here, it can create a pretty effective juxtapositionary mood to contrast with some of the grimmer events that are happening in the foreground -- some of which are really quite grim, including the murder of perhaps my favorite character in the book. Where he's writing pure humor, Lovesey can be very funny indeed; the first few chapters of Down Among the Dead Men, set among the adolescent girls who (with one exception) mourn not at all the disappearance of the old art teacher and have varying degrees of crush on her male replacement -- varying from total to more than that -- had me chuckling a lot. Yes, sure, some of the jokes were predictable, but jokes become predictable precisely because they were good ones to begin with.
The final revelation definitely came as a bit of a surprise to me, but everything had been fairly clued beforehand. All in all, then, no life-changer but a very satisfying piece of light reading.
August 1, 2015
Another Lovesey winner. I thought his last book was a bit flimsy, but he's back in form with this one.
As usual, there were so many strands that didn't seem to be connected until they were. I really enjoy following along with the detective and watching him or her find a pattern among the detritus. Of course, it makes me think there's some order to the universe. Hah.
Anyway, Diamond is a fine character--irascible, irritable, and inexhaustible. He'd be hell to live with, but is fun to meet on the page. He's such a good listener and observer. The reader sees him slipping on a mushroom in a field and thinks, "well, the field is neglected." Then, suddenly, that, too, is relevant to the mystery. Also, the art project, which has symbolic relevance, as well as showing more about several of the characters.
I must admit I was a bit skeptical about one of the culprits not knowing a crucial bit of information, but I'll allow Lovesey that. He does love complicated characters, like Diamond, and like Hen Mallin, who is apparently the star of her own series. I'll have to check that out.
Fine work, and well worth your time.
As usual, there were so many strands that didn't seem to be connected until they were. I really enjoy following along with the detective and watching him or her find a pattern among the detritus. Of course, it makes me think there's some order to the universe. Hah.
Anyway, Diamond is a fine character--irascible, irritable, and inexhaustible. He'd be hell to live with, but is fun to meet on the page. He's such a good listener and observer. The reader sees him slipping on a mushroom in a field and thinks, "well, the field is neglected." Then, suddenly, that, too, is relevant to the mystery. Also, the art project, which has symbolic relevance, as well as showing more about several of the characters.
I must admit I was a bit skeptical about one of the culprits not knowing a crucial bit of information, but I'll allow Lovesey that. He does love complicated characters, like Diamond, and like Hen Mallin, who is apparently the star of her own series. I'll have to check that out.
Fine work, and well worth your time.
January 28, 2016
This is the fourth or fifth Peter Diamond book that I read, and I just can't understand this series' loyal following. To me, the books read workman-like. Nothing special, nothing original. In this installment, Peter Diamond is forced by his boss, Georgina, to accompany her on/in an investigation of another police officer accused of ignoring evidence in a murder case because it led to a family member. It turns out that Peter knows this police officer and thinks highly of her. And so he's more interested in the fact that the suppression/ignoring of evidence happened several years ago, whereas the anonymous letter denouncing her was received only weeks ago. Why now? Could it have something to do with the fact that she was causing a stir by investigating a number of unexpected disappearances in the local criminal milieu? In parallel, there is a story of a gaggle of schoolgirls at a fancy local school, who are delighted that their unloved art mistress has apparently resigned suddenly and been replaced by a hunky young male teacher. They get themselves invited to his weekly art classes and one of the girls even crashes one of his monthly parties. In the end the two or three strands are woven together with skill, but the whole effort still feels phoned in. There's some sniping between Peter and Georgina, and the author had some fun showing how Peter manages to manipulate his boss by appealing to her vanity and need to be in control. But otherwise I find Peter Diamond a shadowy, unremarkable character.
March 14, 2025
This was a fabulous addition to the Peter Diamond series...a mystery that did not have a false note. It brought back a character we'd been introduced when Asst Chief Constable in Bath, Georgiana Dallymore, went on a cruise. Henrietta Mallin, DCI in nearby Chichester, has run into some trouble, and Diamond is dispatched with Dallymore to sort it.
Diamond is his usual masterful self, and DCI Mallin is no slouch, either. Together, the two of them solve a number of mysteries that had been bedeviling towns stretching along the coast for 50 miles.
Diamond is his usual masterful self, and DCI Mallin is no slouch, either. Together, the two of them solve a number of mysteries that had been bedeviling towns stretching along the coast for 50 miles.
April 6, 2017
It’s interesting to speculate whether the number of murders depicted in English mystery novels is greater than the number of murders actually recorded in the country. I suspect it’s a close call.
Peter Lovesey is one of the culprits in that caper. He is responsible for not one but two detective series plus a slew of other novels, short story collections, and a TV series, all of them focusing on how people die, and why. One of his signature series features Peter Diamond, a police detective operating in southwest England, not far from the Welsh border.
In Down Among the Dead Men, the fifteenth in the Peter Diamond series, our hero is a Detective Superintendent in the town of Bath. However, he doesn’t come into view until chapter five, about one-eighth of the way through the book. Before that point, we’re treated to the snarky dialogue of several eleventh-year girls (call them “students,” not “schoolgirls”) in a snooty private girls’ school located near Bath. The girls are abuzz with lust as a new art teacher takes over their class, a handsome young working artist who, truth be told, seems too good to be true.
Meanwhile, an inveterate car thief named Danny has finally succeeded in snatching the car of his dreams, a 3-Series BMW. His dreams shatter when he is stopped by the police on his way to have the license plates changed — and a dead body is discovered in the trunk. Naturally, Danny is charged with murder and unceremoniously shuttled off to prison for life.
While all this is going on, Superintendent Diamond is thrashing about in hopes of catching a ring of jewel thieves who have been victimizing the nabobs of the area. Though he is eager to pursue the case, his extremely annoying boss, Assistant Chief Superintendent Georgina Dallymore, grabs him for what seems to be a fool’s errand to investigate misconduct in a police department in another part of England.
Naturally, since this is a mystery story, all these plot lines (save the jewel thieves) are related. The fun lies in finding out how — and in the strained relationship between Diamond and his self-important boss.
Down Among the Dead Men is a tolerably good detective novel, reasonably well written, and full of suspense. I may check out the earlier numbers in the series.
Peter Lovesey is one of the culprits in that caper. He is responsible for not one but two detective series plus a slew of other novels, short story collections, and a TV series, all of them focusing on how people die, and why. One of his signature series features Peter Diamond, a police detective operating in southwest England, not far from the Welsh border.
In Down Among the Dead Men, the fifteenth in the Peter Diamond series, our hero is a Detective Superintendent in the town of Bath. However, he doesn’t come into view until chapter five, about one-eighth of the way through the book. Before that point, we’re treated to the snarky dialogue of several eleventh-year girls (call them “students,” not “schoolgirls”) in a snooty private girls’ school located near Bath. The girls are abuzz with lust as a new art teacher takes over their class, a handsome young working artist who, truth be told, seems too good to be true.
Meanwhile, an inveterate car thief named Danny has finally succeeded in snatching the car of his dreams, a 3-Series BMW. His dreams shatter when he is stopped by the police on his way to have the license plates changed — and a dead body is discovered in the trunk. Naturally, Danny is charged with murder and unceremoniously shuttled off to prison for life.
While all this is going on, Superintendent Diamond is thrashing about in hopes of catching a ring of jewel thieves who have been victimizing the nabobs of the area. Though he is eager to pursue the case, his extremely annoying boss, Assistant Chief Superintendent Georgina Dallymore, grabs him for what seems to be a fool’s errand to investigate misconduct in a police department in another part of England.
Naturally, since this is a mystery story, all these plot lines (save the jewel thieves) are related. The fun lies in finding out how — and in the strained relationship between Diamond and his self-important boss.
Down Among the Dead Men is a tolerably good detective novel, reasonably well written, and full of suspense. I may check out the earlier numbers in the series.
November 28, 2017
The last thing Peter Diamond wants to do is to work closely with Georgina Dallymore - his boss. When she tells him he is going away for what may be a few weeks with her to investigate a problem in another police force he really doesn't want to go but doesn't see how he can get out of it.
It turns out to be a possible police corruption case and involves a body in a stolen BMW and a car thief who claims to know nothing about the body. Unfortunately for him, the jury didn't believe his story and he is currently serving a sentence for being an accessory to the murder while strenuously protesting his innocence.
What seem like completely unconnected strands - missing people of all descriptions including an art teacher from a prestigious girls' school - an artists' group and Hen Mallin, with whom Peter Diamond has worked in the past - are woven together to make a satisfying whole. This is a complex mystery with some very well drawn characters, lots of clues and red herrings and Peter Diamond at his most inimitable and tenacious best combine to make it a satisfying read.
If you haven't read any of Peter Lovesey's Peter Diamond novels then you are in for a treat. The series can be read in any order.
It turns out to be a possible police corruption case and involves a body in a stolen BMW and a car thief who claims to know nothing about the body. Unfortunately for him, the jury didn't believe his story and he is currently serving a sentence for being an accessory to the murder while strenuously protesting his innocence.
What seem like completely unconnected strands - missing people of all descriptions including an art teacher from a prestigious girls' school - an artists' group and Hen Mallin, with whom Peter Diamond has worked in the past - are woven together to make a satisfying whole. This is a complex mystery with some very well drawn characters, lots of clues and red herrings and Peter Diamond at his most inimitable and tenacious best combine to make it a satisfying read.
If you haven't read any of Peter Lovesey's Peter Diamond novels then you are in for a treat. The series can be read in any order.
August 11, 2017
A bitter sweet read for me. A book that I have been looking forward to by , perhaps, my favourite author of the moment, but the last book that I have of the series.
I missed the background of Bath again in this story as the unlikely Dynamic Duo of Asst Chief Constable Georgina and Peter Diamond are chauffeured to the South Coast to assist a neighbouring force with an internal problem.
The two brief episodes at the beginning of the story appear totally unrelated to each other and the Police matter in hand - but somehow you know that our author is going to draw everything together with his usual skill and artistry.
For followers of the series there are a couple of surprises as the Dynamic Duo - well Diamond really, finds his skills needed as the case opens up far beyond the original brief.
As I was finishing the novel, I was thinking that this is my kind of book. Nothing too 'dark' or 'heavy' - no gratuitous sex or violence, a bit of humour and of course a challenge from the author to say how the crimes are solved before he uncovers it.
Did I succeed ? Of course not but as always I thoroughly enjoyed trying.
I missed the background of Bath again in this story as the unlikely Dynamic Duo of Asst Chief Constable Georgina and Peter Diamond are chauffeured to the South Coast to assist a neighbouring force with an internal problem.
The two brief episodes at the beginning of the story appear totally unrelated to each other and the Police matter in hand - but somehow you know that our author is going to draw everything together with his usual skill and artistry.
For followers of the series there are a couple of surprises as the Dynamic Duo - well Diamond really, finds his skills needed as the case opens up far beyond the original brief.
As I was finishing the novel, I was thinking that this is my kind of book. Nothing too 'dark' or 'heavy' - no gratuitous sex or violence, a bit of humour and of course a challenge from the author to say how the crimes are solved before he uncovers it.
Did I succeed ? Of course not but as always I thoroughly enjoyed trying.
November 17, 2020
I was lucky enough to have a friend willing to loan me this final book I needed to read to be fully up to date with the Peter Diamond series. It was one my library had not purchased and I don't know why. Magic mushrooms? Who knows, but magic mushrooms do figure into the plot. This is a subtly amusing adventure involving Peter and his boss going out of town to work together, allowing for many uncomfortable moments that just manage to escape crossing over into conflict. Peter manages it all by slipping out of her command in order to do proper investigations whilst she thinks she is managing all.
There are school girls who are fairly silly and get to be introduced to life drawing for the first time but all will not be safe for them as some nefarious adults are behind the scenes operating a criminal enterprise they protect at the high price of lives.
Now I can say I have read and enjoyed all the books of the series.
There are school girls who are fairly silly and get to be introduced to life drawing for the first time but all will not be safe for them as some nefarious adults are behind the scenes operating a criminal enterprise they protect at the high price of lives.
Now I can say I have read and enjoyed all the books of the series.
September 12, 2020
Favorite quote: "She'd been a dormant volcano in the caravan and at last she could send out sparks."
November 13, 2015
So I enjoyed this book because it was evidently the 15th book about this detective, but I had no idea because prior cases and such were not mentioned so that was good. I also love when mysteries are written by British authors because then they'll contain so much witty banter. I expected this book to be better than it was though, which was just okay. The content was a bit dry, and it seemed to unnecessarily lag in places before any sort of action occurred. I also felt the ending too abrupt. 3.5/5
December 13, 2019
When his boss Georgina drags him off on a sensitive assignment with her, Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond isn’t best pleased, but when he finds out the assignment involves alleged wrongdoing by his old friend and colleague Hen Mallen, he is on the case. The combination of the strong willed Diamond with the feisty characters of Georgina and Hen made for a satisfying mix of drama, suspense, and humor
July 1, 2020
I always enjoy the twists and turns in this series, especially with the many doses of humor stirred in with them. Has there ever been a more entertaining 'team' than Dallymore and Diamond?? Could there be any situation worse than Diamond's visions of living in uncomfortably close quarters with Dallymore and arguing endlessly with her over every step of the investigation? ("The prospect of being with [Dallymore] for days to come, if not weeks, was about as appealing as gangrene.”) I loved the art students at Priory Park School. (“The three students turned their heads like meerkats.”) Hands down, though, my favorite character was Hen. I so hope she shows up in a future book ... or ten!
July 9, 2015
First Sentence: “Are you sure this thing works?”
Det. Peter Diamond has been recruited to work with his boss on a sensitive case out of town. To say he’s less than excited by this prospect would be an understatement, but needs must. What he doesn’t know, nor does his boss, is that the case involves someone with whom Peter had worked in the past. In the same town to which they are traveling, the art teacher at a private girl’s school leaves her position without notice. While the students are pleased by the very attractive man who replaces her, one student becomes concerned and decides to follow up on her own.
Peter Lovesey is unique in his manner of gently sliding the reader into the story. One finds oneself intrigued, aware there has been a crime, but really not knowing with certainty the nature of the crime or where the path of the story is leading. He also provides his character with a wonderful narrative voice and dialogue, replete with wry humour…”When it becomes necessary, you’ll be informed.” Pompous old trout. “As you wish.” One also finds that Peter doesn’t lack for wonderful meals—no grab-and-go here… “They tucked into a char-grilled rib-eye steak with black-pudding butter, fries and salad (his) and vegetarian bake with salad leaves (hers).
Peter’s lady-love, Paloma, is delightful. His boss, ACC Georgina Dallymore—how can you not love that name—may be dismissive of Peter at times, but she can also be observant… “You go in for mind games, don’t you? Pulling the wool over the eyes of your superior. Superior in rank, not necessarily in guile…” And Peter is clever, brilliantly so at times, diplomatically cozying his boss with tact and guile. One could envy his skill.
Every step of the way, the plot becomes more fascinating and compelling; complicated and wonderful in the way the threads are finally joined.
“Down Among the Dead Men” is a wonderful, satisfying read with the unexpected villain brought to justice. It is also part of a great series.
DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN (Pol Proc-Det. Peter Diamond – England – Contemp) – VG
Lovesey, Peter – 15th in series
SOHO Crime – July 2015
Det. Peter Diamond has been recruited to work with his boss on a sensitive case out of town. To say he’s less than excited by this prospect would be an understatement, but needs must. What he doesn’t know, nor does his boss, is that the case involves someone with whom Peter had worked in the past. In the same town to which they are traveling, the art teacher at a private girl’s school leaves her position without notice. While the students are pleased by the very attractive man who replaces her, one student becomes concerned and decides to follow up on her own.
Peter Lovesey is unique in his manner of gently sliding the reader into the story. One finds oneself intrigued, aware there has been a crime, but really not knowing with certainty the nature of the crime or where the path of the story is leading. He also provides his character with a wonderful narrative voice and dialogue, replete with wry humour…”When it becomes necessary, you’ll be informed.” Pompous old trout. “As you wish.” One also finds that Peter doesn’t lack for wonderful meals—no grab-and-go here… “They tucked into a char-grilled rib-eye steak with black-pudding butter, fries and salad (his) and vegetarian bake with salad leaves (hers).
Peter’s lady-love, Paloma, is delightful. His boss, ACC Georgina Dallymore—how can you not love that name—may be dismissive of Peter at times, but she can also be observant… “You go in for mind games, don’t you? Pulling the wool over the eyes of your superior. Superior in rank, not necessarily in guile…” And Peter is clever, brilliantly so at times, diplomatically cozying his boss with tact and guile. One could envy his skill.
Every step of the way, the plot becomes more fascinating and compelling; complicated and wonderful in the way the threads are finally joined.
“Down Among the Dead Men” is a wonderful, satisfying read with the unexpected villain brought to justice. It is also part of a great series.
DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN (Pol Proc-Det. Peter Diamond – England – Contemp) – VG
Lovesey, Peter – 15th in series
SOHO Crime – July 2015
October 3, 2016
After Danny Stapleton steals a BMW he is shocked when the cops pull him over on his way to a dubious car dealer to change the registration plates. Unfortunately for Danny it turns out the car he lifted was already stolen, and worse than that, there is also a dead body in the trunk. Danny might protest as much as his wants, but he is looking at a sentence for murder or in best case accessory to murder.
15 years later while Danny is spending his jail sentence an anonymous letter arrives at Sussex police hinting that the investigating officer might have mishandled the case to protect a relative of hers.
Asisstant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore is asked by the Sussex police to investigate this possible case of police corruption and she wants Superintendent Peter Diamond to accompany her.
Soon the original crime turns out to be one in a series of disappearances with links to organised crime. Diamond and Dallymore have to race to unmask the real killer while they cannot trust anyone, not even their own colleagues.
Meanwhile a new arts teacher arrives at a private school of girls in Chichester. The girls immediately go crazy for the handsome man who drives a sports car and lives in a manor house. But is he really who he claims to be and what happened to his predecessor who just disappeared without a trace?
Down Among The Dead Man starts out really strong and about the first half of the book is immensely entertaining. Peter Diamond has never gotten along particularly well with his boss and now having to work together they get caught up in some amusing situations. The funniest scene occurs perhaps when Diamond and Dallymore pretend to be painters and are confronted with a nude male model.
Once the times comes however to answer all our questions the book does so in a not very original way. I was expecting something far more sinister than the actual solution which is really a bit of a let-down after the suspenseful investigation
Another solid entry in the Peter-Diamond-series, but not quite as good as earlier books from the author.
15 years later while Danny is spending his jail sentence an anonymous letter arrives at Sussex police hinting that the investigating officer might have mishandled the case to protect a relative of hers.
Asisstant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore is asked by the Sussex police to investigate this possible case of police corruption and she wants Superintendent Peter Diamond to accompany her.
Soon the original crime turns out to be one in a series of disappearances with links to organised crime. Diamond and Dallymore have to race to unmask the real killer while they cannot trust anyone, not even their own colleagues.
Meanwhile a new arts teacher arrives at a private school of girls in Chichester. The girls immediately go crazy for the handsome man who drives a sports car and lives in a manor house. But is he really who he claims to be and what happened to his predecessor who just disappeared without a trace?
Down Among The Dead Man starts out really strong and about the first half of the book is immensely entertaining. Peter Diamond has never gotten along particularly well with his boss and now having to work together they get caught up in some amusing situations. The funniest scene occurs perhaps when Diamond and Dallymore pretend to be painters and are confronted with a nude male model.
Once the times comes however to answer all our questions the book does so in a not very original way. I was expecting something far more sinister than the actual solution which is really a bit of a let-down after the suspenseful investigation
Another solid entry in the Peter-Diamond-series, but not quite as good as earlier books from the author.
August 4, 2021
I really enjoyed this title in Lovesey's Diamond series. There is always a certain amount of willing suspension of disbelief a reader has to make in some of these mysteries where two totally different worlds come together in the resolution of the main mystery. This book almost has three different threads to it, but of course, they merge into each other as the facts come out.
This title was particularly pleasing, in part, because it seems as if Diamond has perhaps finally learned a bit of tact (or handling tactics) with his superior officer Georgina Dallymore when they go off together to provide an outsider, objective analysis of a corruption case in another district. Reading Diamond's thoughts and deflections at Georgina's attempts at crime analysis provided amusement and made me feel much less annoyance than some of his "open mouth and insert foot" comments in some of the previous books. Just having the two of them get out of Bath and away from the rest of the regular team was fun.
And Hen Melin, a delightful, tell-it-like-it-is police inspector who had an appearance in an earlier book in the series shows up, and that made the book better, too. A good read.
This title was particularly pleasing, in part, because it seems as if Diamond has perhaps finally learned a bit of tact (or handling tactics) with his superior officer Georgina Dallymore when they go off together to provide an outsider, objective analysis of a corruption case in another district. Reading Diamond's thoughts and deflections at Georgina's attempts at crime analysis provided amusement and made me feel much less annoyance than some of his "open mouth and insert foot" comments in some of the previous books. Just having the two of them get out of Bath and away from the rest of the regular team was fun.
And Hen Melin, a delightful, tell-it-like-it-is police inspector who had an appearance in an earlier book in the series shows up, and that made the book better, too. A good read.
September 8, 2015
Great characters, fast pace, good mystery (though I guessed a couple of the twists). Fun dialogue too: at one point a concussed police officer gets annoyed and says, "There's no need to talk about me as if I'm a pet rabbit."
New words I learned while reading this book:
tealeaf: thief
a porky: a pork pie, which is rhyming slang for a lie
in a strop: angry
bricking it: terrified
sod's law: if something can go wrong, it will
rat-arsed: drunk
scrubber: slut
hewers of wood and drawers of water: a fancy way of saying servants or laborers
the nick: a police station
This is the 100th book I have read this year.
New words I learned while reading this book:
tealeaf: thief
a porky: a pork pie, which is rhyming slang for a lie
in a strop: angry
bricking it: terrified
sod's law: if something can go wrong, it will
rat-arsed: drunk
scrubber: slut
hewers of wood and drawers of water: a fancy way of saying servants or laborers
the nick: a police station
This is the 100th book I have read this year.
September 21, 2015
An entry in Lovesey's long running Detective Peter Diamond series. It's obvious the author is fond of his characters, and so am I. This book has a good mystery, great character interactions, a bit of humor. Not as gritty as some of the other British police procedurals (Nick Oldham, Brian McGilloway) and more thoughtful.
May 22, 2017
An excellent crime novel that had me hooked from the beginning. Lovesey has a knack for putting the facts out there for the reader and then stunning them with big reveals. Highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this talented author.
July 5, 2015
Superintendent Diamond is off his normal patch, investigating corruption in Chichester. I really enjoyed the change of pace!
July 4, 2016
Classic Lovesey. Peter Diamond at his best juggling his women and his professional life.
March 29, 2018
A late entry in the Det. Supt. Peter Diamond series, it had a bit of a slow start for me, but became so gripping that I had to finish it before bed time. Peter is asked by his daunting boss (Asst Chief Constable Georgina D) to join her on an internal investigation in another jurisdiction. Peter wishes to be anywhere else with ANYONE else, but has to agree. It turns out he meets an old colleague there and expands the internal investigation into something much more extensive. Good story.
August 16, 2020
In this case Peter works alongside of his supervisor, Assistant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore. In prior books they don't get along very well; not much changes here. I like it better when Diamond works alongside his own staff.
June 21, 2020
Full review at classicmystery.blog
May 3, 2025
A “Gentleman’s C”, which when it comes to British police procedurals means perfectly enjoyable.
May 14, 2025
This was a really good one. I am enjoying my homage to Peter Lovesey
June 26, 2015
Detective Peter Diamond is coerced into accompanying Assistant Chief Constable Georgina Dallymore on a fact finding mission to Sussex. Beyond the fact that he doesn’t much care for Georgina and he really doesn’t care to leave Bath where he has plenty to do, he really hates the assignment – to investigate a senior investigating officer at the Chiscester CID after it is learned that she may have buried information in a murder years earlier because one of the suspects is her niece. And if all that isn’t bad enough, he knows, likes, and, more important, respects Henrietta Mallin, the woman they are to investigate.
Hen admits that she did, in fact, cover up evidence although she hadn’t thought it was relevant at the time - they already had a viable suspect. But the more Diamond investigates, the more he begins to suspect that all of this is related to a series of disappearances in the area that Hen had been looking into against the orders of the higher-ups. Among the disappeared are an art teacher and a gardener, both people who don’t seem to have any reasons to take off on their own. As Diamond digs deeper, he is convinced that all of these things are linked especially when the niece disappears as well as a young student who had been inquiring about the teacher.
Down Among the Dead Men is the 15th entry in author Peter Lovesey’s Peter Diamond Mystery series and there’s a whole lot going on, most of it seemingly unrelated. However, Lovesey manages to pull all of the disparate strings together quite satisfactorily. Diamond is a likeable character, willing to stroke the often giant egos of his superiors on the force if it will help solve the crime, and his relationship with Georgina is a whole lot of fun to read about. Although the story skips around among various different characters, it never gets muddled and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Overall, a very satisfying police procedural
Hen admits that she did, in fact, cover up evidence although she hadn’t thought it was relevant at the time - they already had a viable suspect. But the more Diamond investigates, the more he begins to suspect that all of this is related to a series of disappearances in the area that Hen had been looking into against the orders of the higher-ups. Among the disappeared are an art teacher and a gardener, both people who don’t seem to have any reasons to take off on their own. As Diamond digs deeper, he is convinced that all of these things are linked especially when the niece disappears as well as a young student who had been inquiring about the teacher.
Down Among the Dead Men is the 15th entry in author Peter Lovesey’s Peter Diamond Mystery series and there’s a whole lot going on, most of it seemingly unrelated. However, Lovesey manages to pull all of the disparate strings together quite satisfactorily. Diamond is a likeable character, willing to stroke the often giant egos of his superiors on the force if it will help solve the crime, and his relationship with Georgina is a whole lot of fun to read about. Although the story skips around among various different characters, it never gets muddled and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Overall, a very satisfying police procedural
July 7, 2015
Peter Lovesey is back with a winner in this fifteenth Peter Diamond mystery. What better than to pair up Diamond with his superior officer-- a woman he has no use for? Some of my favorite scenes in the book deal with Diamond learning how to conceal crucial pieces of his investigation from his hapless partner, and readers can easily feel sympathy for him each time he has to stop what he's doing to stroke his boss's ego. Even "Dallymore and Diamond" has the ring of a vaudeville act whose name appears at the bottom of the bill. It's not a situation that Diamond relishes. At. All.
Another thing to make Diamond's job more difficult is the fact that he has to keep his friendship with the suspended officer, "Hen" Mallin, a secret from his boss and everyone else. Mallin has appeared in other Lovesey mysteries (The Circle, The Headhunters and The House Sitter), and I enjoyed her character so much that I'll be looking these two up in order to read them.
Down Among the Dead Men also concerns missing persons, a handsome young art teacher who has set all the hearts at a posh girls' school aflutter, Saturday meetings for a group of local artists, and full moon parties. Lovesey does such a good job of portraying all those teenage female hormones that I felt as if I were right in the middle of the action (and wanting to run for my life).
There are so many things going on in this book, but I never once felt confused or overloaded. Lovesey has created a very complex puzzle, and I loved how all the various pieces finally slotted into place-- some not exactly in the places I expected. Yes, this is a book in which I often knew "who" but very seldom figured out the "why" or the "how." When you finish reading Down Among the Dead Men, you'll have a smile on your face, knowing that you've just been given a lesson in deduction by a master.
Another thing to make Diamond's job more difficult is the fact that he has to keep his friendship with the suspended officer, "Hen" Mallin, a secret from his boss and everyone else. Mallin has appeared in other Lovesey mysteries (The Circle, The Headhunters and The House Sitter), and I enjoyed her character so much that I'll be looking these two up in order to read them.
Down Among the Dead Men also concerns missing persons, a handsome young art teacher who has set all the hearts at a posh girls' school aflutter, Saturday meetings for a group of local artists, and full moon parties. Lovesey does such a good job of portraying all those teenage female hormones that I felt as if I were right in the middle of the action (and wanting to run for my life).
There are so many things going on in this book, but I never once felt confused or overloaded. Lovesey has created a very complex puzzle, and I loved how all the various pieces finally slotted into place-- some not exactly in the places I expected. Yes, this is a book in which I often knew "who" but very seldom figured out the "why" or the "how." When you finish reading Down Among the Dead Men, you'll have a smile on your face, knowing that you've just been given a lesson in deduction by a master.
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