Beau Death

Written by Peter Lovesey

Narrated by Steven Crossley

In the seventeenth installment in Peter Lovesey's timeless British detective series, Peter Diamond digs deep into Bath history to ferret out the secrets of one of its most famous (and scandalous) icons: Richard "Beau" Nash, who might have been the victim of a centuries-old murder. Bath, England: A wrecking crew is demolishing a row of townhouses in order to build a grocery store when they uncover a skeleton in one of the attics. The dead man is wearing authentic 1760s garb and on the floor next to it is a white tricorn hat-the ostentatious signature accessory of Beau Nash, one of Bath's most famous historical men-about-town, a fashion icon and incurable rake who, some say, ended up in a pauper's grave. Or did the Beau actually end up in a townhouse attic? The Beau Nash Society will be all in a tizzy when the truth is revealed to them. Chief Inspector Peter Diamond, who has been assigned to identify the remains, begins to fantasize about turning Nash scholarship on its ear. But one of his constables is stubbornly insisting the corpse can't be Nash's-the non-believer threatens to spoil Diamond's favorite theory, especially when he offers some pretty irrefutable evidence. Is Diamond on a historical goose chase? Should he actually be investigating a much more modern murder?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781501979460

Peter Lovesey

Peter Lovesey is a British writer of detective fiction. His work has won many awards, most notably the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, as well as the Macavity, Barry and Anthony Awards.

Reviews for Beau Death

[waynemichael · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent...NO idea who the killer was up to when it was revealed. Amazing watching a detective solve a "200-year old murder"!

[romonko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely love Peter Diamond, and Lovesey's creation is probably the most realistic policeman out there in fiction-land. Lovesey's "tongue-in-cheek" humour and his fantastic writing skills make each of his books a delight and an event to look forward to for me. In this book, we are looking at what appears to be a cold case when a wrecking ball in an old tenement in Bath opens up the top floor of an old abandoned building and a skeleton is revealed. The skeleton is sitting in a chair, for all the world looking like he's waiting for someone to bring him his dinner, and he's dressed in clothes, that though threadbare and filthy, look to be about 200 years old but they are the clothes of a well-to-do man. Diamond's reaction to this discovery is dismay to say the least. - "This is going to eat into our budget," Diamond complained to Halliwell. "it's already a major operation and it isn't even a crime scene." "It could be" comes Halliwell's reply which is quickly answered by Diamond again - "If it is, it's a cold case and they don't come any colder than this." - Chapter 1 - Beau Death by Peter Lovesey And so begins one of the most bizarre cases in DS Diamond's career. He and his extremely efficient team are trawling through ancient records, uncovering old stories about the glitterati days in Bath in the 18 th century, and digging up gardens. Before they even identify their elderly corpse, another very recent murder occurs in Bath. So, stretched to the limit, the investigation breaks into two what appears to be separate incidents. Diamond follows many leads and red herrings, but eventually all becomes startlingly clear. The way Diamond leads his team and the way he uses his very considerable brain are depicted clearly in this book, and it's all done with Lovesey's signature sly humour. For those of you who have never met Peter Diamond, I urge you to make his acquaintance. This is number 17 in this series, but it's not a bad place to start. You will have Diamond's full measure by the time you finish this book, and then you will want to sift through the backlist of this very excellent series. And I promise you that you will laugh out loud many times while reading. Lovesey's description of Diamond's first "meeting" with the skeleton will have you in stitches for sure.

[sheiladeeth_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Set in Bath and echoing with the lives and machinations of history, Peter Lovesey’s Beau Death introduces readers to Beau Nash, that famous master of Ceremonies who turned Bath from a nowhere town into the arbiter of 18th century taste and behavior. But this novel’s set in the present, and Inspector Diamond is called to investigate a blend of modern and ancient murder when a very dead corpse is revealed in a very empty house. Offering fascinating details of history, investigation, pathology and more, the author takes readers on a tour of the famous city, with secrets of its past revealed just as naturally as those of the protagonist’s.This isn’t the first Peter Diamond mystery, but readers new the series will be quickly drawn in. The blend of erudite and mundane is nicely paralleled in past and present, rich and poor, and in relationships both on and off the police force, all convincingly drawn. The result is an enjoyable mystery, with plenty of information naturally given, plus the added enticement of pleasingly amusing situations, dead ends, dead bodies, and enthralling details.A perfect blend of modern knowledge, historical depth, and investigative process, Beau Death is classic English detective fiction with a thoroughly classical twist. A great read.Disclosure: A friend recommended it. Now I’m hooked and eager to read more of the series.

[deaconbernie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best Peter Diamond I've read. Lovesey very cleverly weaves two stories, seemingly hundreds of years apart, maintaining interest in both to a brilliant conclusion. Based on this one volume, Lovesey must be ranked among the very best contemporary fiction writers. This time he involves his ACC Georgina in the story in an involved way.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story from Bath England about a police detective was asked to solve an ancient crime and found himself involved in a modern murder. Well written with interesting characters.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the latest in Peter Lovesey’s extensive and entertaining series of crime novels featuring the frequently querulous Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond, head of CID in Bath.The novel opens with a crowd of people watching in almost hypnotic awe as a construction crew wield an old-fashioned wrecking ball to demolish a dilapidated tenement block in Twerton, near Bath. All at once, while the crowd looks on, a figure dressed in eighteenth century clothes is spotted sitting in one of the attics as the huge ball swings towards it. Once the debris is cleared, a dead body is discovered, and the initial indications suggest that it might date back a couple of centuries to the period of Beau Nash, who first set the town on its path towards popularity among the propertied classes, and its subsequent elevation to the epitome of social elegance in England.This book might almost be a potted history of Bath, though Lovesey has a light touch, and never allows the novel to deteriorate into a text book. Diamond is a well-established figure: grouchy, quick to bark out orders and almost permanently hungry, yet also intelligent and eventually prepared to accept other people’s ideas. Lovesey is well practised in blending sound plots with enough smattering of the police procedural to seem authentic, but also a light-heartedness that leaves the reader wanting more.I am surprised that these novels have not found their way onto television. The combination of Bath’s scenic splendours and the quixotic lead character seem custom-built to capture the territory formerly occupied by Morse.

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Beau Death, Peter Lovesey has created a mystery that resembles a Russian nesting doll, and it is a sheer delight to read. In this outing, readers learn about a very real person in eighteenth-century Bath, Beau Nash, and Diamond is led on a merry chase in his attempts to identify the skeleton in the attic. Of course, present-day murders won't leave his team alone, so it's not long until they have several "plates" spinning in mid-air.The plotting is deft and very intricate without being overdone, and the characters perform beautifully. Diamond is suitably choleric in dealing with his superior officer and a recalcitrant member of his team, and there's a forensic expert named Waghorn that he'd dearly love to toss in prison. Ingebord is her usual sterling self, and there's a new constable named Paul Gilbert who shows a great deal of promise. Also, there are brilliant little observations scattered throughout about such things as whiteboards, cornflakes, cocaine, and men's underwear.As I said before, Beau Death is an absolute delight to read. I've enjoyed the few books in this series that I have read, and one of these days I vow to make the effort to go back and read them all. There's a very good reason why Peter Lovesey has won lifetime achievement awards: he knows how to tell a tale that will keep you hooked from first page to last.