The Summons

By Peter Lovesey

“The Summons is a classic.” —The Economist

John Mountjoy has escaped from prison and kidnapped the chief constable’s daughter. The only person he’ll parley with is Detective Peter Diamond, who arrested him four years earlier for the murder of a young journalist. Mountjoy, who still maintains his innocence, has a simple request for Diamond. All the detective has to do is find the real killer and clear Mountjoy’s name, and the hostage will be free to go. But in the intervening four years, the trail has gone cold and memories have turned hazy, making the hunt for the killer even more complicated the second time around. Will Diamond get to the bottom of the cold case before another life is lost?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 1, 2004
• ISBN: 9781569478127

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 The Summons

[deaconbernie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best of Peter Diamond mystery I've read, this book was hard to find. Having read about two dozen of the author's works in this particular series, I finally caught up with his way of spinning the yarn. It is different to read a mystery that isn't so much revelatory as it is an expose of the author's skills. If one has not read a Peter Diamond book before this, The Summons would not be a good place to start.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Summons by Peter Lovesey is the third book in his Peter Diamond series, and in this one, the summons is directed at Diamond as he is taken from his home in London and driven to Bath in order to assist the police to recapture an escaped prisoner who Diamond put away for murder four years ago.John Mountjoy has a history of abusive behavior to women but he insists that he didn’t commit the murder of Britt Strand that he was charged with. He has kidnapped the Assistant Chief Constable’s daughter and wants Peter Diamond to re-investigate the case. At first Diamond firmly believes that he originally was right and that Mountjoy is guilty, but as he painstakingly goes over all the details, his confidence is shaken and he starts to believe that Mountjoy is innocent. I love the way Lovesey’s mind works. This is a creative story that fits together beautifully as he alternates solid police reasoning with large helpings of humor. Peter Diamond is someone I can easily identify with as his curmudgeonly ways and failure to move with the times is something I have to guard against myself. The colorful characters that move through the streets of Bath are an added bonus to this series and the pay-off at the end of the book will certainly enhance future books.

[lucybrown_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

another enjoyable outing with Diamond. Really a very adorable detective despite all his paunchy curmudgeonliness. Liked the pair up with Inspector Hargreaves who gives as good as she gets from Diamond.

checked out from library

[4hounds · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Still loving these, still finding the mystery a little unbelievable. (Nevada Barr affects me the same way - I love the characters, the plot, and especially the settings, but people's motivations seem exaggerated, or maybe just the actions they take based on their motivations seem over the top.) I liked Hargreaves a lot; I hope she continues to appear.

[newsieq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Peter Diamond has struggled since he quit his job as head of the police murder squad in Bath, England. Then, he’s given an offer he can’t refuse – from the higher-ups who had made his life miserable. A convicted murderer, John Mountjoy, whom Diamond put behind bars has escaped. Then he kidnapped the daughter of one of the police higher-ups, not for ransom, but to force the police department to have Diamond meet him face-to-face and then re-investigate the murder – of which Mountjoy says he’s innocent. Obviously the escapee doesn’t know Diamond is no longer a cop. Diamond is in a great negotiating position. When things don’t go his way, he can threaten to walk away. Plus, he’s thinking that maybe he can wangle his old job back on better terms. It’s worth a shot. Soon after starting his investigation, he comes to believe he DID get it wrong – that Mountjoy IS innocent. But nothing short of a confession by the real killer will get Mountjoy out of prison. So that’s what Diamond and his colleague, Inspector Julie Hargreaves, set out to do. The Summons hands Diamond an intricate puzzle that forces him and Hargreaves to use their considerable detecting skills to find the real perpetrator in time to save the life of the young woman he’s holding hostage. That whole relationship is reminiscent of O. Henry’s “The Ransom of Red Chief.”

[cameling_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inspector Diamond resigned from the CID, and being somewhat miserable living in a basement apartment with his wife, is summoned back to the crime division by the Chief because a man he helped put away for murder has escaped, kidnapped the a young woman, and refuses to give himself up or release the woman until Diamond agrees to meet with him.Diamond is now faced with a new challenge ... although no longer with the police force, he is being asked to locate the missing woman and help facilitate the recapture of the escaped prisoner. But things are not as simple as they appear. The escaped prisoner maintains his innocence and casts a sliver of doubt in Diamond's mind that perhaps he had the wrong man incarcerated. Looking through the files from a case that took place more than 3 years ago is challenging enough, but having to consider other potential suspects and attempt to uncover additional evidence is akin to looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. And what is Diamond's end goal anyway? Is the escaped prisoner telling the truth and will they find the answers and the true murderer or is he just leading them on a merry chase and will he kill his hostage at the end?I found it very entertaining and I enjoyed the surprising twists that surfaced along the way.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Peter Diamond—the famous stout detective—has come down in the world since he rashly quit the police force. He's living in a London basement flat and bemoaning his fate: that one of the world's best homicide cops is considering a job as a nude artist's model. Then a murderer breaks out of jail, kidnaps a cop's daughter, and makes his ransom demand: he must speak to Peter Diamond at once.His old bosses beg him to come back to Bath. All Diamond has to do is free the hostage, and he may be able to return to his old job. But the kidnapper, convicted of murdering a beautiful reporter whose mouth was filled with roses, insists he's innocent. Diamond's mission is to find the real killer. Now, with no clues and a cold trail, Diamond is in the rough, risking his future, his reputation, and perhaps his life to crack a nearly impossible case.This is just vintage Lovesey. Such easy reading but lots of good threads and red herrings.