Cop to Corpse

By Peter Lovesey

“Next to Jane Austen, Peter Lovesey is the writer the tourist board of Bath, England, extols most proudly . . . The enduring draw of the Peter Diamond books derives both from the beguiling Bath cityscape and the brusque character of Diamond himself.” —NPR

PC Harry Trasker is the third policeman in the Bath area to be shot dead in less than twelve weeks. The assassinations are the work of a sniper who seems to be everywhere and nowhere at once, always a step ahead.The younger detectives od their best with what little evidence he leaves, but they're no match for this murderer and his merciless agenda. 

When Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond is assigned to the case, he begins to find curious connections between the dead officers after talking to their widows. But then a chilling encounter with the killer leaves Diamond in the lurch and the sniper in the wind. Things get even more complicated when the evidence starts to suggest that the killer might be one of Britain's finest--a theory unpopular among Diamond's colleagues. Can Diamond manage to capture an elusive and increasingly dangerous killer while keeping his team from losing faith in him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781616950798

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 Cop to Corpse

[mainecolonial · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Constable Harry Tasker is shot in the head and killed in the early morning hours, that makes the third uniformed police officer picked off by a mystery sniper in England in three months. This is the first one in Bath, though, and Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond is on the scene quickly. He's told, in no uncertain terms, that the investigation will be led by Chief Superintendent Jack Gull of the Serial Crimes Unit.By not giving in to his natural inclination to tell Gull where he can stick it, Diamond ensures that he stays close to Gull's team's pursuit of the sniper and, separately, can pursue his own investigation of the murder victims, trying to discover whether there might be a connection between them. This idea goes against the grain of Gull's notion that the sniper is just a psycho who hates cops, so Diamond doesn't immediately share his thoughts with Gull. He has to bring in his own team, though, and this causes considerable awkwardness, since it's perceived that he is casting suspicion on fellow cops.But Diamond is determined to find answers, no matter what the consequences. He's not afraid to tweak the foul-mouthed, macho man Gull, to ask difficult questions of the widows of the slain policemen, or to risk his normally good relationship with his closest team members, stalwart Keith Halliwell, plodding John Leaman and the cheeky former crime journalist Ingeborg Smith.Diamond is afraid of some things, though. He has a horror of high-speed drivers--like Gull--and hates guns, saying he won't carry one because it would risk anyone and everyone in his vicinity. Being a man of a certain age and avoirdupois, he's also none too fond of foot chases, climbing, or nighttime forest stakeouts. He much prefers to use his brain and reason things out with his team and his longtime girlfriend, Paloma.The Peter Diamond series is a classic, straight-ahead British police procedural. Lovesey takes his crime stories seriously, but always includes plenty of humorous moments and spares us descriptions of graphic violence. In Cop to Corpse, he leads us on a complex, multi-layered investigation with plenty of twists and turns and a few cleverly laid red herrings. Even though I had strong suspicions about whodunnit, Diamond's efforts and the full story were so entertaining it made no difference at all to my enjoyment.I highly recommend this 12th entry in the Peter Diamond series. Unlike some series, it's not necessary to read the books in order--though they're all well worth reading.

[deaconbernie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good mystery. without being unfair, Lovesey has his principle character hold back from the common thinking and pursue the case on his own. Lovesey doesn't telegraph a thing but he could be a bit more elaborate as he takes us for the ride. This is not a simple mystery nor is it a simple occurrence. One has to be prepared to stretch in order to grasp the story.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had not read a Peter Diamond in awhile and it was good to be back in Bath with him. Well done. Lots of twists and turns. Think you have it figured out and then...

[remizak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Constable Harry Tasker is shot in the head and killed in the early morning hours, that makes the third uniformed police officer picked off by a mystery sniper in England in three months. This is the first one in Bath, though, and Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond is on the scene quickly. He's told, in no uncertain terms, that the investigation will be led by Chief Superintendent Jack Gull of the Serial Crimes Unit.By not giving in to his natural inclination to tell Gull where he can stick it, Diamond ensures that he stays close to Gull's team's pursuit of the sniper and, separately, can pursue his own investigation of the murder victims, trying to discover whether there might be a connection between them. This idea goes against the grain of Gull's notion that the sniper is just a psycho who hates cops, so Diamond doesn't immediately share his thoughts with Gull. He has to bring in his own team, though, and this causes considerable awkwardness, since it's perceived that he is casting suspicion on fellow cops.But Diamond is determined to find answers, no matter what the consequences. He's not afraid to tweak the foul-mouthed, macho man Gull, to ask difficult questions of the widows of the slain policemen, or to risk his normally good relationship with his closest team members, stalwart Keith Halliwell, plodding John Leaman and the cheeky former crime journalist Ingeborg Smith.Diamond is afraid of some things, though. He has a horror of high-speed drivers--like Gull--and hates guns, saying he won't carry one because it would risk anyone and everyone in his vicinity. Being a man of a certain age and avoirdupois, he's also none too fond of foot chases, climbing, or nighttime forest stakeouts. He much prefers to use his brain and reason things out with his team and his longtime girlfriend, Paloma.The Peter Diamond series is a classic, straight-ahead British police procedural. Lovesey takes his crime stories seriously, but always includes plenty of humorous moments and spares us descriptions of graphic violence. In Cop to Corpse, he leads us on a complex, multi-layered investigation with plenty of twists and turns and a few cleverly laid red herrings. Even though I had strong suspicions about whodunnit, Diamond's efforts and the full story were so entertaining it made no difference at all to my enjoyment.I highly recommend this 12th entry in the Peter Diamond series. Unlike some series, it's not necessary to read the books in order--though they're all well worth reading.

[4hounds · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was exciting in some ways, but the identity of the (main) killer was kind of a letdown.

[booksinthebelfry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite being hindered by injuries sustained in the line of duty Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond shows no sign of flagging in this, the twelfth installment of Lovesey's series set in Bath, England. There is a slightly awkward second narrative running parallel to the main plot which puzzled me for a time, but it's brought into focus at the end of the book with a twist that perhaps shouldn't have taken me by surprise but did, thanks to Lovesey's skillful manipulation of assumptions made by characters and reader alike.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Peter Diamond says he suspects the Somerset Sniper is actually one of their own, his investigating team all but turn against him. When he asks them to check duty rosters for coincidences, his lieutenant refuses and Peter ends up doing it himself.For Peter it is a pretty eventful case: he gets shot at; mown down by a motor bike; and attacked by someone who should be on his side. But nothing stops him, and despite his injuries, and the fact that his team thinks he's on the wrong track, his mind keeps working. He proves yet again why he is at the top of his game: he sees connections no-one else does, but he isn't always right.Another very readable tale. I think Peter Lovesey is incapable of writing a bad one, particularly if you delight in police procedurals like his.And look, if you haven't read a Lovesey before, start with this one. It'll get you hooked! And then there are 10 earlier ones in the Peter Diamond series that you can try.

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First Line: Hero to zero. Cop to corpse.Three policemen have been killed in the Bath area in the past three months. A sniper is at work; someone who seems to be anywhere and everywhere, able to avoid CCTV cameras and to leave no traces of evidence behind.Leave it to Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond to begin piecing together clues once he's assigned to the case. How does he do it? By doing things his way, which sounds like radical thinking but isn't. You see, he's actually following procedure by interviewing everyone who might know something-- especially the widows of the dead men. Diamond must be doing a good job, too-- because he has an up-close-and-personal encounter with the killer... and a very narrow escape. When the evidence compiled begins to suggest that the sniper might actually be a fellow police officer, Diamond is brave enough to go with that theory, even though his colleagues are dead set against it. Diamond finds himself walking a tightrope: trying to find an elusive killer while retaining his team's faith in him.Award-winning author Peter Lovesey has been on my radar for a long, long time. In fact, I have the first book in this series sitting on a shelf waiting to be read. When I received a copy of Cop to Corpse, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and read it. I am very glad that I did. I wasn't a bit confused by starting a series at book twelve; all Lovesey did was charm me with his leading man, and now I'm determined to read more books about this marvelous creation named Peter Diamond.There are twists and turns in the plot, there is humor, and there are some genuinely heart-pounding scenes to be savored here. And the characters! Diamond is a gem, but even secondary and minor characters come to life under Lovesey's pen.Have you ever had such a strong response to a character that it made you very suspicious about him or her? That's what happened to me in reading this book. Someone's reaction to an event seemed way over the top to me, and it made me think, "Wait a second... could it be that...?" In other words, I was right about whodunit very early on, but when I'm reading such a skillfully told tale with such wonderful characters in it, I have but one response-- Who cares?Cop to Corpse was such a treat, I can't wait to read the earlier adventures of Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond! If you're in the mood for a new police procedural series and haven't tried Peter Lovesey's, come join me in the fun!

[brianewilliams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent police procedural murder mystery with a complex plot and several red herrings that kept me guessing right up to the end about the identity of the killer(s). This is the first Peter Diamond novel that I've read and am looking forward to reading others in the series.

[samsattler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Because Cop to Corpse is my first exposure to Peter Lovesey’s Peter Diamond series, I am certainly no expert on the character or its development over the course of the series’ eleven previous books. But if the other eleven are as entertaining as this one, this detective series should be investigated by all police procedural fans looking for a new detective to follow. Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond is far closer to the end of his career than to the beginning, and it shows in his attitude and how he approaches an investigation. Readers will enjoy watching him play the game his way.PC Harry Trasker is the third policeman in the Bath area, Diamond’s home turf, to be shot dead by a sniper in just a few weeks. As were the two previous victims, Trasker was killed instantly by a clean shot to the head, indicating that the shooter is a well trained, skillful marksman. More disturbing, perhaps, is the shooter’s uncanny ability to commit the murders without ever being seen or leaving behind a trace of evidence the police can use to track him. This, however, begins to change with the murder of Harry Trasker.This time someone calls police immediately following the shooting and they arrive on the scene within minutes, something the killer never expected to happen. When the young policeman in charge at the scene of the crime decides that capturing the killer on his own before backup arrives would be a great career move, things get interesting. That is when Peter Diamond arrives – only to learn that the investigation has already been claimed by a rather pompous rival of his from a neighboring jurisdiction, Chief Superintendent Gull. Gull, though, will prove to be the least of Diamond’s problems because, after Diamond becomes convinced that the shooter might be a fellow cop, he will face a rebellion within the ranks that forces him to investigate that theory on his own. Despite being left on crutches after a near fatal encounter with a darkly helmeted motorcycle rider, Diamond follows the leads wherever they take him. Along the way, he suffers the abuse of grieving police widows, a loss of respect from his own investigating team, and the indignity of reporting to the fool officially in charge of the Somerset Sniper investigation. Cop to Corpse shows that Peter Lovesey is a crime writer still very much at the top of his game despite having been awarded 2000’s Cartier Diamond Dagger for “lifetime achievement in crime writing.” Rated at: 5.0