The Headhunters: An Inspector Hen Mallin Investigation

By Peter Lovesey

Praise for Peter Lovesey:

“Lovesey’s restrained wit and charming cast ensure him a place in the winner’s circle.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A master of black humor and macabre plot twists.”—The New York Times Book Review

“One of Britain’s foremost mystery novelists.”—Houston Chronicle

“Lovesey is a master.”—The Washington Post Book World

“One of the delights of contemporary crime fi ction.”—The Wall Street Journal

Gemma loathes her sleazy boss; Jo is her confidante. On a double date with Rick and Jake, they discuss forming a mutual murder society, in jest of course. The next day, Jo, walking on Selsey Beach, discovers the corpse of a drowned woman, a stranger. But one of the men in the lineup at the police station is Gemma’s date Jake, who Jo rather fancies.

Then Gemma and Jo discover the corpse of Fiona, Gemma’s annoying colleague from work. And Gemma’s boss is missing. When an older woman whom Rick was involved with is drowned in her pool, the police begin to close in.

Can this outbreak of deaths by drowning be coincidental? Or has the joke gone too far?

Peter Lovesey has been awarded the Silver, Gold, and Diamond Daggers by the British Crime Writers’ Association. This is his third mystery featuring Inspector Hen Mallin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781569477588

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 Headhunters

[ant.harrison · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another winner from Lovesey, reminds me of one of his other non-series books - The Reaper - which I read and loved several years ago. This one has a slightly humorous patina too but don't let that fool you, because underneath is a cracking mystery with some believable and likeable characters.

[lucybrown_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is my least favorite of the Lovesey novels I have read so far, which is not that I don't think it is a fine book. I suppose I prefer the character of Diamond better and the literary backdrops in many of his Diamond books. The character development in this mystery is very fine, great psychological depth. Jake is a great character, as are Jo and Gemma. For some reason this book made me quite edgy.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although the Hen Mallin series (of which there are only 2 titles so far - the other is THE CIRCLE - see the mini review below) is a police procedural, as an investigator Hen is very different to Peter Diamond. (see my recent review of COP TO CORPSE )Hen is very conscious of her male superiors just waiting for her to make a slip, constantly threatening that if a case is too much for her it could be handed on. Hen does act on impulse sometimes - in THE HEADHUNTERS she orders out the local divisional helicopter but luckily for her the move pays off.In THE HEADHUNTERS Lovesey plays with the unreliable narrator. We learn of events from several points of view but it is difficult to pick which one is not to be trusted. In fact there seem to be several candidates. There are also some really good red herrings.So another good story from Peter Lovesey.

[rachelweaver_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first of Lovesey's that I've read that wasn't in the Peter Diamond series. I enjoyed the characters and the audio reading was excellent, but I think I'm still more of a Peter Diamond fan.

[romonko · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a long-term fan of Lovesey, and I particularly like Hen Mallin, so I was really waiting for this book to come out. It did not disappoint me at all. I love the way Lovesey builds characters as he has done again in this book. His depiction of the four friends in the Headhunter group is gripping, and it makes the reader feel a part of it all. Lovesey always maintains a balance of humour with suspense, and he does that again here. He is truly one of Great Britain's best fiction writers. His books are written like a finely choreographed dance. Each character has a part to play, and we watch as the story unfolds. And he uncovers truly chilling villains in his books. This one is no exception to that either. Excellent!