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. ( )

improving standard flawed detective ( )

great procedural page-turner.

it is so lovely to escape to a fantasy world in which the curmudgeon gives only lip-service to the universal skepticism of feminism. ( )

A good mystery. Well read by Simon Prebble. Interesting to see a detective have to reopen a case. Very satisfying solution. ( )

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. ( )