Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
Peter Lovesey is back with a winner in this fifteenth Peter Diamond mystery. What better than to pair up Diamond with his superior officer-- a woman he has no use for? Some of my favorite scenes in the book deal with Diamond learning how to conceal crucial pieces of his investigation from his hapless partner, and readers can easily feel sympathy for him each time he has to stop what he's doing to stroke his boss's ego. Even "Dallymore and Diamond" has the ring of a vaudeville act whose name appears at the bottom of the bill. It's not a situation that Diamond relishes. At. All.
Another thing to make Diamond's job more difficult is the fact that he has to keep his friendship with the suspended officer, "Hen" Mallin, a secret from his boss and everyone else. Mallin has appeared in other Lovesey mysteries (The Circle, The Headhunters and The House Sitter), and I enjoyed her character so much that I'll be looking these two up in order to read them.
Down Among the Dead Men also concerns missing persons, a handsome young art teacher who has set all the hearts at a posh girls' school aflutter, Saturday meetings for a group of local artists, and full moon parties. Lovesey does such a good job of portraying all those teenage female hormones that I felt as if I were right in the middle of the action (and wanting to run for my life).
There are so many things going on in this book, but I never once felt confused or overloaded. Lovesey has created a very complex puzzle, and I loved how all the various pieces finally slotted into place-- some not exactly in the places I expected. Yes, this is a book in which I often knew "who" but very seldom figured out the "why" or the "how." When you finish reading Down Among the Dead Men, you'll have a smile on your face, knowing that you've just been given a lesson in deduction by a master.
Another thing to make Diamond's job more difficult is the fact that he has to keep his friendship with the suspended officer, "Hen" Mallin, a secret from his boss and everyone else. Mallin has appeared in other Lovesey mysteries (The Circle, The Headhunters and The House Sitter), and I enjoyed her character so much that I'll be looking these two up in order to read them.
Down Among the Dead Men also concerns missing persons, a handsome young art teacher who has set all the hearts at a posh girls' school aflutter, Saturday meetings for a group of local artists, and full moon parties. Lovesey does such a good job of portraying all those teenage female hormones that I felt as if I were right in the middle of the action (and wanting to run for my life).
There are so many things going on in this book, but I never once felt confused or overloaded. Lovesey has created a very complex puzzle, and I loved how all the various pieces finally slotted into place-- some not exactly in the places I expected. Yes, this is a book in which I often knew "who" but very seldom figured out the "why" or the "how." When you finish reading Down Among the Dead Men, you'll have a smile on your face, knowing that you've just been given a lesson in deduction by a master.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 1
Once again Peter Lovesey didn't even come close to disappointing me. I had to read this book almost straight through, ignoring others I might read and was up until midnight finishing it.
Still, I thought one of the case's breaks was maybe a bit much, although stuff like that happens. And I wished one of the victims wasn't.
Still, I thought one of the case's breaks was maybe a bit much, although stuff like that happens. And I wished one of the victims wasn't.
