Reading order · 21 books · 1991 to 2022 · Set in Bath
Peter Diamond Books in Order
Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is a grumpy, old-fashioned detective in Bath who distrusts computers and modern methods, and gets results anyway. Clever, funny, fair-play mysteries rich in the life of the city.
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Series facts
- Books
- 21
- Published
- 1991 to 2022
- First book
- The Last Detective
- Latest
- Showstopper (2022)
- Setting
- Set in Bath
The reading order
Every Peter Diamond book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
21 books · Set in Bath
- 1The Last Detective1991With Peter DiamondThe body of a woman is found floating in a reservoir near Bath, and Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond, an old-fashioned detective in a modern force, sets out to find her killer.Buy on Amazon
- 2Diamond Solitaire1992With Peter DiamondPeter Diamond, now working as a security guard in Harrods, finds a small Japanese girl hiding in the store at night, and sets out to find out who she is.Buy on Amazon
- 3The Summons1995With Peter DiamondA convicted murderer Diamond once put away escapes and takes a hostage, demanding that Diamond prove his innocence.Buy on Amazon
- 4Bloodhounds1996With Peter DiamondA member of a society of crime fiction fans is found dead on a narrowboat, and a rare stamp has been stolen.Buy on Amazon
- 5Upon a Dark Night1997With Peter DiamondA young woman wakes in hospital with no memory, while an elderly farmer is found dead.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Vault1999With Peter DiamondA skeletal hand is found in the vault beneath the Pump Room in Bath, near the house where Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein.Buy on Amazon
- 7Diamond Dust2002With Peter DiamondPeter Diamond’s wife is shot dead in a Bath park, and he is barred from the case.Buy on Amazon
- 8The House Sitter2003With Peter DiamondA woman is murdered on a crowded beach in Sussex, and Diamond works with a police profiler.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Secret Hangman2007With Peter DiamondA woman is found hanged from a children’s swing in a Bath park, and soon there are other hangings.Buy on Amazon
- 10Skeleton Hill2009With Peter DiamondRe-enactors staging a battle from the English Civil War on a hill above Bath find a skeleton.Buy on Amazon
- 11Stagestruck2011With Peter DiamondA pop star making her stage debut at the Theatre Royal in Bath is horribly burned by her make-up, and then a stagehand is found dead.Buy on Amazon
- 12Cop to Corpse2012With Peter DiamondA sniper is shooting police officers in Bath.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Tooth Tattoo2013With Peter DiamondA string quartet comes to Bath, and the body of a young woman is found in a canal.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Stone Wife2014With Peter DiamondA stone carving of Chaucer’s Wife of Bath is sold at auction, and a professor is shot dead during a robbery.Buy on Amazon
- 15Down Among the Dead Men2015With Peter DiamondAn unpopular art teacher vanishes from a Sussex girls’ school, and Peter Diamond, reluctantly assisting his boss on an internal inquiry, finds the case may be tied to a murder seven years old.Buy on Amazon
- 16Another One Goes Tonight2016With Peter DiamondA patrol car crash leaves one officer dead and another badly hurt, and Diamond comes to suspect that the man on a tricycle involved in the accident may be a killer.Buy on Amazon
- 17Beau Death2017With Peter DiamondA skeleton dressed in the clothes of the famous Georgian dandy Beau Nash is found in a house being demolished.Buy on Amazon
- 18Killing with Confetti2019With Peter DiamondPeter Diamond is put in charge of security at the wedding of a gangster’s son, where the bride’s father is a senior police officer.Buy on Amazon
- 19The Finisher2020With Peter DiamondA runner dies during the Bath half marathon.Buy on Amazon
- 20Diamond and the Eye2021With Peter DiamondA private eye who models himself on Philip Marlowe joins Diamond in hunting a missing antiques dealer.Buy on Amazon
- 21Showstopper2022With Peter DiamondA television crime series seems to be cursed, and its actors keep dying.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Last Detective. Each case stands alone, but Diamond’s life develops through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Peter Diamond | Keith Halliwell | Georgina Dallymore | Ingeborg Smith | Julie Hargreaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Last Detective | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 2 Diamond Solitaire | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 3 The Summons | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 4 Bloodhounds | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 5 Upon a Dark Night | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 6 The Vault | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 7 Diamond Dust | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 8 The House Sitter | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 9 The Secret Hangman | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 10 Skeleton Hill | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 11 Stagestruck | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 12 Cop to Corpse | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 13 The Tooth Tattoo | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 14 The Stone Wife | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 15 Down Among the Dead Men | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 16 Another One Goes Tonight | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 17 Beau Death | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 18 Killing with Confetti | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 19 The Finisher | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 20 Diamond and the Eye | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 21 Showstopper | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Peter Diamond books
5 characters from Peter Lovesey’s chart, with the number of Peter Diamond books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Peter DiamondDetective Superintendent in Bath | 21 | The Last Detective 1991 |
| Keith HalliwellDiamond's loyal inspector | 21 | The Last Detective 1991 |
| Georgina DallymoreAssistant Chief Constable | 21 | The Last Detective 1991 |
| Ingeborg SmithFormer journalist turned detective | 14 | The House Sitter 2003 |
| Julie HargreavesDiamond's sergeant | 4 | The Last Detective 1991 |