Peter Lovesey

Peter (Harmer) Lovesey (born 1936 in Whitton, Middlesex) is a British writer of historical and contemporary crime novels and short stories.

Contents 1 Life 2 Bibliography 2.1 Sergeant Cribb novels 2.1.1 Television 2.2 Peter Diamond novels 2.3 Albert Edward, Prince of Wales novels 2.4 Novels as Peter Lear 2.5 Other novels 2.6 Short story collections 2.7 Anthology 2.8 Non-fiction 2.9 External links

Life

Lovesey was educated at Hampton Grammar School and read English at Reading University. He graduated in 1958 and completed three years' National Service in the RAF. In 1959 he married Jacqueline Ruth Lewis; they have a son and daughter. In 1961 Lovesey was appointed a lecturer in English at Thurrock Technical College, Essex. He became interested in Victorian sport and in 1968 his first book The Kings of Distance was published, dealing with the careers and personalities of five outstanding runners of the past. In 1969 he was made head of the General Education Department at Hammersmith College for Further Education. He held this position until he became a full-time writer in 1975. In 1970 he began his mystery writing career with Wobble to Death, which introduced the Victorian detective Sergeant Cribb. The Cribb novels were the basis for a Granada Television series originally broadcast in 1980-81. In The Last Detective (1991), Lovesey introduced a modern-day series character, Peter Diamond, a police, and sometimes private, detective in Bath. Lovesey's novels are mostly in the classic "whodunit" tradition, eschewing social realism in favor of puzzle-like plots, eccentric characters, and humorous twists. Most of Peter Lovesey's writing has been done under his own name. However, he did write three novels under the pen name Peter Lear. Lovesey's novels and short stories have won him a number of awards, including both the Gold and Silver Daggers of the Crime Writers' Association, of which he was chairman in 1991/92. In 2000, he received the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement in crime writing. Peter Lovesey lives near Chichester. His son Phil Lovesey also writes crime novels.

Bibliography

Sergeant Cribb novels

• Wobble to Death (1970), ISBN 0-333-11069-2
• The Detective Wore Silk Drawers (1971), ISBN 0-333-12578-9
• Abracadaver (1972), ISBN 0-333-13591-1
• Mad Hatter's Holiday (1973), ISBN 0-333-14409-0
• Invitation to a Dynamite Party (1974), ISBN 0-333-15656-0 (published in the U.S. as The Tick of Death)
• A Case of Spirits (1975), ISBN 0-333-18225-1
• Swing, Swing Together (1976), ISBN 0-333-19322-9
• Waxwork (1978), ISBN 0-333-23455-3 (Silver Dagger Award)

Television

The television series Cribb (1980-81) is available on DVD in the UK and the US.

Peter Diamond novels

• The Last Detective (1991), ISBN 0-356-20264-X (Anthony Award)
• Diamond Solitaire (1992), ISBN 0-316-90325-6
• The Summons (1995), ISBN 0-316-91078-3 (Silver Dagger Award)
• Bloodhounds (1996), ISBN 0-316-87838-3 (Silver Dagger Award, Macavity Award, Barry Award)
• Upon a Dark Night (1997), ISBN 0-316-63971-0
• The Vault (1999), ISBN 0-316-64646-6
• Diamond Dust (2002), ISBN 0-316-85985-0
• The House Sitter (2003), ISBN 0-316-72531-5
• The Secret Hangman (2007), ISBN 978-1-56947-457-0

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales novels

• Bertie and the Tinman (1987), ISBN 0-370-31113-2
• Bertie and the Seven Bodies (1990), ISBN 0-7126-3471-1
• Bertie and the Crime of Passion (1993), ISBN 0-316-90685-9

Novels as Peter Lear

• Goldengirl (1977), ISBN 0-304-29848-4
• Spider Girl (1980), ISBN 0-670-66274-7 (republished as In Suspense)
• The Secret of Spandau (1986), ISBN 0-7181-2671-8

Other novels

• The False Inspector Dew (1982), ISBN 0-333-32748-9 (Gold Dagger Award)
• Keystone (1983), ISBN 0-333-35044-8
• Rough Cider (1986), ISBN 0-370-30740-2
• On the Edge (1989), ISBN 0-7126-2593-3 (filmed as Dead Gorgeous)
• The Reaper (2000), ISBN 0-316-85419-0
• The Circle (2005), ISBN 0-316-72945-0

Short story collections

• Butchers (1985), ISBN 0-333-13364-1
• The Black Cabinet (1989), ISBN 0-947761-27-6
• The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown (1994), ISBN 0-316-91253-0
• Do Not Exceed the Stated Dose (1998), ISBN 0-316-64443-9 (short stories)
• The Sedgemoor Strangler (2001), ISBN 0-7490-0523-8

Anthology

• The Verdict of Us All (2006), ISBN 0-7490-8192-9 (ed.)

Non-fiction

• The Kings of Distance (1968)
• The Guide to British Track and Field Literature, 1275-1968 (1969), ISBN 0-902175-00-9 (with Tom McNab)
• The Official Centenary History of the Amateur Athletic Association (1979), ISBN 0-900424-95-8
• An Athletics Compendium (2001), ISBN 0-7123-1104-1 (with Tom McNab and Andrew Huxtable)

External links

• PeterLovesey.com - official site