Peter Lovesey, the mystery author known for his series of novels featuring detective Peter Diamond, has died at 88, publisher Soho Press announced in a news release.
Lovesey, a native of Middlesex, England, was educated at Reading University, and worked as a teacher before publishing his first novel, Wobble to Death, in 1970. The book introduced readers to Victorian-era police officer Daniel Cribb, who would go on to feature in seven more of Lovesey’s novels, including The Detective Wore Silk Drawers, A Case of Spirits, and Waxwork.
Lovesey debuted the character of Peter Diamond, a detective in modern-day Bath, England, in The Last Detective, published in 1991. More than 20 more novels featuring Diamond followed, including The Summons, Upon a Dark Night, The Secret Hangman, and, most recently, Against the Grain, which was published in December.
“In addition to the scope of his unparalleled crime fiction career, Peter Lovesey will be remembered by his many grieving friends as the paragon of decency, compassion, loyalty, self-discipline, and pride in good work—in short, a human example of what it means to live a good life,” Soho said.
Lovesey was remembered on social media by his admirers. On the platform X, author Eli Cranor wrote, “Peter Lovesey passed away this morning. I owe him so much. His generosity sparked my entire career. He once told me the life of a novelist is a marathon, not a sprint. Peter ran one hell of a race.”
And on the social platform Bluesky, journalist and author Sarah Weinman posted, “RIP Peter Lovesey, a giant in crime fiction and a lovely human.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
