I have followed Peter Diamond since his debut in The Last Detective (1991). I was first drawn to the series because of the setting in Bath, one of my favorite places. I stayed because I loved the stories and the characters. In this latest title, Diamond has people inquiring about his retirement. Oh no!

This time Diamond and his team are investigating a series of events (including deaths) that are plaguing a TV series. Readers know that the case will be solved. The fun is watching how the author achieves this.

There are some droll characters here including a man and dog who have no fixed abode. He is a wily and ingenious character who likes sparring with Diamond. There are vignettes including one with a woman who is hard of hearing. Lovesey goes for humor at times but the plot of the story is always there. There are twists and turns as a true master leads readers/listeners to the solution.

This was the first time that I listened to a Diamond title, rather than reading it. I am so glad that I did. I loved hearing Diamond speaking.

I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy British mysteries. Publishers Weekly has given it a starred review.

I had the opportunity to listen to the “Showstopper “ audiobook. This is part of the Detective Peter Diamond series but my first Peter Lovesey novel.

A British TV show ‘Swift’ has had many problems over the years. People involved with the show have had serious injuries, deaths and even a couple have gone missing. Detective Peter Diamond is needed to determine if this show is cursed or if there’s something more going on like murder.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book. I like feeling like I’m behind the scenes on the TV show set. This is a good detective mystery book and retained my interest.

I would like to thank NetGalley and RB Media for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This mystery was interesting and had a gripping start. The book did bring in a few too many characters at times, but overall the book was interesting and had me guessing throughout. I did not know this was part of a series, but the book does work as a standalone and Peter Diamond is an interesting detective.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Soho Press for an advance copy of this audiobook in the long-running Peter Diamond series.

Showstopper by Peter Lovesey
Narrator, James Langton

This is book 21 or 21 which I didn't realize until I received the ARC. The cast and crew of a hit British TV show is rumored to be cursed—but are these spooky deaths coincidences or murder? It's up to Bath detective Peter Diamond to find out. I enjoyed this book and caught up quickly. The end kept me guessing and I will check out his other books.

This book was so much better than I expected it to be, and yes I based that off the cover. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I am guilty of doing that all the time! This was a funny and well-written story and I will certainly be going back to the beginning of this series and reading all the books up to this point!! Can't wait to see how this series began and where it's going!

#Showstopper
#NetGalley

Swift, a British TV show has been cursed, it seems like, since it started in 2013. There have been lots of bad things to happen such as injuries, people leaving the show, deaths, and now missing people. Peter takes on the case and is in search of the two missing men when another goes missing. He is questioning the cast and crew and trying to make any connections that he can but keeps coming up short. If he does not solve the case, his boss is going to force him to retire.

Honestly, I was not the biggest fan of this. I looked it up and see that it averages four stars, but it does not for me. The characters did not have a lot of depth and I think there was just too much going on with the two people missing to then have another go missing as well. The story did make you keep guessing, but some of the things just felt far fetched.

Showstopper follows a popular television show called Swift. Despite its popularity, Swift has had some development issues. They have been plagued with onsite injuries, missing cast and crew, and even some deaths. Most believe the show is cursed, others think it’s foul play. After a recent death detective Peter Diamond is in the case.

This is the 21st book in the Peter Diamond series. I knew nothing about this series and had no issues following the plot and the characters. This worked great as a stand-alone.

Sadly the investigation never drew me in. I was trying to get myself involved in trying to figure out the mystery with Peter but I never found the characters intriguing enough to get fully invested. They are written well, they just didn’t do enough to suck me in.

When the conclusion came I was surprised by the outcome. This was one that I was not clever enough to figure out and I love when that happens.

This has an intriguing mystery around a fun idea. If you like investigations I do recommend this book. I’m not sure why the investigation didn’t click for me, but I do recommend it.

This is book 21 of 21, which I didn’t know when I started. However, even though there is probably character backgrounds and things like that which may have added that depth to the story, this was still perfectly easy to understand on it’s own and was a very good murder mystery.
Swift, a British TV Show, started six years ago and in that time the cast and the crew have been hit by misfortune. It all started with the star actress’s exit from the show before it even started. By this point, there have been all sorts of injuries from fire, falls, or even drowning. On top of that there have been two deaths and two missing person cases.
It’s quickly picked up by the media who have deemed it all a curse. Now the filming has moved to Bath and Chief of the Avon and Somerset Murder Squad, Peter Diamond, is on the case. As they are investigating one fatal accident a cameraman goes missing and even the best of detectives is hard pressed to to if the victim is of foul play or perhaps it is a jinx. So many things in so little time!
This is a good story that keeps you guessing and following along with the clues as they are discovered. As it plays out you get the chance to guess and theorize along with those in charge of the case.
This is a fun story and if you get the chance to or like to listen to audio versions, this one is very good. The narrator is great at bringing out emotion in each character as well as giving the all different voices and tones.
This is a good one!

I really wanted to like this, but it just wasn't interesting. I wasn't able to finish it.

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Showstopper by Peter Lovesey
Narrator, James Langton
This was a very enjoyable addition to a long running series but probably not the place to start this series. There is so much background and so many supporting characters that is seems a disservice to the series to do that.
There were some very touching moments and a hugely convoluted series of red herrings. I was totally surprised at the end. I thought it was so good that I listened to it all in one day.
James Langton is an excellent narrator and is for me the voice of Peter Diamond.