The Circle - Couverture souple

Praise for The House Sitter:

“Lovesey loves strong women, cerebral killers and diabolical puzzles—the very ingredients that make The House Sitter one of the most cunning mysteries in his Peter Diamond series.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

“The book sings along in great style.”— Washington Post Book World

“Elegant and suspenseful.”— Los Angeles Times

“An extraordinary mystery.”— Chicago Tribune

“This is Lovesey at his best.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An ingenious and complex novel.”— Booklist (starred review)

“[A] tour de force.”— Boston Herald

When van driver Bob Naylor, who likes to write jingles, is prodded by his teenage daughter into joining the Chichester Writers’ Circle, he scarcely expects to find that, among the anticipated set of literary snobs, he will be rubbing elbows with one—or more—potential victims of murder by arson. The members come from all walks of life and practice all forms of writing, from torrid romances to household hints, but there seems to be nothing to cause a serial killer to choose his victims from among them. But as the killer strikes again and again, Bob becomes a suspect. In order to free himself from suspicion and save himself from going up in flames, he will have to cooperate with formidable CID Chief Inspector Henrietta Mallin—Inspector Peter Diamond’s opposite number from The House Sitter. It begins to appear that amongst the potential victims in this circle are one or more murderers.

Peter Lovesey is the author of 24 highly praised mysteries and has been awarded The Crime Writers’ Association’s Gold, Silver and Diamond Daggers, as well as many US honors. He lives in West Sussex, England.

Praise for The Circle

“A treat . . . Lovesey’s restraint, wit, and charming cast ensure him a place in the winner’s circle.”
 —Entertainment Weekly
 
“Wonderfully funny . . . [A] jaunty jape of a mystery.”
—Washington Post Book World
 
“Splendid entertainment . . . How [Lovesey] blends suspense and humor to the detriment of neither remains one of crime fiction’s greatest puzzles. This one need not be solved to be enjoyed.”
—The Wall Street Journal
 
“What a joy . . . Its snappy dialogue made me laugh out loud; it delighted me with quotations heading each chapter and with its literary references; it provided a puzzle I was unable to solve. In short, the novel is great fun.”
—The Roanoke Times
 
“A crafty fair-play puzzle.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
 
“[Lovesey is] a master storyteller . . . who can out-Christie Dame Agatha when he sets his mind to it, offers a smorgasbord of red herrings, a nifty plot twist, charming bits of doggerel and delicious digs at writers of the unpublishable.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review