“Peter Lovesey is the real deal. A top master of the police procedural British subgenre, he's an ace at spinning out teasingly slow plot revelations . . . crisp prose and humane characterizations.”— The Seattle Times Praise for the Peter Diamond series: “Catnip for enthusiasts of the classic puzzler.”— Kirkus Reviews “[Lovesey] has no peer in presenting a traditional mystery with all the clues hiding in plain sight.”— Publishers Weekly , starred review “The suspense will keep readers turning pages long into the night.”— Library Journal “The author has the gift of making the most ordinary characters interesting and engaging, and knows how to ratchet up the suspense. . . . Nobody can write the modern traditional detective novel as perfectly as Lovesey.”— The Denver Post On Lansdown Hill, near Bath, a battle between Roundheads and Cavaliers that took place over 350 years ago is annually reenacted. Two of the reenactors discover a skeleton that is female, headless, and only about twenty years old. One of them, a professor who played a Cavalier, is later found murdered. In the course of his investigation, Peter Diamond butts heads with the group of vigilantes who call themselves the Lansdown Society, discovering in the process that his boss Georgina is a member. She resolves to sideline Diamond, but matters don’t pan out in accordance with her plans. Peter Lovesey is the author of ten mysteries in his best-loved Peter Diamond series as well as two in the Hen Mallin series and eight in the Sergeant Cribb series. He has been awarded Silver, Gold, and Diamond daggers by the Crime Writers’ Association and the Award for Lifetime Achievement by Malice Domestic. He lives in Chichester, England.