Peter Lovesey, British crime novelist and winner of every writing award imaginable, has created an exceptional namesake in the character of Peter Diamond, Chief Superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department in Bath, England. Having just read Stagestruck, the eleventh novel in this series, I have been drumming my fingers against my skull, trying to figure out why I like Peter Diamond so much, and what sets him apart from the deluge of detectives invented by so many other authors.

First, let me tell you a little about Peter Lovesey himself. He is tall, slim, handsome, witty, intelligent, and funny. He is not, however, his fictional creation.

Peter Diamond is smart, tenacious, and grumpy. He struggles with his weight, lacks diplomacy, is no fan of technology, and operates his car so slowly that he could literally drive other motorists mad.

What do both Peters have in common?

Other than great brains and beautiful, bright, indulgent, and loving wives (until the real Peter killed off fictional Peter’s Stephanie in Diamond Dust), both men are impeccable gentlemen.

What relevance can this possibly have to a book review?

A big one, because in the course of reading Stagestruck, I realized how enjoyable it was to spend time with an adult male crime solver who was not (1) depressed, (2) drug dependant, (3) sleeping with other men’s wives, (4) self-flagellating, (5) at odds with his children, miserably unhappy, and divorced.