***A new Peter Diamond novel from the CWA Diamond-Dagger-winner Peter Lovesey***

'His work is the gold standard for UK crime fiction writing' DEADLY PLEASURES

'Peter Lovesey writes feel-good crime yet he never lets the comedy vitiate the mystery' THE TIMES

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When his former deputy, Julie, invites Detective Peter Diamond and his partner Paloma to spend a week at her home in the depths of rural Somerset, Diamond is horrified. What could be worse than seven days in the back end of nowhere with nothing to do?

But it turns out that Julie has an ulterior motive. A local woman is doing time for manslaughter after a wild party ended in a tragic accident: a man suffocated in a silo of grain. Nobody in the village has much sympathy for Claudia, the unruly daughter of a wealthy local farmer. Nobody that is, except Julie, who is convinced there's more to this case than there appears, and wants her former boss to investigate.

And as Diamond tests his skills as an amateur sleuth, he soon discovers that the countryside isn't quite so dull as he'd anticipated . . .

Lovesey derives genuine emotion from Diamond's potential retirement, and his golden age-style plotting is as tight as ever. This sends the series out on a high note -- Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review
Diamond shines one last time . . . Superb -as always. -- PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH
The consummate professional Peter Lovesey has served up another tantalising treat of a mystery * DEADLY PLEASURES *
A compelling and positive farewell to one of the most iconic fictional detectives of the past thirty years. * Mystery People *
[Diamond's] wily investigation of a probable miscarriage of justice is a fitting end to his creator's long career -- Joan Smith * SUNDAY TIMES *
This story shows Diamond at his best. The sense of fun that Peter Lovesey must have had in writing this novel is palpable . . .an admirable achievement. -- MARTIN EDWARDS
Lovesey is retiring too, and the sharpness of eye and style that give an edge to his delicious entertainments will be missed. -- Jake Kerridge * TELEGRAPH *
Crime-fiction writers from Conan Doyle to Dorothy Sayers to Donald Westlake have mixed whimsy with mystery to a lesser or greater degree, but it's hard to name any who've achieved a better balance of comedy with harsh reality than Peter Lovesey . . . In "Against the Grain," he has arranged for both his endearing character and himself to bid goodbye to us all in a satisfying and elegant manner. * WALL STREET JOURNAL *
Peter Diamond has been a joy and a thing of wonder for 33 years, and he exits in just the same style * MORNING STAR *
Lovesey has a talent for adding the light touch to the traditional police procedural. Diamond is a cantankerous taskmaster but we shall miss him. * DAILY MAIL *

Born in Middlesex In 1936, Peter Lovesey was the author of 43 novels and seven collections of short stories. He is best known for his eight Victorian crime novels featuring Seargent Cribb and his flagship Peter Diamond series, which began with his Antony-award winning novel, The Last Detective, in 1991. Lovesey was the recipient of numerous awards over his lifetime, including the CWA Silver Dagger, multiple Macavity and Antony awards. He was one of a select number of writers to have been awarded both the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Special Edgar and the Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement. He died in 2025 at the age of 88.