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.

Splendid plot, prepossessing good humour, unassertively satisfying prose. Warmly recommended - Edmund Crispin, Sunday TimesPeter Lovesey is undeniably one of the best practitioners of the genre . . . An elegantly written book - Financial TimesOne of the best of this series, A Case of Spirits is lively and well-plotted - New York TimesThe writing is strikingly evocative of the period, and the plot is riveting - The Times Saturday Review