Close Modal

The Circle

A Hen Mallin Investigation

Paperback
$16.95 US
5.01"W x 7.49"H x 0.97"D   | 15 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Jun 01, 2006 | 384 Pages | 978-1-56947-432-7
“A treat . . . Lovesey’s restraint, wit, and charming cast ensure him a place in the winner’s circle.”
 —Entertainment Weekly

At the urging of his daughter, Bob Naylor joins the Chichester Writer’s Circle. But instead of exploring his budding talents as an amateur poet, Bob soon finds himself in the middle of something sinister. The vanity-press publisher who recently visited and critiqued the group was killed in an arson fire, and Maurice, the group’s leader, is the prime suspect. Because Bob is new to the group and not under suspicion, he is recruited to prove Maurice’s innocence, putting his own life at risk. The murderer is not done, and more people will die as Inspector Henrietta Mallin scrambles to pinpoint the killer.
Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Mystery Writers of America 2018 Grandmaster

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

Praise for Peter Lovesey

 
“I have long loved Peter Lovesey’s books . . . A creative, courageous and gifted writer.”
—Louise Penny
 
“Lovesey is a master of the crime novel.”
—Sara Paretsky
 
“What'll it be today? A knotty puzzle mystery? A fast-paced police procedural? Something more high-toned, with a bit of wit? With the British author Peter Lovesey, there's no need to make those agonizing decisions, because his books have it all.”
—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Mr. Lovesey's narrative is swift, but he takes time out for local color and abundant humor, the latter springing from the book's quirky characters . . . Lovesey is a wizard at mixing character-driven comedy with realistic-to-grim suspense. And in a writing career spanning four decades, he has created a stylish and varied body of work.”
The Wall Street Journal
 
“A treat . . . Lovesey’s restraint, wit, and charming cast ensure him a place in the winner’s circle.”
 —Entertainment Weekly
 
“Extremely stylish, lighter than air . . . utterly surprising.”
—Newsweek
Peter Lovesey is the author of more than thirty highly praised mystery novels, including the Peter Diamond Investigations and the Sergeant Cribb Investigations. He has been awarded the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, the Strand Magazine Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and many other honors. He lives in West Sussex, England. View titles by Peter Lovesey

About

“A treat . . . Lovesey’s restraint, wit, and charming cast ensure him a place in the winner’s circle.”
 —Entertainment Weekly

At the urging of his daughter, Bob Naylor joins the Chichester Writer’s Circle. But instead of exploring his budding talents as an amateur poet, Bob soon finds himself in the middle of something sinister. The vanity-press publisher who recently visited and critiqued the group was killed in an arson fire, and Maurice, the group’s leader, is the prime suspect. Because Bob is new to the group and not under suspicion, he is recruited to prove Maurice’s innocence, putting his own life at risk. The murderer is not done, and more people will die as Inspector Henrietta Mallin scrambles to pinpoint the killer.

Praise

Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Mystery Writers of America 2018 Grandmaster

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

Praise for Peter Lovesey

 
“I have long loved Peter Lovesey’s books . . . A creative, courageous and gifted writer.”
—Louise Penny
 
“Lovesey is a master of the crime novel.”
—Sara Paretsky
 
“What'll it be today? A knotty puzzle mystery? A fast-paced police procedural? Something more high-toned, with a bit of wit? With the British author Peter Lovesey, there's no need to make those agonizing decisions, because his books have it all.”
—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Mr. Lovesey's narrative is swift, but he takes time out for local color and abundant humor, the latter springing from the book's quirky characters . . . Lovesey is a wizard at mixing character-driven comedy with realistic-to-grim suspense. And in a writing career spanning four decades, he has created a stylish and varied body of work.”
The Wall Street Journal
 
“A treat . . . Lovesey’s restraint, wit, and charming cast ensure him a place in the winner’s circle.”
 —Entertainment Weekly
 
“Extremely stylish, lighter than air . . . utterly surprising.”
—Newsweek

Author

Peter Lovesey is the author of more than thirty highly praised mystery novels, including the Peter Diamond Investigations and the Sergeant Cribb Investigations. He has been awarded the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement, the Strand Magazine Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards, and many other honors. He lives in West Sussex, England. View titles by Peter Lovesey