I wouldn’t call this a cozy mystery but wow was it a great mystery. I couldn’t put this book down until I knew the ending and the whodunnit!

Great paced, fun, original characters, quick and enjoyable read. Definitely recommend.

The cast and crew of a TV show in England are dying, but it's hard to know why, so Peter Diamond is there to figure it out. It could be a curse, it could be murder. We'll have to read, and find out!

Loved it. Every character is engaging, and so is the story.

The cast and crew of a popular TV show have experienced quite a few accidents, fires and deaths. The press is starting go to write about whether the show is cursed. When a crew member disappears the police finally get involved and start investigating whether any of these incidents were criminal events, if so were they linked and who might be guilty.

I thought that there would be more behind the scenes details of the TV show, but this was not one of those books. Actually, everyone in this cast and crew seemed to get along just fine. This was a pretty straightforward police procedural, with a lot of suspects. I have read and enjoyed other books in this series featuring Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond, but this one can be read as a standalone. It’s nice to have a group of detectives who are not angst ridden, addicted or otherwise bogged down in interpersonal drama. James Langton did a good job narrating the audiobook.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical. I always love listening to audiobooks and when they sweep me off my feet, I'm just utterly captivated! I always really enjoy multi-cultural thrillers, for I embark on a journey through a land unknown to me, while still getting spooked.

I had to dnf this at around 32%. I was confused with the plot of this audiobook. I feel like the actual crime was going a bit in all directions and I couldn’t picture where it was going to lead us.

This book is marketed kind of like a cozy mystery, but it's way scarier than that. This reminds me of some of the british crime shows that I've tried and don't like. I don't love male detectives, especially cliched ones (grumpy, older, drinking, rude). I don't love a violent cold open (why did we need to see a woman die). And generally this book is full of toxic men. I think i'm not the audience for this. I don't like it.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Set in my home town of Bath Peter Diamond and his team are looking into rumours that a TV show is cursed following the disappearance of crew, a suspicious fire and death following a break in. Diamond’s boss tells him there is nothing to investigate and hints at him retiring. Diamond is determined to solve the case.

Twenty-first in the Peter Diamond series, Showstopper puts the detective in charge of an investigation into they mysterious deaths and disappearances from the cast and crew of a TV show being filmed in Bath. Diamond seems to put his foot wrong at every turn, with divers spending days exploring the river bottom only to turn up a dead snake in a suitcase, targeting a 'tramp' and his large dog who keep showing up in the mix, and making assumptions that cause his boss to consider Diamond's retirement.

Eventually, Diamond solves the mystery but it takes unexpected turns along the way. The TV show is commonly said to be jinxed because of all the accidents and disappearances so it stays in the news and every failure to solve the case becomes highly publicized.

Narrator James Langton, a native of the United Kingdom now living in New York, presents the characters convincingly and the story hangs together well.

It was a privilege to listen to the Audiobook version of Peter Lovesey’s latest mystery novel entitled “Showstopper.” Did I enjoy Lovesey’s latest Peter Diamond story. Absolutely. Did I enjoy moving around the fabulous Bath, England as detective Diamond has a series set of murders, burglaries, and accidents that have occurred in and around Bath and in and around a successful television show filmed in …you guessed it —Bath!
We enjoy Diamond’s work behind the scenes of the production to figure out the connections between the television show and the illegal mayhem. And does he, while he manages the pressure of being gently nudged towards retirement? Diamond’s fan worry, fret, but are confident Diamond will untie this Gordian Knot.
And all this fun listening to “Showstopper” is thanks to the good folks of NetGalley. May Diamond succeed and continue to keep Bath safe and secure. And…you guessed it. Five (5) stars for “Showstopper.”

“Showstopper” is a showstopper!

Everything about this interesting detective story shines. The plot is complex without being confusing or convoluted. The main character, Detective Peter Diamond, is highly likable, as is his team. Author Peter Lovesey knows his craft well and his even writing style goes down like a smooth cup of coffee. Dialogue and description are perfectly balanced, as is the mix of wit and suspense. I read this book every free moment I could straight through until the end, and now that I finished, I miss it and the characters that populate it.

If you enjoy the classic TV detectives Colombo and Maigret, you are sure to like this book. Diamond reminds me of both those detectives, with his keen intuition, calm demeanor, and unhurried approach. He’s an old pro with decades of experience, yet remains humble and kind. Getting to know him as a character is a pleasure.

I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by James Langton. His voice was easy to listen to and I enjoyed the way he read it.

Thank you very much Netgalley and RB Media for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really enjoyable read regardless of whether you're familiar with the Peter Diamond series or not. Despite not having read any of the previous novels, I was able to connect with the characters from the start and get invested in the story. The mystery plot is very well thought-out and kept me guessing along with the investigators. A very fun and engaging whodunnit story with a great narrator!

I wasn't familiar with the series prior to this entry, and this is quite a long-running series...but this was thoroughly enjoyable as a standalone novel. Funny and fun, with the right amount of twisty mystery.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Although this was #21 in a series, you really don't have to have read the rest to enjoy it! Strong characters and it kept me guessing. The narrator was good as well.

Showstopper is book 21 of a series by Peter Lovesey, but I ddi not let that stop me from taking a chance on this author and series for the first time. Although Showstopper is part of a series anyone can really jump in and not get confused about the characters or what is going on in the book. Anything I may have missed from the previous books is summarized so you do not feel lost.

Showstopper is about a detective Peter Diamond, for the England police department that puts himself in the middle of a mystery on a tv set. The tv series, Swift, has been riddled in the news with reports of "so-called" jinxes that keep occurring on set. People end up missing, mysterious accidents happen on set and now police are on the job. Will the show continue or will more people end up dead or missing? Who is spreading rumors about a jinx? Or is it real? But with Peter Diamond on the case everything will be resolved.

This was a well written book. I enjoyed the humor and the pacing. It was a good British type mystery. I never really knew who was involved with the "jinxes" and had to keep guessing. But it all wrapped up in the end. I especially liked the relationship Peter Diamond had with his fellow officers. The narrator James Langston was also really entertaining. I felt like I was a part of the action of a police story and what happens on a tv set.

I would definitely recommend and will read another book by this author. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.

I totally enjoyed this read. The author was excellent in their spinning of their story line. A lot of suspects were credible suspects that the author slowly eliminated. Kept me guessing to the end of who and why. Nice job.

Since its inception, the British action tv show, Swift, has been plagued with issues - the star actress left the show before filming even began; a fire was started in a production vehicle; there have been multiple injuries and two deaths; and now the second person from the crew has gone missing. The local newspaper has latched onto the story, describing the production as jinxed. Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond is intrigued. The most recent person to go missing had his apartment cleaned out, but there was blood on the floor. His boss, Georgina, catches wind of the investigation and not-so-subtlety suggests that he needs to retire. But after the press gets hears of investigation, the boss has no choice but to give Peter her blessing to sort out the mess. The suspect list is long and the motives seem non-existent, but to keep his job, Peter keeps looking.

This is my first title by the author, and first of the series, but I had no problem picking up the story. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I already searched my library for more titles from the series.

This was a very fun whodunit mystery/investigation novel. I understand that I am coming in on the 21st installment of an established series on the detective, but I found this easy to jump into as a standalone piece. There may have been some inside jokes/development on the characters that I presume to be recurring supporting roles, but I wasn't distracted by that, nor turned off in the slightest. This was witty, quick, and I overall very much enjoyed!

My thanks to Net Galley and RB Media for allowing me an arc copy of the audio. I liked the premise and really wanted to finish but I gave up with 3 1/2 hours left. I had difficulty connecting with the narrator to grasp what he was saying and could not focus on the story. I think I would have been better getting physical book.

I am a big fan of this series and this author, so I was excited to see another installment come out. I enjoyed this story a lot - this was an interesting and fun setting with likable characters and an interesting plot. There were quite a few characters to keep track of, but overall this is an enjoyable read.

I thought this book had such a strong start, and I was really intrigued to see where it was all going. Unfortunately, after the first death, there seemed to be an explosion of characters with all very similar names or jobs and it was hard to keep track.

I was surprised by the end of the novel and who was the responsible party.