AGAINST THE GRAIN Peter Diamond, Book 22

From the heart-stopping prologue to the well-drawn characters and mind-boggling plot twists, James Langton's performance is spot-on. In the 22nd Peter Diamond novel, Diamond and his partner, Paloma, spend a reluctant week in the Somerset countryside with Diamond's former deputy, Julie, who is now blind from macular degeneration. Langton deftly reveals Julie's ulterior motives. She's concerned about a neighbor who may have been railroaded into prison for a murder she didn't commit. Julie wants Diamond to investigate. Langton emphasizes Diamond's dislike for country living as he confronts cantankerous cows and reeking cowpats, drives a tractor, and inhabits several of his favorite detectives' personas, Columbo and Poirot. Langton ratchets up the tension, and listeners will be as surprised as Diamond when the true killer is unmasked. First-rate listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2025]