Peter Lovesey

Peter Lovesey is a highly respected British author, best known for his crime fiction novels, many of which are historical. Born in Whitton, Middlesex in 1936, Lovesey completed his schooling at Hampton Grammar School before attending Reading University, where he studied English, History, and Fine Art. After university, he joined the Royal Air Force for three years of national service.

Lovesey's writing career began in 1969 with the publication of his first book, "The Kings of Distance," a non-fiction study of five great runners. However, it was his foray into crime fiction that would bring him greater success. He wrote his first crime fiction novel, "Wobble to Death," after winning a competition, and has since become a prolific author in the genre. His works have been shortlisted for, and have won, numerous awards in the international crime writing world. Lovesey's novels and short stories often feature his two best-known series characters, Sergeant Cribb, a Victorian-era police detective based in London, and Peter Diamond, a modern-day police detective in Bath.

In addition to his work as a novelist, Lovesey has also written several non-fiction histories of track and field athletics. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including both the Gold and Silver Daggers of the Crime Writers' Association, of which he was chairman in 1991/92. In 2000, he received the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement in crime writing and in 2018 he was made a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America. Lovesey lives near Shrewsbury and his son, Phil Lovesey, is also a crime novelist.