The Best of Peter Lovesey Stories is a meaty volume just published by Allison & Busby and it represents a fitting memorial to the work of one of Britain's finest practitioners of the crime short story. Peter often said that he loved writing short stories and I always knew that if I asked him to contribute a new story to an anthology I was compiling, not only would he respond with his customary courtesy and positivity, he would send in a story that was of the highest calibre.
The best crime writers generally have a considerable range; they don't just stick to one type of writing. This was certainly true of Peter and his short stories covered not only a broad mix of subjects and settings, they demonstrate his mastery of narrative structure. One of my old favourites, 'Youdunnit', is a perfect example and I'm glad to see it in this book. Another is 'Arabella's Answer.'
The book kicks off with 'How Mr Smith Traced His Ancestors', a cunning tale told with characteristic felicity which was televised as 'A Man with a Fortune' in the famous ITV anthology series Tales of the Unexpected. There are several stories in the book which I commissioned, and I was touched to find Peter giving me a mention in connection 'And the Band Played On', which he wrote for Music of the Night. This was entirely characteristic of the kind man he was.
I'm very glad to say that, shortly before the end came, Peter wrote yet another story for me - 'Magic Moments' - for an anthology of stories inspired by the music of Burt Bacharach. It may even have been the last story he ever wrote - what I can say for sure is that it is terrificm and I'm looking forward very much to publishing it in due course. In the meantime, this splendid book is a wonderful compendium of good crime fiction that will give any aficionado a great deal of pleasure.
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