by Peter Robinson

Another Inspector Banks story and, like the others I have read, there is as much here about his messed up private life as there is about the crimes he investigates.

I have not been reading these books in any kind of order. Rather, I have been dipping in and out of Alan Banks’ career like a confused time traveller.

In Cold Is The Grave, Banks has no make sense of several murders, a runaway teenager and his own failing love life. Bit for once it seems that others’ lives are more confused and dysfunctional than his own.
Drawn unwittingly into the private life of his nemesis and boss, Chief Superintendent “Jimmy” Riddle, Banks is forced to face some truths about his own emotions and to face up to the realities of his own life.

A great read. Plenty of twists, good characters and well written.

In A Dry Season is another in Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks series. I have enjoyed the TV dramatization of these novels, but the character I am reading about in the books seems very different. Granted, I am not reading these books in any kind of order, so the ongoing themes and relationships are getting a little muddled, but the character on the page is much more likeable than his screen counterpart.

This book sees our beleaguered Inspector at odds with the establishment and put on a case that is expected to be mundane and trivial. But where would the fun be in that? A sever drought the water levels of the Thornfield Reservoir drop, revealing what remains of the small village of Hobbs End. These events re always of interest, but when a young boy uncovers a human skeleton, things begin to change.

Investigating a 40 year old murder is never easy, but when your superiors are determined to see you fail, it gets even harder. Even so, Banks and his new love interest, DC Cabbot, uncover a story of romance, intrigue and murder with more than a few red herrings and dead ends.

In A Dry Season is everything I have come to expect from Peter Robinson: good plot, fast pace, believable characters and a twist in the tale to keep you guessing to the end. 

by Peter Robinson

I am one of the many millions who have enjoyed the television series based on the books so immediately snapped them up.

Being based in North Yorkshire, I guess that these books have limited appear, and probably don’t sell too well overseas, but I love Yorkshire and know the locations reasonably well, certainly better that many of the other books I read.

My first impression was that the detective I found in the book was a little different from the one I saw on TV. A little more sure of himself and his relationships. But to be honest that didn’t actually make any difference to the book itself.

As with all good detective novels, we start with a grisly murder, plenty of suspects, but no clear motive. And as Inspector Banks and his new DC Susan Grey begin to put together a picture of the victim’s life, the possibilities and list of suspects gets even longer. No one is ever exactly what they seem, and we all have secrets, even from those we love the most. In the case of the victim in this story, she has more than most.

I am beginning to get the hang of detective novels and find myself working through the clues as I go along, determined to get to the answer before the characters. And I will say that Peter Robinson does leave enough crumbs for you to follow. In this case I managed to figure out who did it just before it became obvious. That’s one point to me!

Not a particularly challenging book but I can see way he has become so popular. With excellent characterisation and a well constructed plot this is as good as detective fiction gets.