Peter Robinson
BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR
- Title: Strange Affair
- Description:
Without a doubt, the family and friends of fictional sleuths are two of the most endangered species on the planet. Crime novelists seem to have no qualms about sacrificing the people nearest and dearest to their protagonists, if doing so will advance plot development or bestow emotional depth upon their series stars. Peter Robinson continues this ruthless tradition in Strange Affair, his tension-packed 15th novel featuring headstrong British Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. Still on the mend after the blazing finale of 2004's Playing with Fire, temporarily sworn off whiskey but back to smoking, Banks is interrupted in the midst of brooding over his life and failed relationships by a message from his estranged younger brother, Roy, who says he needs the DCI's help in "a matter of life and death." Concerned, especially since Roy boasts a history of dubious business dealings, Banks leaves Yorkshire for his sibling's home in London, only to find that residence unlocked, Roy's computer missing, and his cell phone left behind. After learning that Roy was last seen stepping into a car with an unidentified man, and receiving on Roy's mobile what appears to be a photo of his only brother slumped over in a chair, the cop fears that a kidnapping has occurred. Meanwhile, back in Eastvale, Banks's colleague and ex-lover, Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot, probes the shooting death of Jennifer Clewes, a 27-year-old family planning center administrator from London who's been found in her car, with the address of Banks's once-ruined (and recently broken into) cottage tucked into her jeans pocket. As Annie seeks to identify Clewes's attacker and determine whether this crime fits a pattern of roadway assaults, she's anxious also to discover what connection Banks may have to the case. But the DCI is frustratingly nowhere to be found. Like 2003's Close to Home, Strange Affair adds some welcome bricks to Banks's back story, this time forcing him to reappraise a brother whom he had long resented and distrusted. Simultaneously, Robinson's latest police procedural delivers artfully contrived, intersecting story lines charged with rumors of international arms dealing, hints of misdeeds at a women's clinic, secondary players so shady they might be invisible after sundown, and insights into just how far Banks's career has distanced him from folks less steeped in the ugly side of mankind. An immensely satisfying mystery, filled with professional risks and personal regrets, this is truly an Affair to remember. --J. Kingston Pierce 
- Title: The Summer That Never Was: An Inspector Banks Novel
- Description:
Following the best-selling AFTERMATH, the new Inspector Banks mystery is guaranteed to win yet more fans A skeleton has been unearthed. Soon the body is identified, and the horrific discovery hits the headlines... Fourteen-year-old Graham Marshall went missing during his paper round in 1965. The police found no trace of him. His disappearance left his family shattered, and his best friend, Alan Banks, full of guilt... That friend has now become Chief Inspector Alan Banks, and he is determined to bring justice for Graham. But he soon realises that in this case, the boundary between victim and perpetrator, between law-guardian and law-breaker, is becoming more and more blurred...
- Title: Dead Right
- Description:
The broken body of Jason Fox has been found in a dirty alleyway. At first it looks like a typical after-hours pub fight gone wrong. But Inspector Alan Banks soon realizes that the truth is rarely so straightforward..... Jason was a member of the Albion League, a white power organization. And there are many people who might have wished him dead: the Pakistani youths he had insulted in the pub; the shady friends of his business partner; or someone within the Albion League itself. And just as Banks begins to get a grip on the case, an unexpected discovery forces him to reconsider everything he believes....... 
- Title: Dry Bones That Dream
- Description:
It was 2.47am when Chief Inspector Alan Banks arrived at the barn and saw the body of Keith Rothwell for the first time. Only hours earlier two masked men had walked the mild mannered accountant out of his farmhouse and clinically blasted him with a shotgun.
Clearly this is a professional hit - but Keith was hardly the sort of person to make deadly enemies. Or was he? For the police investigation soon raises more questions than answers. And who, exactly, is Robert Calvert?
The more Banks scratches the surface, the more he wonders what lies beneath the veneer of the apparently happy Rothwell family. And when is old sparring partner Detective Superintendant Richard Burgess arrives from Scotland Yard, the case takes yet another unexpected twist... 
- Title: In A Dry Season
- Description:
During a blistering summer, drought has depleted Thornfield Reservior, uncovering the remains of Hobb's End, a small village hidden from view for over forty years.
For a curious young boy, this resurfaced hamlet has become a magical playground - until he unearths a human skeleton. 
- Title: A Necessary End (inspector Banks Mystery S.)
- Description:
In the usually peaceful town of Eastvale, a simmering tension has now reached breaking point. An anti-nuclear demonstration has ended in violence, leaving one policeman stabbed to death. Fired by professional outrage, Superintendednt ' Dirty Dick ' Burgess descends with vengeful fury on the inhabitants... 
- Title: Aftermath
- Description:
From the Inspector Banks series 
- Title: Innocent Graves
- Description:
Detective Inspector Banks had seen crimes just as savage in London, but somehow the murder of a teenage girl seemed all the more shocking in the quiet Yorkshire village of Eastvale.
Deborah Harrison had been found one foggy night in the churchyard behind St Mary's, strangled with the strap of her school satchel.
But Deborah was no typical sixteen-year-old. Her father was a powerful financier who ran in the highest echelons of industry, defence and classified information. And Deborah, it seemed, enjoyed keeping secrets of her own....
With his colleague Detective Constable Susan Gay, Banks moves among the many suspects, guilty of crimes large and small. And as he does so, plenty of sordid secrets and some deadly lies begin to emerge...........
- Title: In A Dry Season
- Description:
On the outs with their superiors, Detective Inspector Banks and Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot are lumbered with a case that is supposed to frustrate and annoy them--and find the challenge fascinating. When a reservoir dries out, a flooded village emerges and a boy finds a skeleton buried in an outhouse--by solid police work, and the use of experts, Banks and Cabbot find out who she was and when she died, and then have to find out why. The reader knows more than they do of course--elderly crime writer Vivien has written her own account of what happened during World War Two when she was an intense unhappy teenager, and this is presented in alternate chapters--but there are surprises still in store... An intense sense of period and a celebration of the virtues of solid investigation, this admirable combination of the police procedural and the psychological period thriller was nominated for the Edgar, the US crime writers' best of the year award. Peter Robinson's acute portrayal of his flawed, humane detectives and the charismatic doomed victim the truth of whose death they are trying to uncover has a desperate sadness which comes together in a climax of unexpected power. --Roz Kaveney 
- Title: Piece Of My Heart
- Description:
The 16th Inspector Banks novel.
A 1969 murder at the Brimleigh festival comes back to haunt the present day...the case was solved but Banks isn't so sure that it was done properly. His probings reveal that this wasn't the only death relating to festivals at which the Mad Hatters played.... 
- Title: Caedmans Song: Aftermath
- Description:
An omnibus edition - two crime stories in one volume. 
- Title: Dead Right
- Description:
'Robinson is definitely one to watch' - "Independent on Sunday". 'Every page here is readable and compelling' - "Washington Times". The broken body of Jason Fox has been found in a dirty alleyway. At first, it looks like a typical after-hours pub fight gone wrong. But Inspector Alan Banks soon realizes that the truth is rarely so straightforward...Jason was a member of the Albion League, a white power organization. And there are many people who might have wished him dead: the Pakistani youths he had insulted in the pub that evening; the shady friends of his business partner; or someone within the Albion League itself. And just as Banks begins to get a grip on the case, an unexpected discovery forces him to reconsider everything he believes...'It would be easy to become addicted to Robinson' - "Observer". 
- Title: Friend Of The Devil
- Description:
The latest crime novel from Peter Robinson, featuring Inspector Banks 
- Title: Strange Affair Playing With Fire Peter Robinson Omnibus.
- Description:
- Title: Piece Of My Heart
- Description:
As volunteers clean up after a huge outdoor rock concert in Yorkshire in 1969, they discover the body of a young woman wrapped in a sleeping bag. She has been brutally murdered. The detective assigned to the case, Stanley Chadwick, is a hard-headed, strait-laced veteran of the Second World War. He could not have less in common with -- or less regard for -- young, disrespectful, long-haired hippies, smoking marijuana and listening to the pulsing sounds of rock and roll. But he has a murder to solve, and it looks as if the victim was somehow associated with the up-and-coming psychedelic pastoral band the Mad Hatters. In the present, Inspector Alan Banks is investigating the murder of a freelance music journalist who was working on a feature about the Mad Hatters for MOJO magazine. This is not the first time that the Mad Hatters, now aging rock superstars, have been brushed by tragedy. Banks finds he has to delve into the past to find out exactly what hornets' nest the journalist inadvertently stirred up. From the Publisher Neal Pearson turns out another cracking Inspector Banks performance in this taut thriller spanning the 60s to the present, this time with Hugh Ross providing an extra dimension as Banks' determined 1960s counterpart. If you enjoyed the previous Inspector Banks mysteries you'll love this, Robinson's best thriller yet - and a tense, gripping audiobook that's perfect for crime fans everywhere. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. 
- Title: Busted
- Description:
With guitar-driven punk pop to rival top US groups like Blink 182 and Wheatus - Busted were a breath of fresh air when they burst onto the scene in 2002 with the catchy single "What I Go To School For", followed by "Year 3000". Busted aim to be the natural antidote to choreographed boy bands and this book offers a scrapbook of the group's personal rock'n'roll memorabilia, reflecting their rapid rise to fame. Surfing, shooting pool, football, gigging - a series of snapshots of life in young, bright, guitar-driven Britain in 2003. Every tale is told by the lively Busted 18-year-olds, Mattie, Charlie and James, oozing wit, style and charm. Added to the mix are exclusive photographs of the band in recording and television studios, on the road and live on stage during their first tour in May 2003. About the Author Peter Robinson is a writer and journalist specialising in pop and rock music. His work appears regularly in NME and he has also worked for such diverse publications as The Guardian and Smash Hits. 
- Title: Friend Of The Devil
- Description:
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- Title: Past Reason Hated: An Inspector Banks Mystery (the Inspector Banks Series)
- Description:
It should have been a cosy scene - log fire, sheepskin rug, Vivaldi on the stereo, Christmas lights and tree. But appearances can be deceptive. For Caroline Hartley, lying quietly on the couch, has been brutally murdered. Inspector Alan Banks is called to the grim scene. And he soon has more suspects than he ever imagined. As he delves into her past, he realises that for Caroline, secrecy was a way of life, and her death is no different. His ensuing investigation is full of hidden passions and desperate violence ..."The characterizations are unfailingly sharp and subtle." - "New York Times". "A definite contender for fiction's new top cop." - "Independent on Sunday". "Watch for those twists - they'll get you every time." - Ian Rankin. 
- Title: The Hanging Valley
- Description:
A faceless corpse is discovered in a tranquil, hidden valley below the village of Swainshead. And when Chief Inspector Alan Banks arrives, he finds that no-one is willing to talk. Banks' frustration only grows when the identity of the body is revealed. For it seems that his latest case may be connected with an unsolved murder in the same area five years ago. Among the silent suspects are the Collier brothers, the wealthiest and most powerful family in Swainsdale. When they start use their influence to slow down the investigation, Inspector Alan Banks finds himself in a race against time..."The novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art" - Dennis Lehane. 
- Title: Cold Is The Grave (the Inspector Banks Series)
- Description:
'A writer at the very height of his powers' - Ian Rankin. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks has reached a turning point. With his wife now living with another man in London and his career in the doldrums thanks to Chief Constable Riddle, it is time to ring the changes. Perhaps a move to the National Crime Squad? Perhaps a second chance with Sandra? But then late one night, he is summoned to Riddle's house - and his plans take a surprising new turn. For the Chief Constable's sixteen-year-old daughter Emily has run away and for once Riddle wants Banks to use his unorthodox methods to find her without fuss. From the Author Like so many stories, Cold is the Grave started with a simple, "What if.?" In this case, what if a young boy, not really old enough to understand what he was seeing, found himself by mistake at an Internet porn site looking at pictures of his runaway teenage sister? And what if this wayward girl happened to be the daughter of the Chief Constable, Detective Inspector Alan Banks's overbearing and malicious boss? Naturally, the best man for the job of finding her and bringing her home is Banks himself, and so the story begins. It seemed to me that over the last three or four books, Chief Constable Riddle had become a stereotypical by-the-book boss, the sort of person we have all had to deal at one time or another in our working lives, with an unexplained loathing for Banks. I could either keep things that way until I simply tired of him and had him retire, or I could pick up the challenge and try to make him a more sympathetic, understandable human being: someone who has good reasons for being the way he is. I chose the latter course, and through trying to find out what makes him tick, I came up with the story behind the Riddle family, in the process discovering the reason he has such a particular loathing for Banks. In order to find Riddle's daughter, Banks first has to head to London's sleazy Soho district, far from his regular North Yorkshire patch, but he is soon back up there among the drystone walls, the steeply rising dalesides, the limestone scars and the cobbled market squares, the crumbling castles and narrow, twisting streets of Eastvale. This is the landscape I fell in love with as a child, when I first visited it with my father on his photographic expeditions. We would set off by bus or train, as we didn't have a car, on daytrips to Richmond, Knaresborough, Ripon or Skipton, where I would wait around until the light was right for my father's photographs I never thought then that the landscape would become such a part of my life's work, but looking back, I must have been absorbing it and observing its nuances as I waited for the sun to come out from behind a cloud. I've always thought that Banks and I led very similar lives until we diverged in our late teens-me to university, teaching and writing, and Banks to the police, marriage and children-and that has always allowed me to pass off certain of my early memories and experiences as his. This is no less a feature of Cold is the Grave as it is of the other books, and here you'll find Banks musing about a school friend who disappeared without trace and a nasty incident down by the canal. Banks's sergeant, Annie Cabbot, also has to confront her past in this book, where people are rarely what they seem, and their reactions to events and revelations are as unpredictable as the Yorkshire weather. Writing the book was as much a voyage of discovery for me as I hope it will be for the reader. As usual, when I posed my simple "What if?" I had no idea what the journey would be like, what more I would discover about Banks and Annie, and what complications would result, what secrets would be revealed. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. 
- Title: Wednesday's Child (an Inspector Banks Mystery)
- Description:
'It would be easy to become addicted to Robinson' - "Observer". 'One of the grand masters of the genre' - "Literary Review". When two social workers, investigating reports of child abuse, appear at Brenda Scupham's door, her fear of authority leads her to comply meekly with their requests. Even when they say that they must take her seven-year old daughter Gemma away for tests...It is only when they fail to return Gemma the following day that Brenda realizes something has gone terribly wrong. At the same time, Banks is investigating a particularly unpleasant murder at the site of an abandoned mine. Gradually, the leads in the two cases converge, guiding Banks to one of the most truly terrifying criminals he will ever meet... 
- Title: A Dedicated Man
- Description:
The body of a well-liked local historian is found half-buried under a drystone wall near the village of Helmthorpe, Swainsdale. Who on earth would want to kill such a thoughtful, dedicated man? Penny Cartwright, a beautiful folk singer with a mysterious past, a shady land-developer, Harry's editor and a local thriller writer are all suspects - and all are figures from Harry's previous, idyllic summers in the dale. A young girl, Sally Lumb, knows more than she lets on, and her knowledge could lead to danger. Inspector Banks' second case unearths disturbing secrets behind a bucolic facade. "The novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced worksof art." - Dennis Lehane. "If you haven't encountered Chief Inspector Alan Banks before, prepare for a crash course in taut, clean writing and subtle psychology. And watch for those twists - they'll get you every time." - Ian Rankin. 
- Title: Gallows View (inspector Banks Mystery)
- Description:
A Peeping Tom is frightening the women of Eastvale; two glue-sniffing young thugs are breaking into homes and robbing people; and, an old woman may or may not have been murdered. Investigating these cases is Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, a perceptive, curious and compassionate policeman recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales from London to escape the stress of city life. In addition to all this, Banks has to deal with the local feminists and his attraction to a young psychologist, Jenny Fuller. As the tension mounts, both Jenny and Banks' wife, Sandra, are drawn deeper into the events. The cases weave together as the story reaches a tense and surprising climax. "The novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art." - Dennis Lehane. "If you haven't encountered Chief Inspector Alan Banks before, prepare for a crash course in taut, clean writing and subtle psychology. And watch for those twists - they'll get you every time." - Ian Rankin. 
- Title: Aftermath (inspector Banks Mystery)
- Description:
A chilling new novel in the award-winning Inspector Banks series. Number 35 The Hill is an ordinary house in an ordinary street, owned by an apparently ordinary young couple. But it is about to become infamous...For when police constables Janet Taylor and Dennis Morrisey are sent to the house following a report of a domestic disturbance, they stumble upon a truly horrific scene. A scene which leaves one dead and one fighting for her life and career. Inspector Alan Banks, currently Acting Superintendent, has been leading the hunt for the Chameleon, a serial killer who has so far abducted five young women in the Yorkshire area. Banks is immediately called to The Hill - where, it seems, the Chameleon's identity has finally and gruesomely been revealed. But the capture of the serial killer is only the beginning of a shocking investigation that will test everyone to the absolute limit... 
- Title: Caedmon's Song
- Description:
On a balmy June night, Kirsten, a young university student, strolls home through a silent moonlit park. Suddenly her tranquil mood is shattered as she is brutally attacked. When she awakes in hospital, she has no recollection of that night. But then, slowly, the details reveal themselves. 
- Title: Strange Affair: The New Inspector Banks Novel
- Description:
When Alan Banks receives a disturbing message from his brother, Roy, he abandons the peaceful Yorkshire Dales for the bright lights of London, to seek him out. But Roy seems to have vanished into thin air. Meanwhile, DI Annie Cabbot is called to a quiet stretch of road just outside Eastvale, where a young woman has been found dead in her car. In the victim's pocket, scribbled on a slip of paper, police discover Banks' name and address. Living in Roy's empty South Kensington house, Banks finds himself digging into the life of the brother he never really knew, nor even liked. And as he begins to uncover a few troubling surprises, the two cases become sinisterly entwined...'The Banks novels are, simply put, the best series now on the market' - Stephen King. 
- Title: Dedicated Man And Gallows View
- Description:
Omnibus GALLOWS VIEW - Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks has recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales, but he soon realises that life in the country is not quite as idyllic as he had imagined & A DEDICATED MAN - A body of a well liked local historian is found half buried under a drystone wall after being brutally murdered, but who would want to kill such a thoughtful man?.
