I read In A Dry Season and then I decided to tackle the follow up to it. I must say that Peter Robinson is quite a brave soul. He had hit a home run with In A Dry Season and he very well could have done something similar, instead he went another direction. This book, the 11th in the series is much safer by virtue of the plot devising but more difficult by virtue of the fact that Robinson decided to change the way the story is told. This is by far the more conventional story, involving oversexed teenagers and casual drug use, a much more conventional setting for the murder. The usual cliches of gangsters, social climbing spouses, disagreeable bosses, all comes into play.

I thought the plotting was excellent, the characters were pretty well developed but not as well developed as In A Dry Season. Part of the reason is that the previous story took place in two disparate epochs so the detailed telling of both sides of the story was necessary. It was not necessary for this story so I think Robionson slacked off a tad. The continuing romance between Banks and Annie is very well done, it serves as a good background for when the main plot gets too heavy.

Robinson shows a very deft touch with the balance of the two story lines and he also deliciously complicates his plot. Even though this story may be of a more conventional gum shoe genre, it held my attention quite well and I read the book in one day, needless to say it was quite absorbing. The final twist on the story was somewhat shocking. I was able to see it only two or three pages ahead of the book. But I did not view the twist as a gimmick or a desperate attempt by a writer to save an ignominiously plotted story, instead it is a very natural yet unobvious plot turn which seemed to develop organically by the author.

I would recommend this book on its own, a fine murder mystery for anglophiles but especially Yorkshirephiles. ( )

This is the first time I have read Peter Robinson who has created a whole series based on Inspector Banks and set in England. Robinson is a Brit, originally, but is now Canadian and has live in Toronto since the early ‘70s. I enjoyed this story and the writing. Banks is called upon by his superior officer, with whom he does not at all get along, to track down the latter's 16 year old daughter after they accidently see naked photos of her naked on a porn website. Banks is successful in returning the girl to her parents, and thinks that is the end of it, but things get more complicated when the girl ends up dead from a poisoned overdose of heroin. So who did it? The girl's former hard-case criminal boyfriend? And what is the connection to the death of a petty crook found killed by a gangland-style execution? Even the girl's own parents are not outside of suspicion. The plot develops some nice complications and comes together in the end with what might be seen as a bit of a stretch on coincidence, but not enough to detract from a good story, well told.
(Dec/01)

Marvelous. I do enjoy his work, his use of the English language is wonderful.