A Difficult One for Banks
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Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire, and is the author of a number of previous novels featuring Inspector Banks. He is the winner of numerous awards in the United States, Britain and Canada, and in 2002 he won the CWA Dagger in the Library. As I also come from Leeds the background to his stories is something that I have experienced first hand and because of this I have a special affection for his books. However they would be first class crime fiction wherever they were based.
Having said that I can understand to a degree why some readers may not like the books. Banks is a character that has grown over several books and the author is very comfortable not only with the character of Banks, but all the other character too. To me this makes the stories flow because the author instinctively knows how his characters are going to react in certain situations. The books are produced as a series and it is nice if you can read them all in the order they were written, but this is by no means compulsory as each book stands alone. They are what I would call `light' reading. By that I mean that they flow and not that they are third rate in any sense, in fact quite the opposite.
A young man has been kicked to death in a filthy alleyway. The victim is a known racist and at first it looks like the result of a pub fight gone wrong, until that is Banks learns that Jason Fox, the victim was a member of a white power organization known as the Albion League. Fox was bound to have enemies but who hated him enough to kill him? The young Pakistanis he had insulted in the pub earlier? Shady friends of his business partner, Mark Wood? Someone who resented the teenager's growing power in a brutal and unforgiving organization? One thing is for sure Banks is not going to be short of suspects . . .
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A Difficult One for Banks
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Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire, and is the author of a number of previous novels featuring Inspector Banks. He is the winner of numerous awards in the United States, Britain and Canada, and in 2002 he won the CWA Dagger in the Library. As I also come from Leeds the background to his stories is something that I have experienced first hand and because of this I have a special affection for his books. However they would be first class crime fiction wherever they were based.
Having said that I can understand to a degree why some readers may not like the books. Banks is a character that has grown over several books and the author is very comfortable not only with the character of Banks, but all the other character too. To me this makes the stories flow because the author instinctively knows how his characters are going to react in certain situations. The books are produced as a series and it is nice if you can read them all in the order they were written, but this is by no means compulsory as each book stands alone. They are what I would call `light' reading. By that I mean that they flow and not that they are third rate in any sense, in fact quite the opposite.
A young man has been kicked to death in a filthy alleyway. The victim is a known racist and at first it looks like the result of a pub fight gone wrong, until that is Banks learns that Jason Fox, the victim was a member of a white power organization known as the Albion League. Fox was bound to have enemies but who hated him enough to kill him? The young Pakistanis he had insulted in the pub earlier? Shady friends of his business partner, mark Wood? Someone who resented the teenager's growing power in a brutal and unforgiving organization? One thing is for sure Banks is not going to be short of suspects . . .
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A Very Fine Mystery
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It started slow but eventually picked up speed. DCI Alan Banks and DC Susan Gray are mired what seems to be a racially motivated murder. The brutally beaten victim is a member of a neo-Nazi group and three Pakistanis had an altercation with the victim in the local pub before he died. As Banks and Gray explore the neo-Nazi group in Eastvale and Leeds, their social lives take divergent paths. While Banks and his wife are growing apart, ultimately leading to separation, Susan Gray is starting to date again. With his love of classical music and devotion to work, Banks is a ubiquitous, amiable character.
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Dead Right
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I have read every book about Inspector Banks and l can honestly say that l really enjoyed every single one from Peter Robinson, l am now waiting for his new one, so Peter, please hurry up !!!!!
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A really enjoyable read
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To all fans of Inspector Rebus this will be a good book. While Banks differs from Rebus in a number of ways Robinson has the same ability to hook you into the characters. This was the first one I read (not the first in the series) and I'm now working my way back through the others and enjoying each one.
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