With insomnia wrecking my nights (again) I've begun to read detective fiction again, these long and endless series of novels that really just form one continuous story. I love those that develop the character as we go, and a perfect example are the Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson, which I just finished yesterday. That's right, the series. Including the one shot ficlets and stories. There is a new one that ought to be out later this year, and I'm looking forward to it (with a title like Bad Boy, who could resist?), but for now, I'm done.Bad Boy is 19th in the series of the novels, tracing the life and career of Inspector Alan Banks after his near breakdown in the London Met force, and his shift to Yorkshire. Though not a Yorkshire man himself, he gradually becomes part of the climate of the fictional town of Eastvale. Banks is possibly the most interesting detective character I've come across since Dalgliesh. Peter Robinson in one of the books actually mocks Dalgliesh, having one of his characters compare him to Banks, who responds that unlike Dalgliesh, Banks, atleast, is real. Despite Robinson's efforts it is easy to see some parallels, most of all, in Dalgliesh's love for poetry, and Banks' passion of music. He begins with a Sony Walkman, on which he listens to opera, goes to a portable CD player and has a brief flirtation with the blues, and towards the end, has an Ipod (obtained via his brother) which he plugs into the car stereo and listens to while driving to and from work. It is impossible not to like Banks, with his working class roots, and his passive-aggressive with, his contempt for authority and his very real emotional scars. At time, the angst gets a little too much -- almost a subplot, the collapse of his various doomed relationships, the vagaries of his love life, but at the end, Banks is inimically a survivor, and a classic hero. As a girl, I must confess that Banks is above all, cute, and I know that if he were real, I'd be over him like paint on a wall. Built slim and short, he's nevertheless tough and frequently terrifying to criminals. The Robinson novels are fundamentally character driven - what holds the episodes together are Banks, whether defined by his presence or his (brief) absences. He is tied to "the Job", and inevitably, the novels focus on his particular brand of skills. Banks combines natural intuition with sheer dog work - he travels, he goes through files, he reads, he makes hundreds of phone calls, he delegates even more to his various cast of subordinates. While he relies on his tingling scar, to a great extent, he admits that it is usually the hard work that gets them through the cases. At times his fortune, his ability to be in the right place at the right time leads one to wonder whether Banks, like the sand in Aladdin, is everywhere - a touch of the deus ex machina that tends to annoy me a little. However, these remain some of the most tightly constructed and fun mysteries that I've read -- like one of Banks' superiors, I probably couldn't "detect my way out of a paper bag" and I'm almost always surprised at the ending. As a necessary aside, I should add that the content of these novels is not for the faint of heart - one features an incident where two couples systematically abused and raped their seven (collectively) children, another deals with a Dahmer-like systematic murderer stalking underage girls, raping and killing them and burying them in his basement. There are regular and graphic descriptions of people with their faces bashed in, of the aftermaths of murders and rapes, of smells, and sounds, and sights, of post-mortem procedures. Robinson is dispassionate in his view, he doesn't overdo the imagery but there's no avoiding it, and the serial-killer one, in particular, only added to my sleepless nights. Robinsons' novels are also heavy on context - the regular political events of the times feature as part of the background, elections come and go, terrorist bombings (Banks was at one of those too - he's like the Scarlet Pimpernel!), homophobia, child abuse, and the steadily increasing influx of immigrant populations amidst race crises are regular themes in the novels. Banks, amidst all this, has a cast of gorgeous women sliding in ,with some regularity, into his life, and sliding out again, with varying degrees of amicability at the end of it. Elegant, cool Sandra, his one-time wife, the sensuous but confused Annie, his subordinate at work, the beautiful and brilliant forensic psychologist he occasionally consults and the utterly enchanting violist that he's friends with - they're all there.At times the pace can get a little slow, since Robinson stops to sketch out the smallest of characters in some detail, but they're worth the ride. Most of all, I love the flashes of elegant humour in his novels, occasionally crass but almost always provoking laughter out loud.In particular, I'd recommend Aftermath, Playing with Fire and Cold is the Grave, but if you have the time, it's worth beginning at the beginning and reading them all. The development of Banks' character, as I said, is one of the best parts of the stories, and to read through them is not a difficult or unhappy task at all.
For a book that was written before my birth, I found Gallows View entertaining and enthralling from start to finish. Inspector Banks is an incredibly likeable character, and the traditional focus on police procedure rather than complex forensic practice makes this novel reminiscent of classic British mysteries. Simple, engaging, timeless... a novel for anyone with a longing for crime novels of the past, with a modern concept and a creepy list of crimes. For all its positive attributes, the novel itself is slightly confusing. Well, confusing for some. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace, and the variety of crimes that Gallows View presents us with. Inspector Banks has recently moved to a small English town with his wife, Sandra, and two children. He expects the pace to be somewhat slower in his new position, but within weeks he finds himself dealing with a peeping tom, a string of non-violent burglaries, and the murder of an old woman in her home. With no clues and no leads to follow, and under incredible pressure from local womens activist Dorothy Wycombe, Banks' department enlists the help of Dr Jenny Fuller, a local psychologist. Dr Fully, an intelligent and attractive young woman, provides the department with a deeper insight into the motives behind peepers, but she also provides a distraction for Banks as he finds himself more attracted to her. This complicated web of events plays out in spectacular fashion and it's not long before some of the culprits start to escalate their activities. A personal attack on Banks' family makes him question the thin line between his work and private life, and the investigations heat up when an unfortunate incident brings about a lucky break in the case. Robinson sets up his characters masterfully, with a great amount of detail. It's hard to say if he knew when writing Gallows View that he would still be writing Inspector Banks novels some 24 years later, and I look forward to watching his characters grow and change over the years. The climax to the novel, where all the loose ends tie up, is brilliant! While we follow a couple of culprits throughout the novel, the killer responsible for murdering the old woman does not reveal themselves to the final pages, and what a revelation it is! A fantastic novel. It's effortless charm and intriguing characters have persuaded me to carry on with the series, and I will await the arrival of book #2 eagerly!
What do You think about Gallows View (2000)?
I really liked this, though found the plots a bit predictable and the characters, good bad and mixed, were a bit two dimensional the locale a bit unrealistic (as if he couldn't decide whether to make it a small town where everybody knows everybody so it's obvious that people would bump into each other, vs a larger city where you can live near people and never meet. But writing was smooth with good command of the language (this can't be said for all!) and I know it was the first in the series, so will definitely try another one or two to see how he develops his people and style before I add him to my "keep going" vs "avoid" lists.
—Lisa
DCI Alan Banks has just moved up to Yorkshire from London and he has to solve a series of crimes that may or may not be related . There's a Peeping Tom spying on blonde women, a series of break and enters and an old woman echo appears to have been murdered during the course of a burglary . When an attractive psychologist is brought in to help profile the Peeping Tom, Banks realizes a growing attraction to her, despite being very happily married with 2 children.This is the first DCI Alan Banks story I have read and I will be reading more because they are a pleasant read. Banks is a very likable character and it is rather a nice change to read a novel featuring a detective that is not alcoholic, in a dysfunctional relationship or in some way damaged.
—Sharon
I just reread this book, and am amazed at all the sex and foul language. I enjoyed the characters and Robinson's presentation of the characters. I felt that many events remained unresolved at the end of the novel. The story presents a dismal view of British teens and healthcare system at that time. The allusion to Jimmy Carter's comment on adultery bought a smile to this reader. Is a sin committed just by the thought or by the resulting action? Peter Robinson utilizes setting to portray the story and the characters. The story begins with Inspector Alan Banks faced with a peeping Tom, the murder of an elderly woman, and series of breaking and entering situations. Are the cases related? Will Banks discover the culprits? The story moves along like the operas that Alan Banks must hear throughout the day, with the criminal asking for forgiveness and mercy in the end.Reread 5/24/2014
—Debbie Maskus
