Banks takes the biscuit and is reminded of his youthful dunking...I'm not sure if I've read Peter Robinson before. Probably I have, he's prolific and my wife likes Inspector Banks. I bought Playing with Fire together with Strange Affair and Not Safe After Dark from the Book People for 5 the lot. That should have been warning enough, that they were unsold clearout stock. Inspector Banks is unable to cross the room without receiving a character building flashback from every biscuit crumb, cup of tea, pint of bitter, shot of Laphroaig cask strength. When not puffing his character to bursting point the author is giving a running commentary on every piece of music that Banks is listening to in the house, car, his head, it goes on and on. I thought the characters were adequately painted after a couple of chapters but it didn't stop. This looks like the work of an author who has sacrificed proliferation for quality. If Robinson did, in fact, write this book himself then it may be an indication of what his early drafts are like before the over-detail edit. 445 pages here is probably 300 if the job had been finished. Nevertheless, still have the other two to read to ensure fairness. Perhaps it was a hiccup in his output....as he raised the blue French rustic china mug with a chip on the side that would be mouthwards if he was left handed, which he wasn't, and inhaled the heady aroma of Laphroaig cask strength taken straight, no ice, he was reminded of the smell of the burnt bodies in the charred but rusty hulls of the narrowboats that the moneyed semi-aristocratic owner had forgotten, or even didn't care that, he owned. Perhaps the killer had been left handed and left traces of DNA on the chipped surface when he drank from that same mug, thought Banks, reminding him of his left-handed Uncle Freddy who wore vintage yellow Marigold rubber gloves to weddings.... etc.
What more can you say about a Peter Robinson novel than that the maestro is at the top of his game yet again? He and Ian Rankin have a very similar ability to immerse the reader entirely in the lives of their protagonists to the extent that it can be a struggle for readers to pull themselves back into the real world. Yes, these are crime novels, and, yes, there's a strong element of mystery too, but to say only that would really be to mislead.This latest installment of the Yorkshire DCI Alan Banks chronicles begins with the destruction by fire of two derelict canal barges and the squatters dwelling within. Forensics soon reveal arson, and that the target was one of the barges, occupied by an unsuccessful artist; the casualty in the other barge, junkie Tina, was either just "collateral damage", as the disgusting euphemism has it, or, perhaps worse, was a deliberate piece of misdirection by the arsonist to obscure his motives. Banks and DI Annie Cabbot and their crew -- notably DC Winsome Jackman, with whom I could all too easily fall in love -- soon unravel an art-forgery conspiracy, especially when there's another arson murder just a few days later; but they also, with the aid of innocent bystander Tina's hotheaded wastrel boyfriend Mark (about whom one begins to care inordinately) uncover a nasty backstory for her involving childhood sexual abuse. Robinson's working through of these two plots in parallel is mesmerizing.Each time I finish one of Robinson's novels I wonder briefly why I don't read them more often, and then almost immediately the answer hits me: they're far too good to waste on a binge. Rather, I need to spread them out and savour them, waiting for le moment juste before I pick up the next one. But what a moment of happiness that moment usually proves to be!
What do You think about Playing With Fire (2004)?
Not the most recent Alan Banks mystery, but the last one available in my library. I'll have to go to other libraries to look for these. Banks is an interesting guy, moody but dependable. I've come to know the village, the pubs he hangs out in, and the way he handles villains. They are evil, but you are never sure exactly which one of them is guilty. And they can be smart, charming and sly as well. Robinson is good at holding your attention and making you feel you are part of the book. Some chapters have cliff-hangers, but you are never disappointed when the story line goes and picks up somewhere else, where you were also left hanging.In this book, two people--an artist and a druggie--die in fires on two separate barges abandoned in a river. The barges (narrow boats, to be exact) are tied up at docks, but who owns them is part of the mystery. The artist has a checkered past, and the drug addict a sad past. Her boyfriend, who was stepping out on her the night of the fire, is guilt-riddled. While not a serious suspect, he is also in the area as several more fires occur, and gives the story a solid thread to stitch together disparate elements. As in all inspector Banks novels, the last chapter dutifully ties up every last thread left dangling, and you can be satisfied that you'll know the why and how of every question.
—Quinn
I really enjoyed this book. Finished it yesterday. I'm normally not a huge of longer mysteries but Peter Robinson seems to be the exception for me. have enjoyed several of his other books.His style is almost literary mystery-his characters are that well developed. Banks is again fantastic in this book. From the beginning it grabs you with the fires- who set them and why. There are so many angles and twistst and turns in this book that I can't mention them all.Mark, Gardiner, Aspern and Tina etc... There's many times I found my self guessing what could have set the fires and why but then another angle comes up. Just a fascinating book and writer. The end and solution to the crimes is great I found and believable. I won't give it away.The last 2 pages are fascinating- I'm assuming it's supposed to be written by one of the 3 men that had conspired with the fires-I won't mention names.
—Barbara
This review refers to the audio version.#14 Chief Inspector Alan Banks series set in Yorkshire. Two derelict boats on the canal burn, with two dead--one body on each boat. It's determined that accelerant was used and thus it becomes a murder AND arson investigation. Both boats were occupied by essentially squatters--one, a down-on-his-luck artist and the other a young drug user and her boyfriend, who was away from the boat that evening.Suspects are many in the early days as Banks and his team, including DI Annie Cabot, sift through the myriad of evidence, interview principals and the like. When another suspicious fire in an abandoned caravan kills another man--someone the artist on the boat knew--they begin to suspect a serial arsonist/murderer. Personally, I thought the bad guy was very obvious, although Robinson does throw out plenty of appealing red herrings. But even so, this was one of the best of this series in my opinion, and I enjoyed the story, the history, and the whole package very much. Skillfully read as usual by Ron Keith. Looking forward to the next and hoping my library has it available in one audio format or another! A.
—Spuddie
