Strange Affair by Peter Robinson

Advantages: Excellent character development and a multi-dimensioned storyline that comes together well.
Disadvantages: At times the many different threads caused a bit of confusion

...Strange Affair is the 15th book of the Inspector Banks series, an outstanding series of police procedural crime novels set in Yorkshire, England. In recent books, Banks has suffered some traumatic experiences, particularly at the end of the previous book, Playing With Fire . It seems to me that Peter Robinson has written Strange Affair as a sort of bridge to future Inspector Banks books and is one that will appeal mainly to the devoted fans of the Inspector Banks series. The fire that destroyed his house and put him in hospital 4 months previously has also affected DCI Alan Banks psychologically, sending him into a depression that he has trouble fighting through. When the story opens he is on an extended holiday which is interrupted when he receives a phone call from his brother Roy, who sounds as though he may be in some trouble...

damieng 07.04.2005 · Read review
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Review of Strange Affair - Peter Robinson

Another brilliant book by Robinson

Advantages: good storyline, characters that you can empathise with, based in the North, gripping read
Disadvantages: constant references to classical music

...'t go into them because you have to read them for yourself- but he comes out as being very human! His "supporting cast" is also very good-and given this you want to read more. As I said, I didn't realise that this was one of Robinson's later novels- and as soon as I''d finished it I went off in search of his others. There are 13 in all..and now I'm waiting for his latest to be in paperback.....they are so much less expensive than the hardback! If you want my advice, start at the first novel- Gallows View, because you do get the advantage of having the scene set for why Banks behaves the way he does if you go back to the first of the series. A good read- you won't want to put it down....

ginger59 17.04.2003 · Read review
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Review of Aftermath - Peter Robinson

Mission Implausible

Advantages: Good scenic descriptions
Disadvantages: Weak plot, disappointing conclusion

...Peter Robinson is the author of the Inspector Banks series, set in Yorkshire, where he lived before emigrating to Canada. Caedmon?s Song is a departure from that series, recounting the stories of two young women: the first, Kirsten, is in her final year at university when she is attacked on her way home from an end-of-term party and left for dead. She survives the assault, but the savage knife attack leaves her with horrific internal injuries, and as the full extent of those injuries is gradually revealed to her, she realises that her life will never be the same again. Her physical and emotional pain is compounded by her inability to remember very much about the incident, and with next to nothing to go on, it isn?t going to be easy for the police to catch her assailant. Martha Browne, meanwhile, is a strange kettle of fish, a young...

silverstreak 04.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Caedmon's Song - Peter Robinson

Banks Drops the Interest Rate

Advantages: A reasonable police-based yarn
Disadvantages: Lead character a little uninteresting

...I thought I?d heard of most of fiction?s leading detectives, but a recent promotional offer from Bananas, an offshoot of The Book People, alerted me to the existence Peter Robinson?s Inspector Banks. He?s been around since 1987, apparently, albeit confined to the shadows of Messrs. Morse, Frost, Rebus et al, not to mention several European counterparts, so no wonder, perhaps, that I?d never come across him previously. With the front cover of Gallows View (the opening book in the series) bearing an endorsement from none other than Ian Rankin, the creator of Rebus, I was persuaded to make the purchase. And then I read a number of readers? reviews which turned out to be a rather mixed bunch of opinions ? some were full of praise for Robinson?s work, others were indifferent, whilst a few were positively scathing in their criticism ? I...

silverstreak 16.05.2009 (24.05.2009) · Read review
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Review of Gallows View - Peter Robinson

Strange Affair

Advantages: Excellent crime thriller
Disadvantages: Slow build up

...Background: This is the second of the Peter Robinson books I bought recently 4 for £10.00.I really enjoyed the first in which I was advised in the similarities in the work of Robinson and Ian Rankin. So I was keen to look at this and compare their books in style and quality. About the author: Peter Robinson has written 20 novels, since his first successful novel published in 1987. He has been awarded the 'Dagger in the Library' by the CWA in 2002 for his novel "The Summer that never was". Since then he was won numerous awards and his popularity is such that his latest one reached number 1 in the Sunday Times bestselling list. About the book: An urgent message left on Inspector Alan Banks' mobile phone from his brother Roy saying it is a matter of life and death leaves Banks worried and concerned. He has never been close to...

CPTDANIELS 05.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Strange Affair - Peter Robinson

What a Riot

Advantages: Good plot with lots of suspects
Disadvantages: Dated

...books are probably on a par with R.D. Wingfield?s Inspector Frost novels in terms of setting and the types of crime involved, with a little of television?s The Bill and Heartbeat thrown in for good measure. After three outings, I still feel that the character of Banks is under-developed and it?s difficult to see him as a fully-rounded, three-dimensional figure, although perhaps it?s relatively early days yet. With the caricature of Dick Burgess hogging the limelight, Banks? emergence as a leading light was never realistically on the cards in this escapade, but I?m sure his day will come eventually. Going back to the setting of the Eighties, I know, from reading a number of internet reviews of Robinson?s work, that some of his readers have questioned the historical accuracy of some of his references, citing his early move to Canada as...

silverstreak 26.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of A Necessary End - Peter Robinson

Peter Kaye : volume 1?

Advantages: Funny family chap
Disadvantages: No celeb stuff

...The book, like the retro comic in question, is a simple and honest read. No long words or pretentious reasoning, just one man telling his story. They say you should only write what you know, and that is exactly what Peter has done here, quite literally! Everything he ever did, however mundane, seems to have ended up in this book, and for that reason alone I don?t think this will appeal to all, especially as he doesn?t include his rise to fame and celebrity, the reason why most people would spend a preposterous £18.95 on it, the autobiography abruptly coming to halt just as we get going. Maybe its part one of his autobiography. Who knows? Maybe he feels guilty about his fame and fortune and by telling more funny stories on his homely normal life is enough for the Jolly Bolton boy for now, working class guilt getting the better of him...

thedevilinme 26.11.2009 (13.12.2009) · Read review
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Review of The Sound of Laughter - Peter Kay

With friends like Peter's . . .

Advantages: Easy watching, some good acting and great vocal performances
Disadvantages: Acting from some of the cast is a bit over-the-top

...This is one of those films that nobody else seems to have heard of and - up until a few years ago - neither had I. Indeed, I have my passion for 1980s pop music to thank for my knowledge that this film even exists. For reasons I don't even remember, I came across a website listing the lyrics to Tears For Fears' mid-eighties hit Everybody Wants To Rule The World and whichever page I viewed mentioned a variety of films, TV programmes and albums that the song featured in. One of these was Peter's Friends . . . so I admit it, I first watched this film because one of my favourite songs was part of the soundtrack! (I can sometimes be a bit more shallow than other people believe . . . actually there are quite a few 1970s/1980s songs in here, which I think suits the mood of the film.) In a way, I find it surprising that Peter's Friends seems to...

KateHurst 12.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Peter's Friends (DVD)

The second Alan Banks' novel

Advantages: Readable
Disadvantages: Disappointing ending, generally a little bland

...Introduction Having read most of the series before I got hold of this one, I was glad to read it and fill in the gaps about Banks and his home life. As the main character, Banks is not one of the most exciting of the fictional detectives, having a bit of a problem with the alcohol and nicotine and women come to that as so many of them seem to, but nevertheless, there is still something about Banks that catches the attention. Furthermore, the plots are usually strong and make up for any blandness of character. Unfortunately, plot-wise, this is not one of Peter Robinson's best books; but worth a read if you are a fan of the series. The author Born and raised in Yorkshire, where this series is set, Peter Robinson later moved into further education in Canada, where he has lived ever since. He wrote his first book, 'Gallows View...

sunmeilan 21.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of A Dedicated Man - Peter Robinson

Alan Banks to the rescue

Advantages: Good storyline and plot
Disadvantages: Slightly bland hero

...Introduction Peter Robinson is responsible for the creation of Inspector Alan Banks, an ex-Metropolitan policeman who decided to move up north for a hopefully less stressful job with the Yorkshire Police. His first book, written while he was completing a PhD at York University, was sent on spec to Viking Penguin, was put in a pile with other unsolicited manuscripts and ended up being the only one chosen for publication of that pile. I have read most of the series and am rarely disappointed, although I found one of his non-series book, 'Caedmon's Song' about a young girl psychologically, physically and mentally damaged by an attempted serial killing, truly dreadful. The author Originally from Yorkshire, Peter Robinson has lived in Canada for over 20 years, where he taught English at a number of colleges. He began writing in 1987...

sunmeilan 17.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of A Necessary End - Peter Robinson