Customer Reviews

Cold Is the Grave: A Novel of Suspense (Inspector Banks Novels)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this eleventh outing for Inspector Banks, he is asked by his Chief Constable and nemesis to go to London to find the Chief Constable's daughter who ran away from home several months earlier. Locating the daughter is not that difficult, even taking her back to Eastvale is easy. But once she's home a series of events, including several murders, has Banks trying to determine who did what to whom and why. The main suspect is a man who seemingly gets away with any crime to which he puts his mind. Banks is a fortysomething divorced man who is coming to terms with his private life and trying to get his professional life back on track as well, but whose choices that are not the best to succeed at either. Robinson reintroduces Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot, newly transferred to Banks' neck of the woods. As she and Banks unravel the story behind the murders, it is painstaking police work with no leaps of faith or suppressed major clues that appear later in the book and sprung upon an unsuspecting reader. As the clues are discovered,the reader is privy to them. This is police procedural at its best and a great read that you will be loathe to put down. Even if you don't like British procedurals, you should give this series a try. Reading it from the beginning is best since you'll be able to see Banks grow and change from the first in the series to this one.

Any new book featuring one of my favorite detectives, Alan Banks, is always welcome. In "Cold is the Grave," Peter Robinson continues the saga of the brilliant but troubled Banks. Jimmy Riddle, Banks' superior and arch-enemy, reluctantly asks Banks for help in bringing back Riddle's runaway daughter, sixteen-year-old Emily. Banks accommodates Riddle, and he gets embroiled in a very difficult and depressing case. While working on this case, Banks has to cope with the fallout from his rocky marriage to Sandra, his estranged wife. In addition, Banks has to work again with Annie Cabbot, his former girlfriend, with whom he has a strained relationship. The dialogue and the characterizations in this book are as sharp as ever. Unfortunately, "Cold is the Grave" really collapses at the end. Robinson makes the huge mistake of introducing, late in the book, some very unlikely and melodramatic plot points. The ending is extremely hackneyed and unsatisfying. What a shame, since Robinson is capable of terrific writing. His last book, "In a Dry Season," was a masterpiece of detective fiction. I hope that Robinson gets back to top form in his next novel.

I found the authors last book In a Dry Season well written and quiet enjoyable. It even won an award from the Mysteries Writers of American. But I found I liked this book even better. So if you read and liked In A Dry Season you will without a doubt like this book. The story kept me interested from the begnning to the end. There wasn't one dull moment in the entire book and as always Inspector Banks was great. Annie Cabbot from the last novel re-enters Inspector Banks life which makes for some interesting situations. A must read for any fan of Inspector Banks. Or for that matter anyone who enjoys a good and solid English police investigation.

Cold is the Grave by Peter Robinson William Morrow 2000

Peter Robinson is one of my favorite mystery authors and this his latest book did not disappoint me. This book again finds Inspector Banks under the thumb of his boss Chief Constable "Jimmy" Riddle and a bit confused when Jimmy asks Banks to do him a favor and find his 16 year-old daughter Emily, who has run away to London. Banks finds her living with a very unsavory criminal, Barry Clough, and on drugs. Banks persuades her to return home but a short time later she is found murdered with strychnine laced cocain and the suspects include her former lover, Barry.

Banks sorts through all the suspects and clues and develops a likely theory but then uncovers some darkness in the Riddle family that throws new light on the problem. The surprise ending doesn't leave you gasping but has a neat twist.

Detective Annie Cabot has been assigned to work with Banks and the tension between them because of their failed affair creates problems that they finally work out. This is aided and abetted by Banks former wife who wants a divorce so she can marry her live-in lover.

This is not quite up to "In a Dry Season", the last Robinson book, but a very acceptable mystery and one I would recommend to all mystery fans.

After his taut, atmospheric "In a Dry Season" (nominated for Edgar and Anthony awards), Peter Robinson's latest Inspector Banks novel drags, padded with Banks' personal angst over the end of his marriage and the rekindling of his romance with his subordinate, Annie Cabot.

The plot makes a well-worn start with a runaway teen showing up in nude pictures on the internet. The teen happens to be the daughter of Banks' hated nemesis, his stiffly ambitious superior, Chief Constable Riddle, who asks Banks to go to London, unofficially, and find her. This he does, and brings lively, bratty Emily back home too, cultivating a soft spot for a girl going the way his own daughter might have.

The murder of a low-life criminal diverts Banks' attention until a gruesome death in a local nightclub finds Banks seeking connections with London's organized crime and delving into his superior's personal life. The plot is fine although nothing new but the misunderstandings and non-communication between Banks and Cabot grow wearing and we are treated to far too much middle-aged soul searching. Not one of Robinson's best.

The last couple of Banks novels saw him in increasing difficulty with his disastrous relationship with his hostile chief constable Jeremiah Riddle. Something was going to have to give and here it does, if in a rather unexpected way. Riddle hates Banks, it's pretty clear, but grudgingly has to admit he's an awfully good detective. SO when he comes across a picture of his runaway teenage daughter Emily on a pornographic website, it is Banks he turns to, pleading with him to go check up on her. Off goes Banks to London, where he meets the promo website manager, the ex-flatmate, the ex-boyfriend and the extremely unpleasant gangster Barry Clough who has lately taken over the boyfriend role. Eventually Emily opts to let Banks take her home but her problems, alas, are not over. Meanwhile Banks has other things to think off with Annie, his lover from `In a Dry Season' reassigned to his own team at Eastvale and the execution style murder of a local crook. This is another thoroughly enjoyable, dark and engaging procedural from Robinson.

Another tale on the trials and tribulations of British police officer Inspector Ian Banks. Written in the kind of understated yet occasionally bitingly humorous style of the British, this novel effectively carries the reader along for the ride. The clues and suspects (as well as the motives) unfold slowly, keeping you turning the pages long after the lights should have gone out. Good stuff.

This book was just to long to support the shallow ending. The characters were well thought out and in sync. but I began to lose interest after awhile. The sub-plots were of little value and not required to support the main plot. As for a mystery,I don't think so the ending is easily figured out after all the characters are introduced. Still,in all fairness to the author I did finish it and it's not bad reading overall. I will await Peter Robinson's next work, perhaps it's time to retire Alan Banks.

Chief Constable Jimmy Riddle "asks" a member of his staff, Yorkshire Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, to discreetly do him a favor. Alan would relish telling his detestable boss to shove it because Jimmy has all but destroyed his career. However, discretion being more important than a trip to Paris and the fact that Jimmy has just about groveled, Alan finally agrees to help.

Jimmy's preadolescent son has found a nude picture of his teenage older sister Emily, a runaway, on the net. Jimmy wants Alan to insure his daughter is safe and to ask if she would like to come home. Alan, accompanied by his former lover Sergeant Annie Cabot, quickly finds Emily amidst two of London's strong pillars: the drug and porno scenes. Alan succeeds in escorting the sixteen-year-old back to the nest, but a murder soon finds the DCI investigating a case tied back to Chief Constable Riddle and his now united family.

COLD IN THE GRAVE is an entertaining Alan Banks police procedural that die-hard fans of English investigative novels will enjoy. Banks retains that freshness that marks him as one of the best police charcaters of the last few years. However, the story line, though well written and exciting, depends too heavily on incidents that forces the reader to accept leaps of faith. Having Annie work with Alan may seem contrived yet their professional relationship adds sexual tension and causes intriguing stumbles to the investigation. Although not quite as good as the previous tale (IN A DRY SEASON), Peter Robinson's latest story can be banked on for providing a novel that series readers will still enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

Having thoroughly enjoyed "In a Dry Season,", I looked forward to reading this, the follow-up. Sadly there is a chasm between the two. "Cold is the Grave" is one of those 'body count' books. Just when you think there cannot be yet another murder, along comes another body. I know the areas in which the novel is set very well, and Robinson has a real knack of getting the feel of different parts of England absolutely right. This book is also, like other Peter Robsinson novels - a very classy piece of prose - it's a joy to read. But the story is actually preposterous and it protrays a weird Britain where everyone smokes like a chimney (England is largely a non-smoking country these days) and the story - which starts well - becomes just a chain of ever-more unlikely events. Here's hoping Robinson and Banks get back on track with the next effort.