Final Account (An Inspector Banks Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Peter Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1996

The crime scene was almost surreal: a stone barn converted to a garage where a corpse knelt in submission, surrounded by antique farm implements and a shining BMW. The victim and his wife had just returned from celebrating their anniversary; now, suddenly, death had parted them. She was bound and gagged inside the house with their teenage daughter. He had been led outside and killed.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In the Yorkshire countryside, middle-aged accountant and financial consultant Keith Rothwell is murdered while his wife and daughter are forced to watch. Detective Inspector Alan Banks and his assistant, Constable Susan Gay, are the lead investigators on the case. As Banks and Gay investigate, they reveal the victim to have been a conservative, quiet man virtually devoid of personality and style. But then a beautiful young musician sees Rothwell's picture in the paper and reveals that he had a secret life: as Robert Calvert, the musician's former lover. Meanwhile, Rothwell's financial dealings are coming into focus: he was skimming from one of his clients, a drug-dealing Caribbean dictator, and may have been murdered for his transgressions. The few loose ends to the case trouble Banks, and he pursues them until he draws a surprising conclusion. Tremendous plotting and solid characters make this a superior British procedural from the critically acclaimed author of Wednesday's Child. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire but now spends most of his time in Canada. He is the winner of numerous awards in the United States, Britain and Canada. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425153827
• ISBN-13: 978-0425153826
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,400,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter Robinson's award-winning novels have been named a Best-Book-of-the-Year by Publishers Weekly, a Notable Book by the New York Times, and a Page-Turner-of-the-Week by People magazine. Robinson was born and raised in Yorkshire but has lived in North America for over twenty-five years. He now divides his time between North America and the U.K.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a Rip-Off!, March 16, 2005

By 

E. Liss - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dry Bones That Dream (Paperback)

This book is Identical in every way to "Final Account" except for the title and the Copyright date! It is even listed by Amazon as a recomendation to those who bought Final Account which is how I wound up with it. Imagine my disappointment when I opened the book to find this out. I enjoyed Final Account but it really steams me to have paid for it TWICE!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Banks Comes of Age, November 21, 2004

By 

David Cady (NYC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Final Account (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm a huge fan of the Scottish writer Ian Rankin, so when I heard him favourably compared to Peter Robinson, I had to check the latter out. Of course I started with the first of the Inspector Banks series and was surprised to find no similarity to the Rankin books at all. The Robinson novel was a modern variation of the cozy English village police procedural made famous by so many other writers. Where was the grit of Rankin, the complicated psychology? Well here it is, finally, in Robinson's sixth Banks mystery, recently reissued. This is a fine piece of work, masterfully written, with a truly surprising ending. Now I know why reviewers have mentioned Rankin (a must read) and Robinson in the same breath. And I'll definitely be reading more.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A series that's important to read in order, August 15, 2002

By 

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Account (An Inspector Banks Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I can only suspect that the nay-sayers haven't read the previous books in this series. Banks is a bit like scotch whiskey - an acquired taste. Much of the pleasure in reading this book lies in knowing Banks and his supporting characters. What kind of music will Banks be "into" in this book (it changes in each book)? Will Susan Gay develop a life outside of her work? What nasty tricks will Burgess be up to in this episode? What's up with Banks' marriage and can he resist temptation one more time?

So, my advice to other readers is to invest the time in reading this series from the start. The first few books are only so-so but they lay the foundations to make later books a much enjoyed reading experience.