Customer Reviews

Friend Of The Devil

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read all of Peter Robinson's excellently written series of novels featuring Yorkshire detective Alan Banks and highly anticipated this latest installment. For whatever reason I didn't find this volume as interesting as most of the others. The plotting is good and Robinson has provided Banks and his fellow detective (and ex lover) Annie two intriguing cases. Annie handles the death of a paraplegic woman in her late 20's who was checked out of her nursing home by an unknown person and found with her throat cut on a beach looking out to sea. Banks is in charge of the murder of a pretty young college student found dead after a drunken Saturday night. The plot twists several times with some genuine surprises before all is concluded and one of the murders will have direct ties to the serial killer story told in the 2001 novel AFTERMATH.

As with all Robinson's novels lots of details from what music loving Banks has in his CD player to the menus at the pubs where the detectives order lunch are provided. Though I generally appreciate such touches in FRIEND OF THE DEVIL all this detail begins to seem like tedious filler. Like another Amazon reviewer I've never been fond of the character of Annie and she is featured almost as much as Banks in the novel (there is a subplot about her being stalked by a young man half her age) so that may have contributed to me not being as taken with this novel as the others in this series. Still, for fans of British suspense novels that are definitely not cozy, Peter Robinson writes among the best in the genre.

I have really mixed feelings about "Friend of the Devil" -- on the one hand I rather enjoyed the book (I am an avid fan of the series); however, I did think that the pacing was uneven and found several plot gambits a little tedious. In spite of my reservations, however, "Friend of the Devil" did turn out to be a 4 star read. And that is a testament to Peter Robinson's storytelling talents.

When a paraplegic woman is found near a cliff edge with her throat cut, DI Annie Cabot thinks that she has another seemingly straightforward murder to investigate. The last thing she expected was that this murder would reopen a can of worms. For the murdered woman turns out to be none other than the notorious Lucy Payne, the other half of a pair of killers who kidnapped, tortured, raped and murdered several young girls some years ago ("Aftermath"). Trying to come up with people who would have wanted to see Lucy dead, isn't going to be that difficult; if anything it's going to hard work trying to narrow the field. But who would have had access to Lucy's new identity? In the meantime, Alan Banks is in the middle of investigating the murder-rape of a young college student, Hayley Daniels. Closing the Daniels case is a first priority for Banks, but he still finds himself drawn to the Lucy Payne's investigation and wondering why Lucy's murderer chose to act now and in such an open way...

I'm a huge fan of the series and Peter Robinson's Alan Banks series is pretty much an auto-buy for me. That said, I have to say that I am getting a little tired of certain regular plot features/devices -- like the detailed references to the music Banks listens to -- sometimes it almost feels as if they were stage directions to the filmed version of the novels. More often than not however they read like indications that we're to take Banks as something more than a plodding policeman. The thing is that I rather thought that we'd moved away from such thinking! And then there was the little segue into Banks' and Cabot's private, screwed up love lives. My impatience with this plot gambit however may have more to do with the fact that I have never really warmed up to Annie Cabot as a character. I'm definitely in the minority here, I know and really think that the author should worry more about his characters' alarming drinking habits. My real problem with "Friend of the Devil" though was that I felt as if the entire subplot dealing with Banks' investigation into the murder-rape of Hayley Daniels was wasted, and that it made the pacing of the book uneven and seemingly plodding at times. I much preferred the subplot dealing with the murder of Lucy Payne and rather wished that Banks had been the investigating officer on that!

In spite of all my niggles, however, this still was a fantastically riveting read, with the last half of the book proving to be absolutely unputdownable. Which just goes to show how brilliant an author Peter Robinson truly is, and how in spite of all my nitpicking grumbles, I still found "Friend of the Devil" to be an utterly compelling and absorbing read.

Aah, to be able to write this well. To make readers lose themselves in a book even before the story has started properly, and in some passages manage to even make a crime story almost poetic.

Of course, as a huge fan of Peter Robinson I'm well acquainted with Chief Inspector Alan Banks, DI Annie Cabbot, the rest of the Eastvale police force and the goings on in a small Yorkshire village. But even to first time readers of Robinson, "Friend of the Devil" will prove this author's magic, his unique talent as one of, if not THE best British crime writer today.

The Inspector Banks novels have two main story lines. The solving of one - or more - crimes, and bits and pieces from Bank's private life. Not the least his personal relationship with Annie, with whom he is still working on a regular basis. There is however much emotional baggage between the two and obvious that their personal story is far from over.

In "Friend of the Devil" two nasty murders are discovered on the same Sunday morning. Banks and Annie are working on one case each. First separately, until Annie is reaching a breakthrough which brings her case in a new and shocking direction - a direction which involves Banks.

It soon becomes clear that there are two killers among their midst, ready to strike again at any moment.

Some readers may feel that Annie's personal life is taking up too much space in the book. However, being a woman, I must admit that Annie's doings are not without interest, and I am pretty sure that male and female readers may be reacting differently to the part Annie's lovelife is playing in the book.

Apart from this, I would hope - and believe - that most readers will find "Friend of the Devil" to be Peter Robinson's finest work until now.

With Chief Inspector Banks, Peter Robinson has created a very human and likeable hero, a soft-hearted man in spite of his profession. Bank's choice of literature, music and food, his relationship with his children, his struggle with the aftermath of his marriage - and the complicated feelings for Annie - all add to the picture of an interesting, attractive and complete hero one does not easily tire of.

As all books in the Inspector Banks series, "Friend of the Devil" is a book of contrasts. The harsh realism of brutal crimes, the investigators' necessary blocking of feelings in order to fulfill what has to be done, and the humanity behind it all. Whether the pain of the victims' relatives or the personal reaction of police and investigators.

Don't miss this nor Robinson's other books. Simply brilliant!

Robinson is a first-rate writer who consistently writes second-rate books (In a Dry Season being the only exception). That being said, Friend of the Devil is probably one of his more readable novels. Some of the bugs have been worked out of his characters, and the double murder makes for an interesting plot.

In Friend of the Devil, Chief Inspector Banks and DI Annie Cabbot, former colleagues and lovers, work on two unrelated murders. Banks takes on the case of a violent rape/murder of a pretty young girl, while Cabbot is assigned to the case of a quadriplegic who is found by the sea with her throat hideously slashed. Like other Robinson novels, the murders are lurid, sordid affairs, with enough graphic details to titillate the most jaded readers. As the novel progresses, the two murders eventually become intertwined, which is something we have come to expect in murder mysteries.

It becomes clear about half way through that Friend of the Devil is basically an excuse to wrap up a previous novel. The First Cut, which was a flimsy, implausible "psychological thriller," and left so many loose ends, Robinson felt compelled to tie them up. Unfortunately, once you've burned the rice, there's nothing you can do to save it. Robinson simply makes the same mistake twice - providing a thoroughly unbelievable motivation for sex crimes.

The motivation for rape is not, as Robinson suggests, the fact that men are humiliated and rejected by women. The age span of rape victims ranges from early infancy to well into old age. And rape is not limited, as we know from the scandals surrounding Catholic priests, to females. Rape occurs because the perpetrator wishes to exert violent control over another (weaker) human being. The motivation for exerting that control has absolutely nothing to do with the way the victim dresses or acts, much less the way women supposedly treat men. (Although, it needs to be pointed out that none of Robinson's male characters treat women particularly well.)

What is so bothersome about Robinson's failures is that he has shown that he is capable of so much more. It would be nice if he would simply sit down and think before he writes his next novel. He might come up with another gem like In a Dry Season.

Why do I say that? Because I did something I never do--I jumped into the middle of a long-established series without reading any of the prior books. And it was really obvious that I'd missed a lot. It was almost as if the novel's strengths had become weaknesses for me. The characters were so complex that I couldn't catch up on their history through a few paragraphs of exposition. Likewise, the British setting was so realistic that I found myself struggling to figure out the police officers' jobs and hierarchy, as well as to decipher the meaning of slang and pop culture references. I feel so American, LOL.

The novel has two protagonists. Annie Cabbott is a homicide detective in crisis. Her current state does not make her especially likeable, and I find myself wondering how she became the mess she is. Currently she's on temporary loan to another city, taking her away from familiar surroundings. Personally, she's drinking like a fish and having ill-advised sexual liaisons. Professionally, she's investigating the murder of a presumably harmless, helpless quadriplegic. Although, as my phrasing suggests, there's more to the case than first meets the eye.

The other major character is Alan Banks. Where Annie is in crisis, Alan is at a turning point. He is also investigating a homicide, a violent sex crime with a 19-year-old victim. The narrative jogs back and forth between the investigations of these two cases, which was a little challenging at times. It's a lot of names and details to keep track of. And being a somewhat more realistic procedural, you really get a feel for the frustration and drudgery of looking at the same clues, statements, and details over and over, trying to see something new. Trying to find a new trail to follow. Trying to see what you've previously missed.

Eventually, it begins to seem that these two disparate cases may be linked somehow. I was gratified that the author didn't rely on too improbable a coincidence to explain this. The resolutions to the crimes were both sad and satisfying. The novel ended quite abruptly after the murders had been solved, leaving me wanting a little more dénouement. And as challenging as it had been to figure out the characters' past based on clues in the text, I was left very much wanting to know what would happen to them next. While I doubt I'll invest the effort into reading a lengthy backlist, I have a feeling I may be reading the next book in this series. What more can an author ask; I appear to be hooked.

Please note: If you are thinking about buying this novel, and have not yet read Robinson's "Aftermath," definitely consider reading "Aftermath" first.

There is unquestionably a time in every novel series when the characters become too predictable, the plot is insufficiently compelling, and the familiar effects are just too thin to keep the whole enterprise going. "Careless in Red" by Elizabeth George represents one recent example of this phenomenon, and sad to say, "Friend of the Devil" seems to be another.

In this episode of the Alan Banks series, his one-time lover Annie Cabbot is investigating a more than usually senseless murder: who would want to kill a completely paralyzed woman who seemingly is a threat to no one? Unsurprisingly the rationale is more complicated than it might at first seem, and eventually ties in (in an overly deliberate complication) with the case that Banks is investigating: the rape and murder of a young woman in Eastvale. Banks's case is a pretty standard whodunnit. (The complication that connects it with Cabbot's case strains belief entirely.)

It eventually becomes clear that the two cases are involved with the one that Banks dealt with in "Aftermath." In fact, reading "Aftermath" after "Friend" would be a much less interesting experience than it might otherwise have been.

I have to say that after all this time, I am beginning to feel I don't care who Banks is sleeping with any more, and I am certainly tired of his ambivalent relationship to Annie. It's all become rather meaningless. His love of music, which seemed so strong and so organic to his character in the earlier novels, seems just a recitation of artists and album titles now. Though I'm sure that many people in Banks and Cabbot's line of work have a love/hate relationship with alcohol, I can't help wishing the two of them would just go and get into treatment already.

All that being said, Robinson is still capable of a telling observation, both of character and of setting, and still capable of the canny trick--there is an excellent one in the section which unites the two ongoing cases. But I don't think I will be reading another one of the Banks books.

In the early going of the novel, Banks thinks about why it is that at his age, he is beginning to read more non-fiction than fiction--it has more to tell him about life. Unhappily, "Friend of the Devil" is one more reason to believe that that is true.

I've been reading British books all my life. My favorite and most read is Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. But I've read everything from mysteries, to histories, to fantasy, and biographies. I love their writing, probably because they educate their students so much better in our common language. As a teacher and professor, it really gets me mad that our education system is not preparing our children to compete with not just the Japanese and the Germans, but we cannot write like our English cousins!

That explains why I head for mysteries written by the British. Robinson is an excellent writer. This particular book was a bit 'off', but even being so, it's better than the usual crap from American mystery writers. The plot made me shudder a bit. You expect the usual deaths in such books, but the fact that someone was able to go into a nursing home, and get a disabled person in a wheelchair and take them to a remote cliff, and literally 'slaughter' them gave me the willies. I always think, 'oh boy, don't give anyone any ideas!' We are having a hard enough time in bioethics keeping people from deciding the disabled (of which I'm one...I'm deaf) are lives not worth living.

As other reviewers have said, the plotting is a bit shaky. Not the usual strongly written book we expect from Robinson. Maybe he's spending too much time among us crass Americans?

As an admiring reader of all the Banks' novels I have difficulty writing a somewhat negative review of Friend of the Devil. The plot is just too overloaded with characters whose names begin to blend into confusion. I found myself saying "Now I've run across this character already but who is he again?" and I actually kept a log of who's who. What makes it worse is that the author gives names to ancillary characters who are not important to the plot, people for whom "lab assistant" would have been enough. It's almost as if including a large number of characters is a substitute for an intriguing plot. I hope Robinson's next Banks novel will have fewer characters and a more suspenseful plot.

Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot is on work loan to another precinct struggling with a brutal serial killer. The latest victim is a paraplegic woman whose throat was sliced by a nearby but remote cliff. Cabbot is frustrated as she wants to bring the animal to justice, but her investigation seems to be going nowhere.

At the same time that Cabbot struggles with the brutal atrocities of a psychopath, at home in North Yorkshire, her sometimes lover Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his unit work a vicious rape and murder case too in the sleazy Maze where no one cooperates with coppers. When Cabbot learns the identity of the paraplegic victim, she connects her investigation to that of Banks; as both realize they are dealing once again with the cruel AFTERMATH of Terry and Lucy Payne.

Peter Robinson is at his best with this incredibly exciting English police procedural. The lead pair struggles with their relationship and where it is going while also seemingly going nowhere on their two seemingly separate cases. Readers will want to know what happens professionally and personally as Banks and Cabbot finally realize they are dealing with two perverted demons in human clothes.

Harriet Klausner

A quadriplegic woman overlooks the sea unmoving in her wheelchair. Her throat has been slashed. Who would do such a thing to someone so helpless? More importantly why would they do it? Those are the questions that face Annie Cabott in the newest Inspector Banks mystery by Peter Robinson. Along with some disturbances in her personal life, Annie must determine who would take someone unable to communicate away from her caregivers and kill her in such dramatic fashion.

Meanwhile, Banks faces a new-school version of the locked door mystery. A young woman has been raped and killed in The Maze - a tangle of narrow alleyways. The footage from a nearby CCTV camera proves no help in determining the killer. This leaves Banks to do what he does best interview witnesses and suspects.

I have read all of the previous books in the series and liked all of them. This one has the usual tight plot, wonderful characterizations and interesting use of music that are typical of his work. Robinson is a master of the small observations and details that make even the most supporting characters spring to life. He has a real knack for bringing humanity to the forefront of the story.

The mysteries themselves involve people new and old to the series and are resolved by the novel's end. Not all questions are though--just like life hanging threads remain hanging rather than tied in a pretty bow.

In general, I think you would enjoy this even if you hadn't read other books in the series, but I do think the experience would be enhanced if you were familiar with some of the major players and their personalities. It would be worth your time and energy to do so anyway.