Gallows View: The First Inspector Banks Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

by Peter Robinson (Author) "The women stepped into the circle of light and began to undress..." (more)
Key Phrases: Alice Matlock, The Oak, Thelma Pitt (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A Yorkshire town's chief inspector tries to determine whether a Peeping Tom, a pair of toughs who harass the elderly and an old woman's murder are related. PW called this an "impressive" debut.
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Review
"An exceptional series." -- Washington Post

"An extremely well-fashioned police procedural." -- New York Times Book Review

"An intimate procedural, nicely and comfortably done, suspenseful as well and satisfying in its resolutions." -- Los Angeles Times

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Avon (December 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380714000
• ISBN-13: 978-0380714001
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,647 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Inspector Banks Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive First Novel, August 5, 2002

By	Angel L. Soto (USA) - See all my reviews

After having read PAST REASON HATED and BLOOD AT THE ROOT it was time to start at the beginning of this wonderful series. GALLOWS VIEW is the first novel that introduces Peter Robinson's creation of Inspector Alan Banks.

Women are being terrorized in the small English town of Eastvale by a peeping tom who likes to stare at women while they undress. There has also been a series of robberies affecting this small town but the police start taking notice when they find the body of Alice Matlock. The police cannot help themselves to wander if this was the work of outsiders or if the peeping tom passion has gotten to be deadly. Inspector Banks is in charge of the case and is working together with Dr. Jennifer Fuller to try to help him understand the mind of the voyeur and to see if there is possibility that he could be dangerous.

This book is a police procedural that does not carry a lot of surprises or revelations. What makes this book great is how the author takes what could be considered an ordinary day in the life of a police officer and make it interesting. Inspector Banks has some personal problems and he is attracted to the doctor. He wants to yield towards temptation and he knows it would not be right. The author does a good job also in showing life in a small town by showing the townspeople and involving them in the story. He adds everything from a camera club meeting all the way towards two teens heading into a life of trouble.

As a first novel, it is a very good book and helped in the understanding of Inspector Banks. There are quite a few of the author's work that follow this novel and it will be a pleasure to continue reading them in the future.

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peter Robinson's first novel in a great series., August 6, 2001

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gallows View (Paperback)

What is the difference between Peter Robinson and most other mystery writers? If you have read any of this author's marvelous Inspector Banks novels, then you will know the answer. The other authors are sketch artists, while Robinson is an Impressionist master.

Robinson doesn't merely present a mystery for the readers to solve along with the protagonist. Robinson creates a distinctive setting and fully realized characters along with the mystery. The result is a novel that satisfies and leaves the reader eager for the next installment.

"Gallows View" sets up the Inspector Banks series nicely. It introduces Alan Banks, a detective who left London to work in Eastvale, a town in Yorkshire, where he lives with his wife and two children. Banks has a good working relationship with his superior, Gristhorpe, and with the other members of the police department in Eastvale. Banks is a flawed man. He is addicted to cigarettes, likes to imbibe his pint, and he has an eye for pretty ladies (although he wants to remain faithful to this wife).

The center of Banks's life is his relentless pursuit of justice, and his terrific instinct for how the criminal mind works. In "Gallows View," Banks investigates three different crimes: A Peeping Tom is terrorizing the women of Eastvale, a pair of thugs is robbing both the elderly and some rich residents of the town, and an elderly woman has been found dead. In the course of his investigation, we get to know how Banks operates and we also get inside the mind of the perpetrators.

In "Gallows View," Robinson explores the emotional and sexual tension between men and women and the difficulties of being a single parent. He does all this without preaching, and the themes are woven seamlessly into the story.

The solution to the crimes is not surprising or particularly exciting, but the character development is excellent and it is always a pleasure to be in the company of Inspector Alan Banks. If you have not read the rest of the series, at least be sure to read "In a Dry Season," which is a truly first rate Inspector Banks novel. "Gallows View" is worth a look because it is the first novel in this wonderful series.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The First in a Superb Series, February 4, 2003

By	PurpleKhads (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

Gallows View, the first Inspector Banks novel, provides a great introduction to Robinson's now well-established series. Having already read some of the later books, it is easy to see how Robinson painstakingly lays the groundwork for the subsequent novels. The characters are well thought out, given distinct and memorable personalities, and relationships are carefully established.

DCI Alan Banks, a recent transfer to the Eastvale CID, finds himself embroiled in a series of mysteries for his first major case. A number of Peeping Tom incidents leaves the women of Eastvale rather vary. To make matters worse, two teenagers appear to be carrying out a series of break-ins and vandalisms. The situation turns nasty when an elderly woman is found dead in her vandalized home.

The affable Banks finds himself personally enmeshed in the situation when the investigation hits a little too close to home. The tension grows when Banks tries to remain faithful to this wife, amid the growing attraction he feels towards another woman...

The novel has a perfect (if not slightly contrived) ending - all the different threads are neatly tied together, and the intricate details carefully explained. The readers are even left feeling somewhat sympathetic towards the criminals in this novel.

Furthermore, unlike some of the other police procedurals I've read, there appears to be far less internal tension and strife within the Eastvale CID - the police officers tend to work as a team and get along fairly well. I found this a welcome change from some of the other series where the main character appears to be constantly rubbing shoulders with his superior or junior officers.

All said, Gallows View is an excellent beginning to this superb long-lasting series, and well worth the read.