Solidly constructed and with some acute insights into the psychology of adolescent viciousness and middle-aged lust–a remarkable first novel which should have many successes.”— Eric Wright The novel follows the case to solve the murder of Caroline Hartly, whose body of is found one evening before Christmas by her lover, Veronica Shildon. It is a cosy scene–log fire, sheepskin rug, Vivaldi on the stereo, Christmas lights and tree–but Caroline is naked and covered in blood. Detective Constable Susan Gay is the first detective at the scene. She has recently been promoted to C.I.D. and the case soon takes on overwhelming professional and personal importance for her. DC Gay and Chief Inspector Alan Banks soon find plenty of suspects as they begin to delve into Caroline's past and the women's present life: Veronica's ex-husband, who is a well-known composer; a feminist poet; the cast and crew of a play Caroline was rehearsing; and Caroline's eccentric, reclusive brother, Gary Hartley. Inspector Banks's fifth case is an ironic, suspenseful tale of family secrets, hidden passions and desperate violence.

The victim was white, in his early thirties, five feet eleven inches tall, ten and a half stone in weight, and in good physical condition. The last part always irritated Banks: how could a corpse ever be in good physical condition ?” a b c d "The Hammett Prize: Past Winner, Nominees, and Judges". International Association of Crime Writers: North American Branch . Retrieved 13 March 2022. The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I'm wrong' - Stephen King 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. Continue reading »The inhabitants of Robinson's Yorkshire are a far cry from James Herriot's sturdy farmers. In this literate mystery, Chief Inspector Alan Banks must deal with the vicious stabbing death of a young Continue reading » The novel follows Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, a perceptive, curious and compassionate policeman recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales from London to escape the stress of city life. His first cases involve a Peeping Tom frightening the women of Eastvale; two glue-sniffing young thugs breaking into homes and robbing people; and an old woman who may or may not have been murdered. In addition to all this, Banks has to deal with the local feminists and his attraction to a young psychologist, Jenny Fuller. As the tension mounts, both Jenny and Banks's wife, Sandra, are drawn deeper into the events. The cases weave together as the story reaches a tense and surprising climax. The Summer That Never Was, the 13th novel in the series, was originally published in 2003 in the United Kingdom. The book was retitled as Close to Home in the United States.

A Peeping Tom is frightening the women of Eastvale; two glue-sniffing young thugs are breaking into homes and robbing people; an old woman may or may not have been murdered. Investigating these cases is Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, a perceptive, curious and compassionate policeman recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales from London to escape the stress of city life. In addition to all this, Banks has to deal with the local feminists and his attraction to a young psychologist, Jenny Fuller. As the tension mounts, both Jenny and Banks’s wife, Sandra, are drawn deeper into the events. The cases weave together as the story reaches a tense and surprising climax. Gallows View is the first novel by Canadian detective fiction writer Peter Robinson in the Inspector Banks series of novels. The novel was first printed in 1987, but has been reprinted a number of times since. A rotting corpse in the Yorkshire Dales brings Chief Inspector Alan Banks to the insular village of Swainshead in the latest of Robinson's ( Gallows View ) justly acclaimed series of procedurals. Continue reading » Stephenson, Hannah (11 July 2018). "Crime in the blood: creator of DCI Banks comes home". The Yorkshire Post. p.15. ISSN 0963-1496. A good, solid story, full of carefully-observed characters and credible detail. Inspector Banks and his creator look like valuable additions to crime fiction.”— F.E. Pardoe, Birmingham Post

In this artful abridgement of Inspector Alan Banks's 15th series appearance, things get personal for the Yorkshire policeman. Still despondent over the burning of his hearth and home in Continue reading »

Peter's DCI Banks was a major ITV1 drama by Left Bank Pictures. Stephen Tompkinson ( Wild at Heart, Ballykissangel) plays Inspector Banks, and Andrea Lowe (The Bill, Murphy's Law) plays DI Annie Cabbot. The first series aired in Autumn 2011 with an adaptation of Friend of the Devil; the second in Autumn 2012, and the third in February 2014. The hero of Robinson's novels (Wednesday's Child, etc.), Yorkshire Chief Inspector Alan Banks, appears in three of this collection's 13 stories, and one of the 13, ""Innocence,"" won the Canadian Continue reading » Kirk (6 September 2011). "DCI Banks Series to Air Starting Friday 16 September" . Retrieved 31 March 2020.The story was filmed as part of the DCI Banks series and first aired in the United Kingdom in 2 parts on February 17 and 24, 2014. The teleplay varies considerably from storyline presented in the novel and includes a different timeframe (i.e., the murder takes place in 1988). The name of the band is changed to The Crystal Kiss. In Edgar Award–nominated Robinson's 1991 book, the first in a series featuring British inspector Alan Banks, readers meet Banks as he moves to Yorkshire seeking peace of mind. His Continue reading »