Robinson is one of the best in the police-procedural business at capturing the hard reality of police work--the drudgery of interviewing reluctant witnesses, the tedium of pounding the pavement to follow up leads, the monotony of reviewing and re-reviewing evidence. Fortunately, it isn't all tedium. Robinson always adds plenty of spice in the way of fascinating characters, clever plots, psychological complexity, and intriguing glimpses into the human psyche. His latest story has intrepid hero Inspector Alan Banks attempting to solve the murder of 16-year-old Deborah Harrison, who was found strangled to death in a graveyard. The victim was the daughter of a prominent businessman, who wants the killer apprehended posthaste. A suspect is identified, jailed, and sent to trial, only to be declared innocent. Meanwhile, the never-satisfied Banks keeps reviewing the evidence, finding more questions than answers but, finally, revealing a crime as stunning in its complexity as it is shocking in its violence. Masterly, suspenseful, and riveting. Emily Melton
From Kirkus Reviews
Yorkshire Chief Inspector Alan Banks's eighth case (Final Account, 1995, etc.) is a particularly sad affair: the strangling of Deborah Harrison, a choirgirl who liked chess and horses, in St. Mary's cemetery. There's not far to look for suspects: Daniel Charters, the vicar of St. Mary's, is reeling under the accusations of sexual advances by the Croatian sexton he dismissed; the sexton himself acts furtive and defensive; and Deborah's ex-boyfriend, John Spinks, is a lowlife who seems to have a problem with rules of any sort. But under the gun of the new Chief Constable, an old friend of Deborah's titled father, Banks and his men zero in on English teacher Owen Pierce, and Pierce--whose flamboyant liaison with adventurous model Michelle Chappel seems to have been an undress rehearsal for the role of crazed sex killer--endures the agonies of interrogation, arrest, arraignment, and trial before a jury narrowly frees him to return to his shattered life, his lynch- minded neighbors, and suspicion of having committed a second murder with all the earmarks of the first. The whole plot would seem deeply old-fashioned if the characters, from go-getting Inspector Barry Stott to the vicar's embattled wife, didn't keep pulsing and seething with startling life. A standout performance from one of the last and finest masters of the understated British procedural, with plenty of passion to understate. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
The novels of Peter Robinson are:“chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art.”
From the Back Cover
“Cunningly plotted. . . . The characters have complexity and the issues range broad and deep, raising interesting moral questions about bigotry, class privilege, and the crime of being different.”—New York Times Book Review
A body is discovered in a graveyard—aboveground. It is the sort of horrific crime Chief Inspector Alan Banks fled the city to escape. But the murder of a bright teenager from a wealthy, respected family is not the end of the nightmare. Lies, dark secrets, and sinister clues swirl around this killing like leaves in an autumn wind, leading to a shattering travesty of justice that will divide a suspicious community. Yet Banks must remain vigilant in his hunt—because when the devil is left free to pursue his terrible calling, more blood will surely flow.
Electrifying and utterly addictive, Innocent Graves is one of Peter Robinson’s most chilling tales of suspense.
“Inspector Banks is a man for all seasons.”—Michael Connelly
About the Author
James Langton trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner, he has performed many voice-overs and narrated numerous audiobooks. James was born in York, England, and is now based in New York City.
Peter Robinson is an award-winning author whose 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.
