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Title: Gallows View: The First Inspector Banks Mystery by Peter Robinson ISBN: 0-380-71400-0 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 December, 2000 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.42 (12 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Impressive First Novel
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great first novel in series
Comment: Inspector Alan Banks took a job in the small village of Eastvale after tiring of working in London but even in this picturesque village there are crimes. A Peeping Tom and a pair of burglars are bad enough but when an elderly woman is murdered in an apparent robbery attempt, Inspector Banks and his team of investigators race to find the culprits before others are killed. Inspector Banks is a likable character and the book nicely balances his home life with solving murders. This is the first book in a series that continues to improve with each novel.
Rating: 4
Summary: A very interesting main character does the trick
Comment: The main aspect that draws attention to this series is the character of inspector Banks. He lives in a small town in rural England and presents a very interesting picture in terms of his relationship with others, his inner conflicts and his personality. I find this extremely similar to what happens in the case of Henning Mankel's detective, Kurt Wallander, who also lives in a small town and whose life is a little "messier" than Bank's. In both cases, the rest of the plot is almost secondary, with the mystery being mainly an accessory for showing the traits in the main character. However, Peter Robinson does a better job in entertaining the reader and in keeping his attention.
In this first novel in the series, Alan Banks faces three cases simultaneously. The first one deals with a Peeping Tom that makes his appearances after following his victims from pubs. The second one has to do with a series of break-ins into houses of old ladies who live alone. The third and last case is more serious; an old lady was murdered in what looks like an accident after the perpetrator pushed her back. Banks is in charge of untangling the web of mysteries, since there are possible connections among the cases. On top of this, the inspector has to deal with his feelings towards Dr. Jenny Fuller, a psychologist that was brought in by the police department to help in the case of the peeper. The question is: Will Banks be able to solve the cases, while managing to keep his relationship with Jenny from ruining his marriage?
Robinson has created one of the most likable characters I have seen in a long time; and even though the mysteries are straightforward, the author manages to deliver a couple of surprises along the way. This is one of those books you can read in a few hours, and it fulfills what I think his purpose is, deliver a cozy mystery that keeps the reader entertained.
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Title: A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson ISBN: 0380716453 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 09 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Past Reason Hated: An Inspector Banks Mystery by Peter Robinson ISBN: 0380733285 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: A Necessary End by Peter Robinson ISBN: 0380719460 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 August, 1993 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Hanging Valley : An Inspector Banks Novel by Peter Robinson ISBN: 038082048X Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Blood at the Root by Peter Robinson ISBN: 0380794764 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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