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Inspector Banks #17
Friend of the Devil
Some shelf wear. Pages are crisp and clean.
424 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
479 people are currently reading
2282 people want to read
About the author
Peter Robinson
271books2,253followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the ŷ database with this name.
Peter Robinson was born in Yorkshire. After getting his BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of Leeds, he came to Canada and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University. He has taught at a number of Toronto community colleges and universities and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.
Series:
*
Awards:
* Winner of the 1992 for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 1997 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2001 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
Peter Robinson was born in Yorkshire. After getting his BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of Leeds, he came to Canada and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University. He has taught at a number of Toronto community colleges and universities and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.
Series:
*
Awards:
* Winner of the 1992 for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 1997 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2001 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 450 reviews
May 14, 2023
DCI Alan Banks' 17th case opens with the brutal rape and murder of a young women on a Saturday night / early Sunday morning, less than 5 minutes from Banks' police station. Meanwhile DI Anne Cabbot working in another region is investigating the murder of a quadriplegic, former prime suspect from an earlier book. The two cases overlap at points in this, yet another fine, and albeit grim piece of work from Robinson. 7 out of 12, Three Stars.
2012 read
2012 read
January 1, 2013
The 17th book in Peter Robinson’s series...and just as good as all the other books before it. Robinson’s methodical and precise style of writing is always a delight to read. Alan Banks and DI Annie Cabbot are each involved in a case of murder. The book moves between both murder stories, sometimes separately and sometimes overlapping them. Robinson brings in the story line from one of his standalone books, “Caedmon’s Song�. Although Banks didn’t appear in this book at all it plays a big role in “Friend of the Devil�.
Robinson continues to build on both the professional and personal lives of both Banks and Cabbot. While some people may find it cumbersome to read about all the little details of Alan’s and Annie’s lives, this is what builds strong and believable characters who I come to time and time again when I want to get lost in a good mystery. The ending of the book is strong and believable.
Robinson continues to build on both the professional and personal lives of both Banks and Cabbot. While some people may find it cumbersome to read about all the little details of Alan’s and Annie’s lives, this is what builds strong and believable characters who I come to time and time again when I want to get lost in a good mystery. The ending of the book is strong and believable.
May 18, 2020
Με το βιβλίο «Παρέα με τον διάβολο» οι εκδόσεις Διόπτρα συστήνουν στο αναγνωστικό κοινό τον επιθεωρητή Άλαν Μπανκς και την ομάδα του.
Οι υποθέσεις που καλούνται να εξιχνιάσουν οι έμπειροι αστυνομικοί είναι δύο και εξελίσσονται παράλληλα. Η μία αφορά το πτώμα μιας νεαρής κοπέλας, που ανακαλύπτεται μέσα σε μια αποθήκη σε μια κακόφημη συνοικία της πόλης. Μετά από ένα άγριο μεθύσι με την παρέα της, η κοπέλα βρέθηκε στο έλεος του άγνωστου δολοφόνου, που τη βίασε και τη δολοφόνησε με βάναυσο τρόπο. Το άλλο θύμα είναι μια ανάπηρη γυναίκα που βρέθηκε μαχαιρωμένη στο χείλος ενός παραθαλάσσιου γκρεμού, ενώ βρισκόταν καθισμένη στο αναπηρικό της καροτσάκι.
Τα δύο εγκλήματα δεν μοιάζουν να έχουν κανένα κοινό μεταξύ τους. Η ομάδα με επικεφαλής τον Άλαν Μπανκς αναλαμβάνει να εξιχνιάσει την υπόθεση της νεαρής κοπέλας και η συνάδελφός του, επιθεωρήτρια Άννι Κάμποτ, που είναι προσωρινά αποσπασμένη στον Ανατολικό τομέα, εκείνη της ανάπηρης γυναίκας. Ενώ ο πρώτος έχει μια ολόκληρη λίστα με πιθανούς υπόπτους, τους οποίους ξεκινά αμέσως να ερευνά, η δεύτερη βρίσκεται σε αδιέξοδο. Ποιον άραγε θα μπορούσε να βλάψει μια γυναίκα που αδυνατεί να αυτοεξυπηρετηθεί, τόσο πολύ ώστε να φτάσει εκείνος στο σημείο να τη σκοτώσει; Όλα αυτά, όμως, μέχρι να αποκαλυφθεί ένα μυστικό που αφορά τη γυναίκα και αλλάζει εντελώς τα δεδομένα της υπόθεσης. Κι όχι μόνο αυτό, αλλά όσο προχωρούν οι έρευνες, τόσο δείχνουν οι δύο υποθέσεις πως μπορούν τελικά να συνδέονται κατά κάποιον τρόπο.
Ταυτόχρονα με τις εξελίξεις που αφορούν τις τρέχουσες έρευνες, οι ήρωες έχουν να αντιμετωπίσουν επίσης τα προσωπικά τους προβλήματα. Ο Μπανκς και η Κάμποτ υπήρξαν ζευγάρι στο παρελθόν και τώρα πρέπει να επαναπροσδιορίσουν τη σχέση τους σε νέες βάσεις, μιας και φαίνεται πως δεν μπορούν να αφήσουν πίσω τους όλες τις αναμνήσεις. Επιπλέον, τα προσωπικά βάρη που κουβαλά ο καθένας και οι εμπειρίες που τους στιγμάτισαν από περασμένες υποθέσεις εμφανίζονται ώρες ώρες σαν φαντάσματα από το παρελθόν που θέλουν να σπείρουν αμφιβολίες στο παρόν τους. Όμως κι οι υπόλοιποι συνάδελφοί τους προσπαθούν να ισορροπήσουν ανάμεσα στην επαγγελματική και την προσωπική τους ζωή, και κυρίως να μην αφήσουν τη μία να επηρεάζει την άλλη � κάτι που μπορεί να έχει απρόβλεπτες, ακόμα και μοιραίες συνέπειες, τη στιγμή που ένας ή περισσότεροι δολοφόνοι κυκλοφορούν ελεύθεροι�
Μιας και το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο είναι το 17ο (!) της σειράς, είναι λογικό να υπάρχουν πολλές αναφορές στο παρελθόν των ηρώων ή σε γεγονότα που συνέβησαν σε παλαιότερα βιβλία. Η συγκεκριμένη υπόθεση, ειδικά, συνδέεται με το 12ο κατά σειρά, το «Aftermath». Δυστυχώς δεν κυκλοφορεί στα ελληνικά, αν και ο συγγραφέας δίνει αρκετά στοιχεία σε ετούτο, προκειμένου να φρεσκάρει όσο μπορεί τη μνήμη των αναγνωστών του.
Μία πλοκή που συνδυάζει περισσότερα από ένα αστυνομικά εγκλήματα, των οποίων η εξιχνίαση διαδραματίζεται παράλληλα, διατρέχει τον κίνδυνο να γίνει βαρετή, επαναλήψιμη ή να «καπελώσει» η μία υπόθεση την άλλη. Εδώ δεν υπάρχει τέτοιος κίνδυνος. Το στόρυ είναι τόσο καλοστημένο και η αφήγηση τόσο πλούσια, που επιτυγχάνεται πλήρης ισορροπία. Οι δύο υποθέσεις είναι το ίδιο δυνατές, το ίδιο σοβαρές, κι όλοι οι εμπλεκόμενοι αστυνομικοί πασχίζουν να τις εξιχνιάσουν. Μπορεί η περίπτωση της νεκρής γυναίκας να αποδεικνύεται πιο ιντριγκαδόρικη, όμως η δολοφονία της κοπέλας στηλιτεύει μια μεγάλη μερίδα της κοινωνίας: από τη μία τις νεαρές κοπέλες που περιμένουν τα Σαββατόβραδα για να ξεσαλώσουν και να βγουν εκτός ελέγχου, χωρίς ποτέ να υπολογίζουν τις συνέπειες, και από την άλλη εκείνους τους ανεκδιήγητους ανθρώπους που θεωρούν πως τέτοιες κοπέλες «τα θέλουν και τα παθαίνουν», λόγω του ντυσίματος ή της συμπεριφοράς τους.
Ένα μεγάλο ατού του βιβλίου είναι η προσοχή που δίνει ο Robinson και στην προσωπική ζωή των ηρώων του, αφιερώνοντας ένα σεβαστό μέρος της αφήγησης σε αυτήν. Το είδος της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας επιβάλλει θα λέγαμε να έχει ο ήρωας-αστυνομικός, εκτός από ισχυρό ένστικτο, επαγγελματισμό και ικανότητα να λύνει ανεξιχνίαστες υποθέσεις, και μια ζωή έξω από το αστυνομικό τμήμα. Εκεί παίζεται το έτερο μεγάλο ‘στοίχημα� του συγγραφέα: να πλάσει, εκτός από το τέλειο έγκλημα, και μια ολοκληρωμένη προσωπικότητα του ήρωά του. Με τα καλά της, τα κακά της και τα προβλήματά της. Οι ήρωες του Robinson, οι επιθεωρητές Μπανκς και Κάμποτ, αλλά και οι συνάδελφοί τους, είναι άνθρωποι που έχουν διανύσει πολλά χιλιόμετρα στον στίβο της ζωής, επαγγελματικό και προσωπικό· δεν βρίσκονται όλοι στην πρώτη τους νιότη, μετρούν απώλειες, λάθη και εμπειρίες, έχουν κουραστεί από κάποια πράγματα και επιθυμούν διακαώς κάποια άλλα. Είναι ανθρώπινοι, έχουν ελαττώματα, παλεύουν με τους δαίμονές τους και κατά καιρούς καταφέρνουν να τους νικήσουν. Ενδεικτική είναι η περίπτωση της Άννι Κάμποτ, που περνάει από όλο το φάσμα των συναισθημάτων στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, μέχρις ότου καταφέρει να σταθεί στα πόδια της � ενώ συγχρόνως προσπαθεί να παραμένει προσηλωμένη (και) στη δουλειά της. Ο αναγνώστης παραμένει επικεντρωμένος σε όλα τα δράματα που εξελίσσονται παράλληλα και σε κάθε επίπεδο και δείχνει ενδιαφέρον τόσο για την εξιχνίαση της υπόθεσης όσο και για την τύχη των πρωταγωνιστών της.
Το «Παρέα με το διάβολο» είναι αναμφίβολα ένα βιβλίο που χορταίνει την πείνα του αναγνώστη για καλό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα και καλούς χαρακτήρες. Και οπωσδήποτε αποτελεί μια πρώτης τάξεως γνωριμία με τον επιθεωρητή Άλαν Μπανκς και την παρέα του.
Οι υποθέσεις που καλούνται να εξιχνιάσουν οι έμπειροι αστυνομικοί είναι δύο και εξελίσσονται παράλληλα. Η μία αφορά το πτώμα μιας νεαρής κοπέλας, που ανακαλύπτεται μέσα σε μια αποθήκη σε μια κακόφημη συνοικία της πόλης. Μετά από ένα άγριο μεθύσι με την παρέα της, η κοπέλα βρέθηκε στο έλεος του άγνωστου δολοφόνου, που τη βίασε και τη δολοφόνησε με βάναυσο τρόπο. Το άλλο θύμα είναι μια ανάπηρη γυναίκα που βρέθηκε μαχαιρωμένη στο χείλος ενός παραθαλάσσιου γκρεμού, ενώ βρισκόταν καθισμένη στο αναπηρικό της καροτσάκι.
Τα δύο εγκλήματα δεν μοιάζουν να έχουν κανένα κοινό μεταξύ τους. Η ομάδα με επικεφαλής τον Άλαν Μπανκς αναλαμβάνει να εξιχνιάσει την υπόθεση της νεαρής κοπέλας και η συνάδελφός του, επιθεωρήτρια Άννι Κάμποτ, που είναι προσωρινά αποσπασμένη στον Ανατολικό τομέα, εκείνη της ανάπηρης γυναίκας. Ενώ ο πρώτος έχει μια ολόκληρη λίστα με πιθανούς υπόπτους, τους οποίους ξεκινά αμέσως να ερευνά, η δεύτερη βρίσκεται σε αδιέξοδο. Ποιον άραγε θα μπορούσε να βλάψει μια γυναίκα που αδυνατεί να αυτοεξυπηρετηθεί, τόσο πολύ ώστε να φτάσει εκείνος στο σημείο να τη σκοτώσει; Όλα αυτά, όμως, μέχρι να αποκαλυφθεί ένα μυστικό που αφορά τη γυναίκα και αλλάζει εντελώς τα δεδομένα της υπόθεσης. Κι όχι μόνο αυτό, αλλά όσο προχωρούν οι έρευνες, τόσο δείχνουν οι δύο υποθέσεις πως μπορούν τελικά να συνδέονται κατά κάποιον τρόπο.
Ταυτόχρονα με τις εξελίξεις που αφορούν τις τρέχουσες έρευνες, οι ήρωες έχουν να αντιμετωπίσουν επίσης τα προσωπικά τους προβλήματα. Ο Μπανκς και η Κάμποτ υπήρξαν ζευγάρι στο παρελθόν και τώρα πρέπει να επαναπροσδιορίσουν τη σχέση τους σε νέες βάσεις, μιας και φαίνεται πως δεν μπορούν να αφήσουν πίσω τους όλες τις αναμνήσεις. Επιπλέον, τα προσωπικά βάρη που κουβαλά ο καθένας και οι εμπειρίες που τους στιγμάτισαν από περασμένες υποθέσεις εμφανίζονται ώρες ώρες σαν φαντάσματα από το παρελθόν που θέλουν να σπείρουν αμφιβολίες στο παρόν τους. Όμως κι οι υπόλοιποι συνάδελφοί τους προσπαθούν να ισορροπήσουν ανάμεσα στην επαγγελματική και την προσωπική τους ζωή, και κυρίως να μην αφήσουν τη μία να επηρεάζει την άλλη � κάτι που μπορεί να έχει απρόβλεπτες, ακόμα και μοιραίες συνέπειες, τη στιγμή που ένας ή περισσότεροι δολοφόνοι κυκλοφορούν ελεύθεροι�
Μιας και το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο είναι το 17ο (!) της σειράς, είναι λογικό να υπάρχουν πολλές αναφορές στο παρελθόν των ηρώων ή σε γεγονότα που συνέβησαν σε παλαιότερα βιβλία. Η συγκεκριμένη υπόθεση, ειδικά, συνδέεται με το 12ο κατά σειρά, το «Aftermath». Δυστυχώς δεν κυκλοφορεί στα ελληνικά, αν και ο συγγραφέας δίνει αρκετά στοιχεία σε ετούτο, προκειμένου να φρεσκάρει όσο μπορεί τη μνήμη των αναγνωστών του.
Μία πλοκή που συνδυάζει περισσότερα από ένα αστυνομικά εγκλήματα, των οποίων η εξιχνίαση διαδραματίζεται παράλληλα, διατρέχει τον κίνδυνο να γίνει βαρετή, επαναλήψιμη ή να «καπελώσει» η μία υπόθεση την άλλη. Εδώ δεν υπάρχει τέτοιος κίνδυνος. Το στόρυ είναι τόσο καλοστημένο και η αφήγηση τόσο πλούσια, που επιτυγχάνεται πλήρης ισορροπία. Οι δύο υποθέσεις είναι το ίδιο δυνατές, το ίδιο σοβαρές, κι όλοι οι εμπλεκόμενοι αστυνομικοί πασχίζουν να τις εξιχνιάσουν. Μπορεί η περίπτωση της νεκρής γυναίκας να αποδεικνύεται πιο ιντριγκαδόρικη, όμως η δολοφονία της κοπέλας στηλιτεύει μια μεγάλη μερίδα της κοινωνίας: από τη μία τις νεαρές κοπέλες που περιμένουν τα Σαββατόβραδα για να ξεσαλώσουν και να βγουν εκτός ελέγχου, χωρίς ποτέ να υπολογίζουν τις συνέπειες, και από την άλλη εκείνους τους ανεκδιήγητους ανθρώπους που θεωρούν πως τέτοιες κοπέλες «τα θέλουν και τα παθαίνουν», λόγω του ντυσίματος ή της συμπεριφοράς τους.
Ένα μεγάλο ατού του βιβλίου είναι η προσοχή που δίνει ο Robinson και στην προσωπική ζωή των ηρώων του, αφιερώνοντας ένα σεβαστό μέρος της αφήγησης σε αυτήν. Το είδος της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας επιβάλλει θα λέγαμε να έχει ο ήρωας-αστυνομικός, εκτός από ισχυρό ένστικτο, επαγγελματισμό και ικανότητα να λύνει ανεξιχνίαστες υποθέσεις, και μια ζωή έξω από το αστυνομικό τμήμα. Εκεί παίζεται το έτερο μεγάλο ‘στοίχημα� του συγγραφέα: να πλάσει, εκτός από το τέλειο έγκλημα, και μια ολοκληρωμένη προσωπικότητα του ήρωά του. Με τα καλά της, τα κακά της και τα προβλήματά της. Οι ήρωες του Robinson, οι επιθεωρητές Μπανκς και Κάμποτ, αλλά και οι συνάδελφοί τους, είναι άνθρωποι που έχουν διανύσει πολλά χιλιόμετρα στον στίβο της ζωής, επαγγελματικό και προσωπικό· δεν βρίσκονται όλοι στην πρώτη τους νιότη, μετρούν απώλειες, λάθη και εμπειρίες, έχουν κουραστεί από κάποια πράγματα και επιθυμούν διακαώς κάποια άλλα. Είναι ανθρώπινοι, έχουν ελαττώματα, παλεύουν με τους δαίμονές τους και κατά καιρούς καταφέρνουν να τους νικήσουν. Ενδεικτική είναι η περίπτωση της Άννι Κάμποτ, που περνάει από όλο το φάσμα των συναισθημάτων στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, μέχρις ότου καταφέρει να σταθεί στα πόδια της � ενώ συγχρόνως προσπαθεί να παραμένει προσηλωμένη (και) στη δουλειά της. Ο αναγνώστης παραμένει επικεντρωμένος σε όλα τα δράματα που εξελίσσονται παράλληλα και σε κάθε επίπεδο και δείχνει ενδιαφέρον τόσο για την εξιχνίαση της υπόθεσης όσο και για την τύχη των πρωταγωνιστών της.
Το «Παρέα με το διάβολο» είναι αναμφίβολα ένα βιβλίο που χορταίνει την πείνα του αναγνώστη για καλό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα και καλούς χαρακτήρες. Και οπωσδήποτε αποτελεί μια πρώτης τάξεως γνωριμία με τον επιθεωρητή Άλαν Μπανκς και την παρέα του.
April 26, 2023
2,5 mă așteptam la ceva mai spectaculos.
May 16, 2025
EXCERPT: She might have been staring out to sea, at the blurred line where the grey water meets the grey sky. The same salt wind that rushed the waves to shore lifted a lock of her dry hair and let it fall against her cheek. But she felt nothing; she just sat there, her expressionless face pale and puffy, clouded black eyes wide. A flock of seagulls quarrelled over a shola of fish they had spotted close to shore. One swooped low and hovered over the still shape at the cliff edge, then squawked and headed back to join the fray. Far out to sea, a freighter bound for Norway formed a red smudge on the horizon. Another seagull flew closer to the woman, perhaps attracted by the movement of her hair in the wind. A few moments later, the rest of the flock, tired of the squabble over fish, started to circle her. Finally, one settled on her shoulder in a grotesque parody of Long John Silver's parrot. Still, she didn't move. Cocking its head, it looked around in all directions, like a guilty schoolboy, then plunged its beak into her ear.
ABOUT 'FRIEND OF THE DEVIL': One morning in March, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, a woman named Karen Drew is found in her wheelchair with her throat slit. Back in Eastvale on that same morning, in a tangle of narrow alleys behind a market square, the body of Hayley Daniels is found raped and strangled.
Two murders . . . two towns . . .
On loan to a sister precinct, Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot draws the first case. Karen Drew seems to have lived a quiet and nearly invisible life for the past seven years. Try as she might, Annie turns up nothing in the woman's past that might have prompted someone to wheel her out to the sea and to her death.
Meanwhile, in the Hayley Daniels murder, Chief Inspector Alan Banks has suspects galore. Everywhere she went, the nineteen-year-old student attracted attention. Anyone could have followed her on the night she was out drinking with friends, making sure she never made it back home.
Then a breakthrough spins Annie's case in a shocking and surprising new direction, straight toward Banks. Coincidence? Not in Eastvale. Banks and Annie are searching for two killers who might strike again at any moment and with bloody fury.
MY THOUGHTS: I have slowly been reading my way through this series over the years. Friend of the Devil is #17 of 28 books, so I still have a way to go, but unfortunately Peter Robinson passed away in October 2022 so there will be no book #29 or 30. I will, therefore, be ekeing out my reading of the final eleven books even more.
There are times when nothing but a Peter Robinson book in the Inspector Banks series will do. I picked this up last weekend intending to make it a long slow read. I should have known better. Once I get my teeth into one of these murder mysteries, I become consumed by them. The slow read may work for the first half of the book, but after that I just have to get to the end to see who did it, or in this instance, them.
Friend of the Devil is made even more interesting by Annie and Banks relations hip, personal and work, being fractured. Annie is angry and makes some spectacularly stupid decisions, while Banks may have found himself a new love interest.
There's a lot of eating and drinking goes on in Friend of the Devil, a dinner party, lunches, and nights out. Don't read when hungry but, if it is appropriate to do so, sit down with a glass of beer or wine while you read. Alan won't mind. Literature, music and food are all very important to him.
You really will need to have read previous books in the series to get the most of Friend of the Devil as some previous cases have a bearing on one of these current cases. Although Robinson does a good job of providing most of the relevant information needed, it's not the same as having read the whole backstory. Backstory is also really important to understand the relationships between the main characters and Alan Banks team.
Another thing I love about this series is how Robinson always seems to strike the perfect balance between the characters private and personal lives. They are skillfully interwoven with just enough information about their out of office activities to provide interest and round out the character without it overwhelming the main storyline.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#FriendoftheDevil #InspectorBanks
MEET THE AUTHOR: Peter Robinson (17 March 1950 � 4 October 2022) was a British-born Canadian crime writer who was best known for his crime novels set in Yorkshire featuring Inspector Alan Banks. He also published a number of other novels and short stories, as well as some poems and two articles on writing. Robinson resided in the Beaches area of Toronto with his wife, Sheila Halladay, and he occasionally taught crime writing at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. He also taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992�1993.
I own my copy of Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson.
ABOUT 'FRIEND OF THE DEVIL': One morning in March, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, a woman named Karen Drew is found in her wheelchair with her throat slit. Back in Eastvale on that same morning, in a tangle of narrow alleys behind a market square, the body of Hayley Daniels is found raped and strangled.
Two murders . . . two towns . . .
On loan to a sister precinct, Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot draws the first case. Karen Drew seems to have lived a quiet and nearly invisible life for the past seven years. Try as she might, Annie turns up nothing in the woman's past that might have prompted someone to wheel her out to the sea and to her death.
Meanwhile, in the Hayley Daniels murder, Chief Inspector Alan Banks has suspects galore. Everywhere she went, the nineteen-year-old student attracted attention. Anyone could have followed her on the night she was out drinking with friends, making sure she never made it back home.
Then a breakthrough spins Annie's case in a shocking and surprising new direction, straight toward Banks. Coincidence? Not in Eastvale. Banks and Annie are searching for two killers who might strike again at any moment and with bloody fury.
MY THOUGHTS: I have slowly been reading my way through this series over the years. Friend of the Devil is #17 of 28 books, so I still have a way to go, but unfortunately Peter Robinson passed away in October 2022 so there will be no book #29 or 30. I will, therefore, be ekeing out my reading of the final eleven books even more.
There are times when nothing but a Peter Robinson book in the Inspector Banks series will do. I picked this up last weekend intending to make it a long slow read. I should have known better. Once I get my teeth into one of these murder mysteries, I become consumed by them. The slow read may work for the first half of the book, but after that I just have to get to the end to see who did it, or in this instance, them.
Friend of the Devil is made even more interesting by Annie and Banks relations hip, personal and work, being fractured. Annie is angry and makes some spectacularly stupid decisions, while Banks may have found himself a new love interest.
There's a lot of eating and drinking goes on in Friend of the Devil, a dinner party, lunches, and nights out. Don't read when hungry but, if it is appropriate to do so, sit down with a glass of beer or wine while you read. Alan won't mind. Literature, music and food are all very important to him.
You really will need to have read previous books in the series to get the most of Friend of the Devil as some previous cases have a bearing on one of these current cases. Although Robinson does a good job of providing most of the relevant information needed, it's not the same as having read the whole backstory. Backstory is also really important to understand the relationships between the main characters and Alan Banks team.
Another thing I love about this series is how Robinson always seems to strike the perfect balance between the characters private and personal lives. They are skillfully interwoven with just enough information about their out of office activities to provide interest and round out the character without it overwhelming the main storyline.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#FriendoftheDevil #InspectorBanks
MEET THE AUTHOR: Peter Robinson (17 March 1950 � 4 October 2022) was a British-born Canadian crime writer who was best known for his crime novels set in Yorkshire featuring Inspector Alan Banks. He also published a number of other novels and short stories, as well as some poems and two articles on writing. Robinson resided in the Beaches area of Toronto with his wife, Sheila Halladay, and he occasionally taught crime writing at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. He also taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992�1993.
I own my copy of Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson.
January 15, 2021
Another solid instalment of the DCI Banks series!
A slighter longer read than the usual but thoroughly enjoyable. Inspector Banks is firmly set in his career and takes the lead again. There is nothing to fault in the telling of the plot and it continues to remain true to the characters, their location and the expected details of the investigation.
There was far less on the lives of Banks and his family, and it tinkers on the edges of his romantic interests. I will continue to work my way through this very solid, well-written series.
A slighter longer read than the usual but thoroughly enjoyable. Inspector Banks is firmly set in his career and takes the lead again. There is nothing to fault in the telling of the plot and it continues to remain true to the characters, their location and the expected details of the investigation.
There was far less on the lives of Banks and his family, and it tinkers on the edges of his romantic interests. I will continue to work my way through this very solid, well-written series.
May 24, 2019
Peter Robinson's 17th DCI Banks novel is yet another strong entry in this great series. Robinson once again shows tremendous skill, as he weaves two separate plots into one seamlessly entertaining police procedural story.
The author continues to build on the lives of the regulars, while making new characters & even the minor ones completely believable. I'm very much looking forward to reading the 18th DCI Banks novel, & the 19th & the......well, you get the idea!
The author continues to build on the lives of the regulars, while making new characters & even the minor ones completely believable. I'm very much looking forward to reading the 18th DCI Banks novel, & the 19th & the......well, you get the idea!
February 18, 2015
I can tell you without having to look it up that Peter Robinson is in his 50's. And probably going thru male menopause.
I can tell you this because his main character, Inspector Alan Banks, is in *his* 50's and seems to be going through male menopause, and because Robinson is obsessed with making sure I know every single excruciating detail of Banks' fictional life, from what he has at mealtimes to the hipness level of the music Banks is listening to, including song title, band/artist name, and which album said song can be found on in the real world. It's unbefrigginglievably, relentlessly, tedious.
In addition to Robinson's obsession with the mundane details of his main character's life - the one with which he so painfully obviously identifies - there are the unrelated leaps in plot "logic" to contend with, and two stories which must be related, but which, halfway thru this excruciating read, are not yet connected to each other. Add in female characters who are unbelievably uptight and unrealistic, and you have a book I'm only reading because I've nothing else in the house to occupy my scant free moments with.
I find it mind-boggling that Robinson has actually written something like 18 of these horrendous Banks yarns and that at least one of them was a bestseller. He is, without a doubt, one of the WORST writers I have ever had the misfortune to read. It makes me angry legions of trees were sacrificed for the publication of a single one of his stories, let alone all the ones that have been published, in all their various formats. If I could give this travesty a negative star count, I would. Don't waste your time.
update: finished this book and promptly ripped it to shreds to save anyone else who might chance it. dreck.
I can tell you this because his main character, Inspector Alan Banks, is in *his* 50's and seems to be going through male menopause, and because Robinson is obsessed with making sure I know every single excruciating detail of Banks' fictional life, from what he has at mealtimes to the hipness level of the music Banks is listening to, including song title, band/artist name, and which album said song can be found on in the real world. It's unbefrigginglievably, relentlessly, tedious.
In addition to Robinson's obsession with the mundane details of his main character's life - the one with which he so painfully obviously identifies - there are the unrelated leaps in plot "logic" to contend with, and two stories which must be related, but which, halfway thru this excruciating read, are not yet connected to each other. Add in female characters who are unbelievably uptight and unrealistic, and you have a book I'm only reading because I've nothing else in the house to occupy my scant free moments with.
I find it mind-boggling that Robinson has actually written something like 18 of these horrendous Banks yarns and that at least one of them was a bestseller. He is, without a doubt, one of the WORST writers I have ever had the misfortune to read. It makes me angry legions of trees were sacrificed for the publication of a single one of his stories, let alone all the ones that have been published, in all their various formats. If I could give this travesty a negative star count, I would. Don't waste your time.
update: finished this book and promptly ripped it to shreds to save anyone else who might chance it. dreck.
June 27, 2019
- Ξέρατε όμως ότι ήταν νεκρή;
- Ναι. Το κατάλαβα. Κάτι� κάτι λείπει, έτσι δεν είναι; Μια απόλυτη απουσία.
Ακόμα και σε ιστορίες που έχουν λίγα να πουν, είναι ευχάριστο να συναντάς συγγραφείς που ντύνονται επιτυχώς μέσα στους χαρακτήρες που έχουν καλλιεργήσει. Αυτό κάνει και ετούτο το βιβλίο καλό, στο είδος του. Είναι καθαρό αστυνομικό με ικανοποιητικούς διαλόγους που ρέουν αβίαστα και χαρακτήρες με ρεαλιστική δυναμική. Μεγάλο αβαντάζ αποτελεί η ανάπτυξη και η χρήση του χαρακτήρα της Γουίνσομ. Συντηρητική, χωρίς γκρίζες ζώνες με μια μονοκόμματη αντίληψη της γλώσσας. Η αποτύπωση και η μεταμόρφωση του συγγραφέα, σε Γουίνσομ, είναι εξαιρετική.
Οι χειρισμοί στις λεπτομέρειες του ψηφιδωτού των διαπροσωπικών σχέσεων είναι ακριβέστατη και το βιβλίο παραμένει αυτάρκες μέσα στους κανόνες του αστυνομικού και μου δημιούργησε την επιθυμία να θέλω να διαβάσω κάτι πέρα απ� το αστυνομικό, αλλά ακόμη κι έτσι η ανελαστικότητα με την οποία μένει προσηλωμένο στο είδος, είναι πικάντικη και δεν αφήνει ανασφάλειες ότι δε θα περάσεις καλά.
Η ανακρίβεια στην περίληψη σχετικά με την εκρηκτική έλξη των πρωταγωνιστών ντετέκτιβ δεν είναι καθόλου ακριβής, διότι δε μπορεί καν να αποτυπώσει τη σταθερή και βαθύτερη διάσταση, με ένα τρόπο που ευχαριστεί διότι αφορά πολυεπίπεδες σχέσεις πραγματικών ανθρώπων και όχι χάρτινες φιγούρες για τα άρλεκιν.
Τέλος, το κίνητρο του δολοφόνου παρουσιάζει ενδιαφέρον κι ιδίως επειδή χάρη σε μια μικρή παραλλαγή ξεφεύγει απ� τα κλισέ του είδους. Με ευχαρίστησε η ιστορία και πέρασα πολύ διασκεδαστικά. Δεν έψαχνα κάτι περισσότερο απ� το αστυνομικό σε εκείνη τη φάση, όμως επειδή μου δημιούργησε την προσδοκία να θέλω και να περιμένω κάτι περισσότερο σε επίπεδο διαπροσωπικών σχέσεων, γι� αυτό τελικά κάτι έμεινε εν μέρει, ανικανοποίητο.
- Ναι. Το κατάλαβα. Κάτι� κάτι λείπει, έτσι δεν είναι; Μια απόλυτη απουσία.
Ακόμα και σε ιστορίες που έχουν λίγα να πουν, είναι ευχάριστο να συναντάς συγγραφείς που ντύνονται επιτυχώς μέσα στους χαρακτήρες που έχουν καλλιεργήσει. Αυτό κάνει και ετούτο το βιβλίο καλό, στο είδος του. Είναι καθαρό αστυνομικό με ικανοποιητικούς διαλόγους που ρέουν αβίαστα και χαρακτήρες με ρεαλιστική δυναμική. Μεγάλο αβαντάζ αποτελεί η ανάπτυξη και η χρήση του χαρακτήρα της Γουίνσομ. Συντηρητική, χωρίς γκρίζες ζώνες με μια μονοκόμματη αντίληψη της γλώσσας. Η αποτύπωση και η μεταμόρφωση του συγγραφέα, σε Γουίνσομ, είναι εξαιρετική.
Οι χειρισμοί στις λεπτομέρειες του ψηφιδωτού των διαπροσωπικών σχέσεων είναι ακριβέστατη και το βιβλίο παραμένει αυτάρκες μέσα στους κανόνες του αστυνομικού και μου δημιούργησε την επιθυμία να θέλω να διαβάσω κάτι πέρα απ� το αστυνομικό, αλλά ακόμη κι έτσι η ανελαστικότητα με την οποία μένει προσηλωμένο στο είδος, είναι πικάντικη και δεν αφήνει ανασφάλειες ότι δε θα περάσεις καλά.
Η ανακρίβεια στην περίληψη σχετικά με την εκρηκτική έλξη των πρωταγωνιστών ντετέκτιβ δεν είναι καθόλου ακριβής, διότι δε μπορεί καν να αποτυπώσει τη σταθερή και βαθύτερη διάσταση, με ένα τρόπο που ευχαριστεί διότι αφορά πολυεπίπεδες σχέσεις πραγματικών ανθρώπων και όχι χάρτινες φιγούρες για τα άρλεκιν.
Τέλος, το κίνητρο του δολοφόνου παρουσιάζει ενδιαφέρον κι ιδίως επειδή χάρη σε μια μικρή παραλλαγή ξεφεύγει απ� τα κλισέ του είδους. Με ευχαρίστησε η ιστορία και πέρασα πολύ διασκεδαστικά. Δεν έψαχνα κάτι περισσότερο απ� το αστυνομικό σε εκείνη τη φάση, όμως επειδή μου δημιούργησε την προσδοκία να θέλω και να περιμένω κάτι περισσότερο σε επίπεδο διαπροσωπικών σχέσεων, γι� αυτό τελικά κάτι έμεινε εν μέρει, ανικανοποίητο.
June 28, 2017
Once again we have two separate murder investigations going on here. In my opinion, his writing gets better with each book. So far there are currently 23 DCI Banks books out and I’m on a mission to catch up with the series. Then I can eagerly await publication of the newest book in the future.
This book, Friend of the Devil, is number 17 in the series.
DI Annie Cabbot has been loaned out to neighboring police force but she is in touch with Eastvale Police as the two investigations appear to relate to one another.
Alan Banks is paired with obnoxious DS Kevin Templeton and one of my new favorite characters, Winsome Jackman. Winsome is a 6 foot black female detective hailing from Jamaica. You can imagine the stir she causes in the quiet Yorkshire dales since they’ve never had any ethnicity in the police force before.
In Banks� investigation we have a collage-aged drunken female who was found raped and murdered in The Maze. There are many suspects but the murderer wasn’t who I thought it would be. Great job of keeping that a mystery up until the end. I wish he had written about the murdered girl’s family again though, see them have closure.
Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot’s investigation involves a wheel-chair bound woman who had her throat slit. Why would anyone want to harm a paraplegic? That is revealed, as well as a blast-from-the-past from a previous book, when they discover the murderer in this case.
At the 60% mark there was a huge twist and surprise! As always what I love about Alan Banks is the dedication to the job as well as his personal life interests of literature, music and food. Reading some reviews there are folks who only want the murder investigation and have zero interest in the personal life and loves of our detectives. I like the balance of knowing who these people are when they aren’t working. It makes them more rounded characters for me.
There was quite a bit of food mentioned in this book as many discussions take place in a pub. At one point Banks meet someone in a wine bar and enjoyed a good wine and baked brie with toasted baguette. Yorkshire puddings, sausages, vegetarian meals, Black Sheep ales and more.
This book, Friend of the Devil, is number 17 in the series.
DI Annie Cabbot has been loaned out to neighboring police force but she is in touch with Eastvale Police as the two investigations appear to relate to one another.
Alan Banks is paired with obnoxious DS Kevin Templeton and one of my new favorite characters, Winsome Jackman. Winsome is a 6 foot black female detective hailing from Jamaica. You can imagine the stir she causes in the quiet Yorkshire dales since they’ve never had any ethnicity in the police force before.
In Banks� investigation we have a collage-aged drunken female who was found raped and murdered in The Maze. There are many suspects but the murderer wasn’t who I thought it would be. Great job of keeping that a mystery up until the end. I wish he had written about the murdered girl’s family again though, see them have closure.
Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot’s investigation involves a wheel-chair bound woman who had her throat slit. Why would anyone want to harm a paraplegic? That is revealed, as well as a blast-from-the-past from a previous book, when they discover the murderer in this case.
At the 60% mark there was a huge twist and surprise! As always what I love about Alan Banks is the dedication to the job as well as his personal life interests of literature, music and food. Reading some reviews there are folks who only want the murder investigation and have zero interest in the personal life and loves of our detectives. I like the balance of knowing who these people are when they aren’t working. It makes them more rounded characters for me.
There was quite a bit of food mentioned in this book as many discussions take place in a pub. At one point Banks meet someone in a wine bar and enjoyed a good wine and baked brie with toasted baguette. Yorkshire puddings, sausages, vegetarian meals, Black Sheep ales and more.
September 15, 2011
The latest adventure for DCI Alan Banks and his second-in-charge Annie Cabbott brings back the spectre of one of their most haunting past cases. I won't say who it is - it's too much fun to feel that gasp of surprise! This case involves the murder of two women - both complex, compelling cases. The police procedural is as usual gripping and smart. But for me, the real focus was the spiral that Annie Cabbott finds herself in as she comes face-to-face with her own personal demons. She is drinking too much, she is making choices that could jeopardize her career,and there is an embarassing incident involving Banks. Annie is coming to grips with her troubled past and her real feelings for Banks, just as she has pushed him away, again. It would be agonizing, if I could only tear myself away from this latest instalment in a wonderful series. On to book #17|
February 8, 2017
This novel was about 2 separate murders that in the end came together and were linked to murders from 18 years ago. The plot had lots of twists and turns and kept the pages turning right up to the very surprising ending. I would recommend reading Aftermath and Caedmon's Song before reading this one as some of the characters were connected to the characters in those two books. I now look forward to reading the next installment in the Inspector Banks series and I highly recommend this series to those who like mystery suspense thrillers and suggest that you read them in order.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
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January 8, 2016
Just another one of those nondescript crime fiction books with a protagonist that is neither particularly smart or great at relationships, and a plot that relies on things just happening as opposed to anyone working things out, science-related or otherwise. The same kind of crime, the same kind of characters, the same kind of decent enough writing but not great enough to be anything except escapism. He can't write women, though. They're either victims or Victorian prudes.
January 15, 2014
I really enjoyed every part of this book. Started reading toward the end of the Inspector Banks series and am now going back to book one to try to put the history with the main character. From other reviews, it appears Robinson's book get better as they progress so I feel lucky to have started where I did.
January 17, 2009
Robinson's latest thriller in paperback, it seems rushed and ill-conceived. There are too many coincidences, too many pat answers, too simple a conclusion. I was not satisfied and I hope for better from Robinson's next novel.
June 4, 2019
Γιατί άραγε δεν έχουν μεταφραστεί και τα υπόλοιπα της σειράς στα ελληνικα; Γιατί έχουμε τα άπαντα του Nesbο, και όχι και του Robinson; Κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη, και έχοντας διαβάσει μόνο ένα από τη σειρά με τον επιθεωρητή Banks , είναι ανώτερη από τη σειρά με τον Hole...
November 21, 2015
This one got a little too convoluted for my taste and all the characters are navel-gazing and angsty. Otherwise standard Robinson.
September 7, 2015
In the seventeenth addition to the series, the reader visits ghosts from a past investigation as once again Robinson is able to create a tangled web of mystery surrounding two horrendous crimes.
Annie has been working in the Eastern area, seconded to help them during a period when they are short of staff. This time Annie and Alan become involved in working on two different murder cases, both of them vicious crimes.
Banks is investigating the rape and murder of Hayley Daniels, a beautiful nineteen year old whose body was found in the Maze, an old abandoned storage area with a labyrinth of alleys, nooks and crannies located near the city center. Most of the buildings are inhabitable and going through the Maze is really a shortcut to nowhere. People know to stay away from there after dark, where condoms and needles are often found littering the dark corners and dusty floors. Hayley had been brutally raped and strangled, found by a nearby shop owner who used the facility to store his remnant leather goods.
Meanwhile Annie at the Spring Hill Police Station is investigating the puzzling murder of a twenty-eight year old quadriplegic, who was taken in her wheelchair to a nearby cliff. There, as she sat unable to move or speak, her throat was slit and she had bled to death. Is this a mercy killing or did someone benefitted from her death? The clues to the murder may lie deep in the woman’s past. Annie must unravel a tangled web to identify the victim and the solution to the murder results in some horrific conclusions.
Banks is not struggling as much in his personal life. He is still not smoking, although he still gets the urge to pick up a cigarette every once in a while. He is beginning to like driving the Porsche he inherited from Roy and although he initially thought he might get rid of it, he likes the way it hugs the roads and thinks he’ll hang on to it. He is slowly rebuilding his collection of jazz CDs and is enjoying his nights with his books, his wine and his music. There may even be an interesting new relationship in his future and Banks is acting like an excited schoolboy at the thought.
He and Annie are still on shaky ground in their personal relationship, but they are able to work together which is a step forward. Annie out on a tear one night foolishly becomes involved with a young man who she later wishes she had never met. She goes through a rough patch with Banks and also Winsome, who she truly thought was a friend.
Dr. Glendenning the pathologist has retired and has been replaced by Dr. Wallace who we met in the last book in the series. She is less flamboyant, a much quieter person who proceeds with her work in a no nonsense manner.
Kevin Templeton has been promoted to sergeant, but the rest of the team do not like his unsavory or idiosyncratic methods, his callous disregard for people’s feelings and his overactive libido. Banks is concerned that he is throwing a wrench into the team and perhaps needs to be transferred out.
Robinson continues his music references, all neatly within the context of the plot, reviving memories of Alan’s past. It is one way Robinson adds layers of complexity to Alan’s character and keeps the readers interested after all these many books.
Annie has been working in the Eastern area, seconded to help them during a period when they are short of staff. This time Annie and Alan become involved in working on two different murder cases, both of them vicious crimes.
Banks is investigating the rape and murder of Hayley Daniels, a beautiful nineteen year old whose body was found in the Maze, an old abandoned storage area with a labyrinth of alleys, nooks and crannies located near the city center. Most of the buildings are inhabitable and going through the Maze is really a shortcut to nowhere. People know to stay away from there after dark, where condoms and needles are often found littering the dark corners and dusty floors. Hayley had been brutally raped and strangled, found by a nearby shop owner who used the facility to store his remnant leather goods.
Meanwhile Annie at the Spring Hill Police Station is investigating the puzzling murder of a twenty-eight year old quadriplegic, who was taken in her wheelchair to a nearby cliff. There, as she sat unable to move or speak, her throat was slit and she had bled to death. Is this a mercy killing or did someone benefitted from her death? The clues to the murder may lie deep in the woman’s past. Annie must unravel a tangled web to identify the victim and the solution to the murder results in some horrific conclusions.
Banks is not struggling as much in his personal life. He is still not smoking, although he still gets the urge to pick up a cigarette every once in a while. He is beginning to like driving the Porsche he inherited from Roy and although he initially thought he might get rid of it, he likes the way it hugs the roads and thinks he’ll hang on to it. He is slowly rebuilding his collection of jazz CDs and is enjoying his nights with his books, his wine and his music. There may even be an interesting new relationship in his future and Banks is acting like an excited schoolboy at the thought.
He and Annie are still on shaky ground in their personal relationship, but they are able to work together which is a step forward. Annie out on a tear one night foolishly becomes involved with a young man who she later wishes she had never met. She goes through a rough patch with Banks and also Winsome, who she truly thought was a friend.
Dr. Glendenning the pathologist has retired and has been replaced by Dr. Wallace who we met in the last book in the series. She is less flamboyant, a much quieter person who proceeds with her work in a no nonsense manner.
Kevin Templeton has been promoted to sergeant, but the rest of the team do not like his unsavory or idiosyncratic methods, his callous disregard for people’s feelings and his overactive libido. Banks is concerned that he is throwing a wrench into the team and perhaps needs to be transferred out.
Robinson continues his music references, all neatly within the context of the plot, reviving memories of Alan’s past. It is one way Robinson adds layers of complexity to Alan’s character and keeps the readers interested after all these many books.
November 7, 2015
I have enjoyed earlier books in this series more, but this is still a well crafted set of cases.
I was surprised by Annie Cabot's going off the rails and as much by the younger lad she picks up almost stalking her after she makes it clear she's not interested. Couldn't he find a girl his own age?
Banks comes across as purposeless outside his job and starts an unlikely relationship with a much younger lady.
The crimes are serious but it's odd how this Eastvale station doesn't tackle tractor theft, cannabis growhouses or other major crimes. Just bizarre deaths. I did feel too many crimes were being shoehorned into the tale, past and present. And if a girl is killed in a maze of dark lanes in town, why is no council official involved, when you would expect them to be under pressure to put up serious lighting for public safety.
This is a complex and maybe over-clever tale with a lot of names to keep straight and case files expanding like concertinas, so not the best place to start the series.
I was surprised by Annie Cabot's going off the rails and as much by the younger lad she picks up almost stalking her after she makes it clear she's not interested. Couldn't he find a girl his own age?
Banks comes across as purposeless outside his job and starts an unlikely relationship with a much younger lady.
The crimes are serious but it's odd how this Eastvale station doesn't tackle tractor theft, cannabis growhouses or other major crimes. Just bizarre deaths. I did feel too many crimes were being shoehorned into the tale, past and present. And if a girl is killed in a maze of dark lanes in town, why is no council official involved, when you would expect them to be under pressure to put up serious lighting for public safety.
This is a complex and maybe over-clever tale with a lot of names to keep straight and case files expanding like concertinas, so not the best place to start the series.
February 21, 2018
I know I should have listened to this series in order, but when you download books from Overdrive or one of the other library download programs, you don't always have a choice in which books the library has that you can download because of archaic laws or copyright laws, and the whim of publishers.
April 11, 2020
Hoewel je dit verhaal als een standalone kan lezen, is het een van de weinige boeken in deze reeks die sterk teruggrijpen naar 2 eerdere delen, nl Lijdensweg dat eerst geen deel leek uit te maken van de reeks (een slachtoffer van serieverkrachter/moordenaar dat wraak neemt) en Nasleep (een koppel dat meisjes ontvoert, martelt en vermoord)
Annie is uitgeleend aan de divisie Yorkshire-Oost en tijdelijk gestationeerd in het stadje Whitby. Ze moet de zaak onderzoeken van een totaal verlamde jonge vrouw die met overgesneden keel werd teruggevonden op de kliffen, nadat ze in haar rolstoel werd opgehaald door een bezoekster.
Banks heeft te maken met een studente die verkracht en vermoord werd in oud, vervallen stadsdeel van Eastvale dat ‘the maze� wordt genoemd.
De boeken van Peter Robinson lijken wel steeds beter te worden. Inspecteur Banks blijft een sympathieke, ietwat eenzelvige man. Het wordt stilaan tijd dat hij wat geluk in de liefde leert kennen. Ik hoop nog altijd dat hij en Annie Cabot terug samenkomen, maar dat lijkt niet zo direct het geval. Misschien in de toekomst?
Annie is uitgeleend aan de divisie Yorkshire-Oost en tijdelijk gestationeerd in het stadje Whitby. Ze moet de zaak onderzoeken van een totaal verlamde jonge vrouw die met overgesneden keel werd teruggevonden op de kliffen, nadat ze in haar rolstoel werd opgehaald door een bezoekster.
Banks heeft te maken met een studente die verkracht en vermoord werd in oud, vervallen stadsdeel van Eastvale dat ‘the maze� wordt genoemd.
De boeken van Peter Robinson lijken wel steeds beter te worden. Inspecteur Banks blijft een sympathieke, ietwat eenzelvige man. Het wordt stilaan tijd dat hij wat geluk in de liefde leert kennen. Ik hoop nog altijd dat hij en Annie Cabot terug samenkomen, maar dat lijkt niet zo direct het geval. Misschien in de toekomst?
June 19, 2017
So that is my fill of Peter Robinson for a time. I did enjoy the production of the Banks series a bit more than the reading if I can count on my memory. This book had some gruesome and rather inappropriate sexual content, e.g. comments about heightened sexual fulfillment reported by young women of the time who favored Brazilians...made by the female pathologist to Banks...Really?!
How far have I fallen? Bad enough reading of raped and murdered young women, violated in every possible way, but then having this kind of discussion while dissecting a body...No more, thanks.
Now I MUST message my daughter not to read this review as it coud sicken her dear sensitive soul.
How far have I fallen? Bad enough reading of raped and murdered young women, violated in every possible way, but then having this kind of discussion while dissecting a body...No more, thanks.
Now I MUST message my daughter not to read this review as it coud sicken her dear sensitive soul.
July 17, 2022
Perhaps a slightly harsh rating because there were parts of the book I enjoyed and I would have given it two and a half stars if possible.
The police characters were well done and there were some dramatic scenes which worked well but unfortunately I found other parts superficial and corny. The reveal was just one big coincidence too far and ruined the last chance of lifting the story to the next level.
It’s been some years since I’ve read a Peter Robinson book as I gradually lost interest in wanting to read the next in the series. This will be the last one for me.
The police characters were well done and there were some dramatic scenes which worked well but unfortunately I found other parts superficial and corny. The reveal was just one big coincidence too far and ruined the last chance of lifting the story to the next level.
It’s been some years since I’ve read a Peter Robinson book as I gradually lost interest in wanting to read the next in the series. This will be the last one for me.
February 6, 2014
Number 17 in the Inspector Banks canon, Friend of the Devil, was the first of Robinson’s books that I’d seen as a TV show (terrific) before reading. As a consequence, I read the novel with a sense of knowing the outcome but not being one hundred per cent sure � and that’s the beauty of book to TV translations, they are never quite the same. The book, of course, has far more detail, takes time to unpack scenes and explore characters inner thoughts in a way the TV cannot. So, even though I “knew� the story, there was a sense in which I didn’t and that made reading a double pleasure.
The novel commences with DI Annie Cabbot being called to the vicious death of a wheelchair bound woman by the sea. When she discovers the identity of the woman who is linked to an old and horrific case that first introduced Annie into Bank’s life, the stakes change. This is a high profile case where, it’s felt, justice has at last been served. But that doesn’t change the fact that a murderer has struck and must be brought to justice. At the same time, Banks is called to investigate the murder of a beautiful, clever and popular young woman who is found in an area known as The Maze in Eastvale.
At first, there seems to be nothing in common with the two cases but, as the investigations proceed and both Banks and Annie are forced to think outside the square, commonalities begin to emerge � commonalities that lead them to discover the lies that have kept dark secrets hidden, and that the killer or killers are closer than they thought.
What I love about Robinson’s books, apart from the cases themselves, is that he also delves into and as a consequence develops, the personal lives and friendships between the central characters. Banks and Cabbot have had a rather tumultuous personal relationship and, in this book, it’s no exception with Annie making mistakes, feeling judged (something which she is perfectly capable of doing to herself and far more harshly than those close to her, despite what she thinks) and failing to trust those who only have her best interests at heart. Likewise, Banks doesn’t know how to recapture the friendship he’s enjoyed with Annie nor reconcile the loss he feels now that their intimate relationship has ended.
Nonetheless, this doesn’t directly affect their ability to work together as a team nor acknowledge each other’s strengths just as they accept each other’s weaknesses. Something all the officers do to a greater and lesser degree.
Another fine addition to such a consistently strong and utterly readable series.
The novel commences with DI Annie Cabbot being called to the vicious death of a wheelchair bound woman by the sea. When she discovers the identity of the woman who is linked to an old and horrific case that first introduced Annie into Bank’s life, the stakes change. This is a high profile case where, it’s felt, justice has at last been served. But that doesn’t change the fact that a murderer has struck and must be brought to justice. At the same time, Banks is called to investigate the murder of a beautiful, clever and popular young woman who is found in an area known as The Maze in Eastvale.
At first, there seems to be nothing in common with the two cases but, as the investigations proceed and both Banks and Annie are forced to think outside the square, commonalities begin to emerge � commonalities that lead them to discover the lies that have kept dark secrets hidden, and that the killer or killers are closer than they thought.
What I love about Robinson’s books, apart from the cases themselves, is that he also delves into and as a consequence develops, the personal lives and friendships between the central characters. Banks and Cabbot have had a rather tumultuous personal relationship and, in this book, it’s no exception with Annie making mistakes, feeling judged (something which she is perfectly capable of doing to herself and far more harshly than those close to her, despite what she thinks) and failing to trust those who only have her best interests at heart. Likewise, Banks doesn’t know how to recapture the friendship he’s enjoyed with Annie nor reconcile the loss he feels now that their intimate relationship has ended.
Nonetheless, this doesn’t directly affect their ability to work together as a team nor acknowledge each other’s strengths just as they accept each other’s weaknesses. Something all the officers do to a greater and lesser degree.
Another fine addition to such a consistently strong and utterly readable series.
January 6, 2015
If you are reading this series out of order make sure you read number 12 - 'Aftermath' before you read this one as it gives away the ending of that book and is a continuation of it in many ways. DI Annie Cabbot is on loan to Eastern Area and is working in the murder of a woman in a wheelchair on a cliff at Whitby. She couldn't have got there by herself and it wasn't suicide so who would have had a motive to do the deed? Meanwhile, back in Eastvale, DCI Banks is involved in the brutal rape and murder of a young woman in an alley which is part of an area of the town known as The Maze.
Annie and Alan are not getting on well but neither is quite sure why. But two investigations which look as though they could be linked in ways which are far from clear mean they really do need to talk to each other and compare notes. This is a gripping and well written novel with plenty of nail biting moments and a very tense conclusion. No one will be the same when the murderer or murderers are discovered.
If you enjoy crime stories with believable and likeable characters, excellent plots which are very well written with plenty of psychological depth to them then this could be the series you are looking for. I have been reading them back to back now for the last couple of months and I am still enjoying them - which is always the test of a good series.
Annie and Alan are not getting on well but neither is quite sure why. But two investigations which look as though they could be linked in ways which are far from clear mean they really do need to talk to each other and compare notes. This is a gripping and well written novel with plenty of nail biting moments and a very tense conclusion. No one will be the same when the murderer or murderers are discovered.
If you enjoy crime stories with believable and likeable characters, excellent plots which are very well written with plenty of psychological depth to them then this could be the series you are looking for. I have been reading them back to back now for the last couple of months and I am still enjoying them - which is always the test of a good series.
September 21, 2015
Another solid entry in the Banks series. A seemingly inexplicable murder of a severely disabled woman in a wheelchair is investigated by Annie Cabbott, while Banks is on the grisly and violent rape and killing of a young girl. The developments unexpectedly ties the two together. Some real mystery solving and a lot of complications in the professional and private lives of the main cast makes this one a great addition to the series.
March 22, 2015
Clever and full of surprises ! I loved it... DCI Banks never fails to entertain me !!
March 24, 2015
Perhaps I shouldn't start a series with #17. But honestly, it really does feel a bit like punish the women for not dating Banks.
December 9, 2017
It held my interest well throughout but there seemed to be too many characters and too many things going on at once. Still, I enjoyed it.
March 9, 2025
J'ai acheté un jour par hasard dans une bouquinerie un livre intitulé 'Not dark yet', et je me suis plus tard aperçu qu'il s'agissait du 27e épisode d'une série!
Je me suis dit "autant commencer par le premier". D'autant qu'il y avait ce commentaire de Stephen King que l'éditeur aime bien faire figurer sur chaque volume :
"The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I’m wrong." C'est pas rien. Mais je dois bien avouer que pendant les neuf premiers épisodes, je me suis demandé si Stephen et moi avions vraiment lu les mêmes livres.
Et puis il y a eu ce 10e episode, où le style s'améliore, les personnages prennent de l'épaisseur, et l'histoire est intéressante. Quelques bons tomes, et puis de nouveau l'ennui qui s'installe.
Tous les scénarios se ressemblent et j'en ai marre de la scène recopiée plusieurs fois par livre, de l'inspecteur observant la place du marché depuis la fenêtre de son bureau.
J'en suis maintenant au volume 17 que j'ai lu en traduction néerlandaise pour varier les plaisirs.
Vais je persévérer ? Je suppose que oui. Je prends ça comme un défi. J'atteindrai le volume 27!
Je me suis dit "autant commencer par le premier". D'autant qu'il y avait ce commentaire de Stephen King que l'éditeur aime bien faire figurer sur chaque volume :
"The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I’m wrong." C'est pas rien. Mais je dois bien avouer que pendant les neuf premiers épisodes, je me suis demandé si Stephen et moi avions vraiment lu les mêmes livres.
Et puis il y a eu ce 10e episode, où le style s'améliore, les personnages prennent de l'épaisseur, et l'histoire est intéressante. Quelques bons tomes, et puis de nouveau l'ennui qui s'installe.
Tous les scénarios se ressemblent et j'en ai marre de la scène recopiée plusieurs fois par livre, de l'inspecteur observant la place du marché depuis la fenêtre de son bureau.
J'en suis maintenant au volume 17 que j'ai lu en traduction néerlandaise pour varier les plaisirs.
Vais je persévérer ? Je suppose que oui. Je prends ça comme un défi. J'atteindrai le volume 27!
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