Gallows View: The First Inspector Banks Mystery
by Peter Robinson

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Book Reviews of Gallows View: The First Inspector Banks Mystery

Book Review: High Quality Debut
Summary: 5 Stars

The plot is not very challenging but it's realistic and very enjoyable. It's not too hard to get your head around either of the three main plots - but each is equally engaging - and sometimes that is just what i want in a crime novel. The storylines are thus: A peeping-tom is terrorising the women of the small Yorkshire town of Eastvale. A series of burglaries are being committed, first against the elderly, but then progressing to larger, more profitable homes. Also, an elderly woman is found dead in her house on Gallows View road...but are any of the cases linked?

Each plot is fascinating in it's way, especially the storyline involving the peeping tom, which i found to be a very original one to be among the main features of a novel. It becomes especially interesting when a psychologist is called in to give insight into the peepers character, and fans of the psychological aspects of crime are then presented with a different sort of criminal-psychology (other than that of the usual psychotic-killer psychology) which is refreshing and interesting.

Robinsons's writing style is addictive and very good, he has a strong sense of place, and he paints his characters really well. Inspector Banks in particular, the protagonist of the series, is especially well characterised and likeable. He also writes near-perfect dialogue.

I also liked the way the personal lives of the characters are weaved into the storyline more-so than in most novels, and were made an integral part of the story themselves. I hope he continues this trend in the other books...

All in all, i would reccomend this book to any fan of British police procedural novels (namely Ian Rankin, R.D Wingfield, Reg Hill, P.D. James, etc). It's realistic, enjoyable, with great characters and a satisfactory plot. I am looking forward immensely to reading more of this series...

Summary of Gallows View: The First Inspector Banks Mystery

Former London policeman Alan Banks relocated to Yorkshire seeking some small measure of peace. But depravity and violence are not unique to large cities. His new venue, the quaint little village of Eastvale, seems to have more than its fair share of malefactors, among them a brazen Peeping Tom who hides in night's shadows spying on attractive, unsuspecting ladies as they prepare for bed. And when an elderly woman is found brutally slain in her home, Chief Inspector Banks wonders if the voyeur has increased the intensity of his criminal activities. But whether related or not, perverse local acts and murderous ones are combining to profoundly touch Banks's suddenly vulnerable personal life, forcing a dedicated law officer to make hard choices he'd dearly hoped would never be necessary.

Literature & Fiction Books

• Books > Subjects
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery
• Police Procedurals