In the Dark Places

June 22, 2015
In bestseller Robinson’s deftly plotted 22nd Inspector Banks novel (after 2014’s Children of the Revolution), the Yorkshire copper investigates the disappearance of a tractor belonging to gentleman farmer John Beddoes. There’s no reason to connect the theft to the mysterious bloodstain found at a nearby WWII-era airplane hangar, until Beddoes mentions his neighbor’s allegedly ne’er-do-well son, a young man named Michael Lane, who apparently runs with the wrong crowd. When Banks and Det. Insp. Annie Cabot look into Michael’s past, they find that he’s mates with Morgan Spencer, a known tough who soon turns up dead. Morgan’s murder leads the team to local abattoirs—scenes that vegetarian readers may want to skip—as Bank tries to tie all the disparate pieces together. Robinson is equally adept at making murder on a small scale as compelling as any serial killer hunt, and Banks continues to charm. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency.

March 15, 2015

A fire-gutted van. An odd bloodstain in an abandoned airport hangar. Those are the only clues Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks has when two young men disappear in separate cases. Then a truck slides off the road and a long-dead corpse is found along with the freshly killed driver, leading the inspector in a whole new direction. Continuing a New York Times best-selling series that's won Times Notable Book, PW Best Book, and People Page Turner of the Week plaudits, plus multiple awards.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2015

DCI Alan Banks's team is miffed at having been sent to investigate a stolen tractor, albeit such an expensive one that the theft is considered a major crime. It's not easy to steal a piece of equipment that size, and the detectives believe that the theft may be tied to a major smuggling operation. Suspicion falls on a neighbor's troubled son, as the young man and a friend have disappeared. Robinson's latest mystery (after Children of the Revolution) finds the team investigating farmers and employees of the local slaughterhouse, offering the author an opportunity to provide abundant descriptions of the unsavory side of the meat industry. VERDICT The focus here is less on Banks and more on the no-nonsense DS Winsome Jackman, her background, and the possibility of a romance. The series remains absorbing, and procedural fans will be satisfied. Robinson's portrayal of the realities of slaughterhouses will, no doubt, inspire new commitments to vegetarianism. [See Prepub Alert, 2/23/15.]--Linda Oliver, MLIS, Colorado Springs

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.