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A review by weaselweader
Cold is the Grave by Peter Robinson
4.0
“He still had time … for a cigarette and a finger or two of Laphroaig.”
It would be difficult to ask more of the 11th instalment in such a long-running detective and mystery series.
Chief Constable Jeremiah Riddle is DCI Banks’ greatest political enemy within the police force. He despises Banks for his disdain of proper procedure, required protocol and administration and for Banks’ infernal willingness to break the rules and work outside the system. But when he discovers some nude pictures of his sixteen year old black sheep ne’er-do-well daughter on a pornographic web site, he swallows his pride and begs Banks for his help. At heart, he knows that Banks is the man for the job and Banks’ willingness to do what it takes to solve a case is the only chance he has at recovering his daughter. In a clever twist on the usual plot line of this type of novel, Banks’ investigation leads him down a branching road that diverges into two only marginally related crimes.
Meanwhile (one might say, back at the ranch), Robinson continues to develop his characters and their underlying stories. Banks wrestles with the conflict between his inability to accept the finality of the end of his marriage and his desire to begin a relationship with his colleague, Annie Cabbot. In her own turn, Ms Cabbot struggles with the knowledge that, if they are to work together as an effective policing team, she and Banks should maintain a professional distance – a distance that she desperately wants to close!
The characters are fabulous! The story line is compelling and convincing! COLD IS THE GRAVE will please any reader who enjoys contemporary British police procedurals and mysteries. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss
It would be difficult to ask more of the 11th instalment in such a long-running detective and mystery series.
Chief Constable Jeremiah Riddle is DCI Banks’ greatest political enemy within the police force. He despises Banks for his disdain of proper procedure, required protocol and administration and for Banks’ infernal willingness to break the rules and work outside the system. But when he discovers some nude pictures of his sixteen year old black sheep ne’er-do-well daughter on a pornographic web site, he swallows his pride and begs Banks for his help. At heart, he knows that Banks is the man for the job and Banks’ willingness to do what it takes to solve a case is the only chance he has at recovering his daughter. In a clever twist on the usual plot line of this type of novel, Banks’ investigation leads him down a branching road that diverges into two only marginally related crimes.
Meanwhile (one might say, back at the ranch), Robinson continues to develop his characters and their underlying stories. Banks wrestles with the conflict between his inability to accept the finality of the end of his marriage and his desire to begin a relationship with his colleague, Annie Cabbot. In her own turn, Ms Cabbot struggles with the knowledge that, if they are to work together as an effective policing team, she and Banks should maintain a professional distance – a distance that she desperately wants to close!
The characters are fabulous! The story line is compelling and convincing! COLD IS THE GRAVE will please any reader who enjoys contemporary British police procedurals and mysteries. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss